I've recently become the proud owner of a laptop computer with WiFi capabilities and having exhausted the novelty of working from the sofa and the kitchen I'm about to venture into the city. But where to go? This directory lists 535 places in Birmingham though their accuracy is a little shonky in places and they don't highlight the free hotspots.
It's not that I'm a stingey bastard. Okay, I am, but I really don't want to get tied into some kind of tedious contract thingy. I want to know where I can pop in and blog quickly with the minimum of fuss in the city centre in exchange for purchasing an overpriced cup of tea. I'm also interested in more longterm places to haunt (where I might well be inclined to pay a fair sum) that are happy to have a floating worker anchored to a table all day.
Any tips? Is there a decent directory that isn't all commercial? Should we build one?
And those wifi sniffer things. Are they dirt cheap yet? (Answer: under £20)
8 Comments:
You don't need an extra gizmo, because you've got all the hardware you need right there. Install something like NetStumbler and just wander round with your laptop :)
Yeah right. Wander around central Birmingham with an open laptop. That's a sensible idea.
I was just wondering if those gizmos had become dirt cheap, like a couple of quid, since they don't really do much. £20 is still a bit pricey for what it is though.
From what I see and hear the answer is no. The (not-so-waterproof) Main Library has no plans to implement wifi, partly because the concrete impeded signal would require transmitters every-which-where. Secondly, I am told that the notional 'free access' from the Council is going to consist of free access to the council website and no more. (Now I wish I'd asked that of the lady from Digital Birmingham yesterday at FeXB.) Starakinginthebucks has that T-mobile contract based thing. I haven't seen any access at Aston or Matthew Boulton, nor any of the quasi-public spaces like Bullring, Symphony Hall, Custard Factory or St. Phil's. That could mean it's up to Birmingham's civic-minded technologists to create something like Broadscape.
I've wondered around with a DS looking for open spots, there's not too many around really.
if you have to pay then http://wifi.credecard.com/ isn't too shabby, you top it up like a phone, anywhere you see a The Cloud of BTOpenZone logo you can use it, bullring has lots of hotspots.
You needn't wander round. You could wander, then sit :)
Maybe you could scrounge or borrow a DS or a PSP. There are phones that do WiFi, so do a lot of handheld computers. If you're really keen to do a survey, we could take a wander round with Natalie's Palm one afternoon.
Best place I found was Coffee Lounge opposite the small entrance to New Street Station. Free wireless internet access (well, for the price of a coffee) and a nice cafe too.
prospects?
Interesting is that if you zoom in, one marker shows up on Wake Green Road. I think that may be a BT switchbox...
Ha. I suspect that's Andrew Dubber's house!
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