[NTLUG:Discuss] Fwd: [Web-Informant] #405, WiFi as urban renewal

[Andrew Brown]

Free wireless is a very cool thing. Found a site that lists the free
wireless locations in Dallas. http://www.auscillate.com/wireless/dfw/
I live in a smaller loft complex near town and thinking about setting up
a free wireless network for the complex. Yes it is an added money maker
for places like Starbucks but come on, what a draw. Think about how much
more $4.00 coffee you could sell with a free link. I used Hot Spot for a
year and found myself @ Starbucks buying something when I don't even
drink coffee...

Its cheap to set up... note the Gingerman is on the list of free
wireless locations. Think I will wave a draugh' and do some work I have
been meaning to get to...

What can NTLUG do to help bring this to Dallas communities?


On Wed, 2005-04-06 at 19:02 -0500, Robert Pearson wrote:
> FYI... edited for brevity. View the full article at:
> http://strom.com/awards/405.html
> 
> Web Informant #405, 6 April 2005: WiFi as urban renewal
> 
> http://strom.com/awards/405.html
> 
> Since I moved here, I have found that there are two things
> that get Californians excited: free parking and free WiFi.
> ...[snip]...
> 
> Two years ago the City of Long Beach was one of the first
> to jump on this trend, ...[snip]...
> http://www.longbeach.gov/ecd/technology/hot_zone.asp
> 
> Since then many other locations around the world have
> followed their lead. The latest in the Los Angeles area to
> go wireless is the city of Fullerton, ...[snip]...
> 
> All this free wireless is happening as a result of several
> powerful trends working together. First is that the gear
> is getting pretty cheap, ...[snip]...
> 
> Second, volunteers are getting organized and
> community-level projects are bringing techno-geeks
> together to build their own hot spots. The best example of
> this is Austin Wireless City Project in Texas. They have
> even produced a training manual to show how they have
> built out their network:
> http://www.muniwireless.com/reports/docs/AWCP_training_guide.pdf
> 
> Third, the traditional government funding mechanisms of
> redevelopment grants and new public safety initiatives
> have poured tons of money into these areas, ...[snip]...
> 
> And finally, hotels and hospitality services are getting
> into the act, ...[snip]...
> 
> It is a great idea. Now if we can just keep the local
> Bells and cable companies from killing it. Needless to
> say, they are concerned that all this free wireless is
> cutting into their profitable monopolies. In the meantime,
> if you need to find free wireless connections, the best
> site that I know of is JiWire's hotspot finder:
> http://www.jiwire.com/search-hotspot-locations.htm
> 
> David Strom
> Editor-in-Chief
> Tom's Guides Publishing
> 31225 LaBaya Dr #107
> Westlake Village, CA 91362
> +1 (818) 991-0282 x204
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