What is wi-fi and how does it work?

[Maude Charlee]

Hi,

Sorry to sound so stupid, but what exactly is wi-fi and how does it work? I'm wanting to buy a laptop as I'm working away from home and need to have broadband internet access, but I'm not entirely sure if this is possible without a landline connection. I'm under the impression that wi-fi enabled laptops can access the internet without a landline, provided you can receive a signal from some kind of wi-fi 'hotspot'.

Firstly, is this actually true, or am I under a misapprehension? Secondly, how common are these 'hotspots'? And finally, is there any kind of charge for using this sort of service? I find it too good to be true that genuinely free broadband is widely accessible.

Thanks for your help.

[419]

Have a look here.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/specials/wifimap/

This should tell you everything you need to know, inc maps of wi-fi locations and prices.
You're correct in your assumption about accessing the internet, without having a landline, provided it's done from a hotspot.

(note to the mod's).
zdnet allow their info to be linked.

"Links:
You may link from another site to ZDNet UK online content including reviews, articles, features, video and audio clips."

[TheOddOne]

Hi,
is there any kind of charge for using this sort of service? I find it too good to be true that genuinely free broadband is widely accessible.
Thanks for your help.

Yes, you're right, there's no such thing as a free lunch (TNSTAAFL, as Larry Niven used to say!)

Many folk these days have a wi-fi set-up at home (we run 3 laptops, a Tower and a printer from ours) and of course you can take the laptop and use it anywhere there's a 'hotspot'. Some places provide this for free, as a part of their customer service or for the convenience of visitors. I visit a certain Aeronautical establishment in London for meetings and they provide this. Cork airport used to provide it free in the departure lounge. Sadly, Cork along with many other places, now see this as a revenue earner rather than a service. Waterloo Station, for instance, have 3 competing providers, each charging £1 for 12 mins, (last time I looked) so you can sit in your train and access the internet. The signal magically vanishes, however, as soon as you pull out of the platform.

Some hotels provide it free, but increasingly they make a charge. The last Travel Inn I stayed in a few weeks ago wanted more money than I was prepared to pay.

Airports, of course, charge what they think the market will bear, sadly including my employer.

My personal view is that once you've made the capital investment in the infrastructure and linked in to your probably-already-existing broadband ISP, there's little additional cost, so you could well afford to offer it as a service, gratis. Grabbing marginal income like this does more to p*ss off the customers than it does to generate revenue, but HEY! I'm not an accountant nor do I work for our Retail division. I suppose they'd argue that it pays my wages...

Cheers,
TheOddOne