For those who know me, they know how much I travel - a LOT! I am used to scrounging Internet access where I can - hotels, clients offices, dialup from the airport, and wireless connections at cafes, etc. Most have been pretty ordinary.

But, today, I am down in San Diego working with a client. They prefered that I take the train down from LA, and I wasn't going to complain - no traffic! But, I was annoyed that I would likely not have any access to the Internet on this trip. Thankfully, I was wrong - finding access at a most unusual location.

Aparently, San Diego is on a binge, wiring the city with wireless hotspots around town. One location: the train station. So I sit here writing this in the middle of the San Diego train station waiting for my train to arrive. Sometimes, I just love technology!

Has anyone else found a hotspot in an unusual or unexpected location?

Tony

Wow, my husband was just telling me about this very subject the other day. He said he read an article that a section of Long Beach (by where the Crate and Barrell outlet is, if that means anything to anyone) is going to be a hotspot, and they're looking at making LAX a hotspot as well. He also mentioned that some Starbucks locations are hotspots (http://www.starbucks.com/retail/wireless.asp), and there's a cafe in Rowland Heights (?) or thereabouts that's a hotspot. I also found this restaurant chain (http://www.cooldeli.com/wireless.html) that talks about having hotspot locations.

I just bought a wireless nic card for my laptop, I downloaded Boingo (http://www.boingo.com) to do my hotspot sniffing for me, but I know that McDonald's of all things is installing 10 hotspots in restaraunts in New York as a trial with a rapid deployment planned later this year. PC World Article (http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,110314,00.asp)

T-Mobile is also cranking out hotspots in airports, hotels, and coffee shops. Check it out here (http://www.t-mobile.com/hotspot/default.asp?nav=hm)

Well, after my neighbor complimented my dad on our nice DSL line and how he loves being able to save $49 bucks a month by just logging into our network, I realized that we had turned our house into a wireless hotspot for our entire street :eek: I fixed that really fast :fez: :geek:

As for my strange hotspot, I found one while on the monorail heading past Indy :fez: Too bad it was password protected :fez:

Originally posted by Dexter
I just bought a wireless nic card for my laptop, I downloaded Boingo (http://www.boingo.com) to do my hotspot sniffing for me, but I know that McDonald's of all things is installing 10 hotspots in restaraunts in New York as a trial with a rapid deployment planned later this year. PC World Article (http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,110314,00.asp)

T-Mobile is also cranking out hotspots in airports, hotels, and coffee shops. Check it out here (http://www.t-mobile.com/hotspot/default.asp?nav=hm)

Thanks for the tip on Boingo--I'd tried NetStumbler but its support for my Linksys card was spotty at best. Boingo recognized it right away. Good stuff.

Oh, and I found a hotspot in the US-departure section of Vancouver airport. Couldn't acquire an IP address, though, very annoying.

I read on another board that there's a wide open hot spot around Innoventions at Epcot. Haven't checked it out personally, though. Anyone wanna bring a web cam and a laptop and broadcast from Epcot? :) ;)

Ahhh, Hotspots. I just got a wireless card for my pocket PC. I am having trouble finding ANY hotspots - even in Long Beach which is supposed to be "one of the most unwired cities in the US" according to Wired Magazine. Of course, I probably haven't spent enough time experminting with this (for me) new technology.

OK, I was wrong, it wasn't Rowland Heights, it was Pico Rivera. Here's the link (http://www.dalrae.com/ ) to the restaurant. Here's the link (http://www.longbeachportals.com/ ) regarding Long Beach, and here's a whole list of places (http://www.80211hotspots.com ).

Originally posted by Not Afraid
Ahhh, Hotspots. I just got a wireless card for my pocket PC. I am having trouble finding ANY hotspots - even in Long Beach which is supposed to be "one of the most unwired cities in the US" according to Wired Magazine. Of course, I probably haven't spent enough time experminting with this (for me) new technology.


pine street was supposed to be all wired by now, but knowing the way long beach is, it makes sense that its not done. Also not too bar from Long Beach is Seal Beach and all of main street is wired.....works pretty good too....