by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
With all the talk about Internet cafes and Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) accessible hangouts these days, many people are still left in the dark when it comes to Internet access without cords. Here is a step-by-step guide to getting plugged into the Internet without the plug.
Step 1 — Become Wi-Fi enabled
The first step is to make your laptop computer or a similar handheld device (i.e. Palm Pilot) Wi-Fi enabled. To do this you will need to accessorize your computer with a Wi-Fi network card. Though many new laptops and handheld devices have a wireless card already installed, adding one to your laptop or devise is fairly easy. You can get a Wi-Fi network card at most electronics or computer stores. Prices range from $10 to $60, depending on the quality of the card you purchase. You will want to get a card enabled to pickup the industry standard 802.11b or 802.11g frequency. That shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. Most consumer cards are made for the 802.11 frequency.
To install the Wi-Fi card, plug it in and just follow the instructions.
Congratulations, you are now wireless.
Step 2 — Find an Internet cafe
Now that you are wireless, you have to find a place to test your new information gathering capabilities. Places that provide Wi-Fi service are called “hot spots.” Internet service at hot spots is provided via an access point. An access point is a device connected to the Internet that transmits and receives information with Wi-Fi devices.
Though there is no listing in the Jacksonville phone directory for “Internet cafes” or “hot spots,” there are a few websites that offer a free directory service for Wi-Fi hot spots. Before you totally unplug, check out www.wi-fihotspotlist.com or www.wifinder.com to get a list of local hot spots.
Then, pick a cafe that suits your needs. Wi-Fi hot spots can range from coffee shops to college bars to airport terminals. Also, while some hot spots are free to the computers wielding public, others may require that you have a certain wireless service account.
For example, all Panera Bread locations in Jacksonville offer free wireless access. Other free access sites include the Landing, Diedrich’s Coffee, Suncoast Cafe and Fontana Italian Restaurant.
On the other hand, all local Starbucks and Borders bookstores are also Internet hot spots, however, you have to open a T-Mobile HotSpot account in order to log on in these locations.
Step 3 — Log on to the
Internet
After you find a seat, set up your wireless enhanced computer or device. Now, you will have to set your computer’s SSID, or Service Set Identifier. The SSID is a network setting that allows your machine to search for wireless networks in the vicinity. That might sound like computer mumbo-jumbo, (and it is) but if you have trouble just ask a fellow surfer or a staff member.
Some hot spots, such as Panera Bread, offer a guide or brochure with detailed instructions for getting online.
Once your wireless device is online with the location’s access point, start surfing.
Possible Wi-Fi problems
The biggest issue at most hot spots is a lack of technical support. Though some hot spots offer brochures regarding connection instructions, most do not. Baristas at several local Starbucks said they have no idea how to log on the the system and usually refer customers with Wi-Fi problems to call T-Mobile.
Another problem is crowding. Because Wi-Fi networks offer the chance for multiple people to receive service at the same time, sometimes too many users will be logged on to the network. A common problem at many free hot spots, this can lead to slower download times and lots of waiting.
When getting on a wireless network, also keep in mind that the coverage area for most wireless Internet hot spots, like a coffee shop or pub, is relatively small. These smaller areas tend to have only one access point, which covers about a 300-foot range. The wireless signal is usually just large enough to cover the location’s floor plan. Other hot spots, however, are quite large and may have multiple access points. Wireless Internet coverage in these areas can be picked up over a much larger area, for example, at the Landing.
Wireless Internet options
With the increasing boom of Wi-Fi Internet networks, the Internet is all around you now. With the Wi-Fi boom comes many wireless Internet options.
Free hot spots
These are what started it all. Hot spots are usually easy for companies to set up and just as easy for customers to use. However, they may offer more hassle than the fee-driven Wi-Fi service locations.
Mike Galley, general manager for Panera Bread in San Marco, said he believes more businesses will probably become free hot spots.
“You are going to see (Wi-Fi service) in all types of coffee shops and college study spots,” he said.
Since the Panera in San Marco installed its Wi-Fi system, Galley said he has seen more customers and increased sales.
Account required hot spots
Some hot spots use the same technology as the free wireless hot spots but require that you sign on to the network using a special account made available through a company such as T-Mobile or Sprint.
Because the technology is the same, these service subscribers can still use the free hot spots but they also get access to several members-only hot spots.
T-Mobile, for example, offers a fee-based service called T-Mobile HotSpot where subscribers can use their laptops or wireless handheld devices at more than 2,300 specific locations nationwide, mainly Starbucks and Borders bookstores, as well as free hot spots.
Scott Keit, technology director for IT Busters, Inc., has been using T-Mobile’s service for months. He said T-Mobile’s service has offered him a more reliable option for wireless Internet use.
“I have used the free (wireless Internet cafes) for years,” he said, “but the reliability isn’t always there.”
Keit said many free cafes use wireless systems intended for a smaller volume of usage and often get bogged down when too many users log on. He said the T-Mobile HotSpot locations offer a “more robust” service and are more secure.
Clearwire Internet service
As a totally different approach to on-the-go laptop wireless Internet use, Jacksonville was chosen as a test city for Clearwire Internet service.
Clearwire, a Texas-based company, uses cellular towers instead of smaller local wireless hot spots to provide its customers with cord-free Internet service.
Clearwire service works much like a cellular phone so you can get service no matter where you go, cafe or otherwise, as long as you are in the service area.
Instead of getting a wireless Internet card for your laptop, Clearwire supplies its users with an external modem that is about half the size of a cereal box.
The only catch is Clearwire’s relatively small coverage area. Currently, its coverage area includes parts of downtown, San Marco, Mandarin, Fleming Island and Baymeadows.
“Right now, the small coverage area is the only downfall of Clearwire,” said Michelle Drackert, sales representative for Computer Source. However, Drackert said the service area should be expanded in the fall to include coverage from downtown to the beaches.