Are there free hotspots?

L

LDFerguson

Registered User
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Yet another daft beginner's question from me on IT - I'm going to drag myself kicking and screaming into the 21st century if it kills me...

Okay, so I've got my nifty little portable device with 802.11 wireless connectivity built in. I've been reading up about Vodafone's hotspots... http://www.vodafone.ie/soho/wifi/index.jsp

Maybe I'm deluded but I thought that some hotspots were free - you simply went to the hotspots and worked away for nothing?
 
Some hotspots are indeed free by design - e.g. some cafés, bookshops, other shops etc. provide access for free to customers (or anybody else in range). Some are free by accident - e.g. all those people who buy wireless routers for their broadband connection but forget (or don't know) to secure them are leaving them open to the world (or at least that bit of the world in a c. 100m or less radius of their home ). To his delight my nephew has discovered many of the latter lately having acquired a new laptop! I've also heard anecdotal reports of people buying wireless enabled laptops and being delighted that they came bundled "with the internet" when they switched them on and automatically latched on to their neighbours' WiFi hot spots! Other hotspots (e.g. probably Vodafone - not sure but I think that you are billed or use pay as you go scratch cards for access? - and definitely some in certain cafés etc.) are not free and customers must pay to use them. I think that many of them present a login screen where you enter payment (e.g. credit card) details before you can use them. Does that make sense?
 
I thought eircom were giving free wifi access from payphones (approx 50m radius, so a nearby bench will do), but looking at their site seems to imply you pay for it now?
 
fancy a [broken link removed]

Heres [broken link removed] list.

Just read the other reply. You can buy a scratch card for eircoms fee hotspots, but heres a tip, try and get yourself to a comms/I.T. trade show, Ive been at 3 in the last year where eircom where set up and they were hanging out free hotspot scratch cards to beat the band.
 
I just noticed that http://weblog.techno-culture.com/ (Karlin Lillington) seems to maintain a directory of (free and commercial) WiFi hotspots in Ireland in case that helps.
 
Thanks guys - I'm off now for a Big Mac Meal and an opportunity to look really busy and important.
 
This site has info about 74 hotspots around Ireland and whether they are free.
 

Just be aware that there have been recent convictions in the UK and the US of people who piggypacked for free internet access on other people's unprotected residential wireless networks.

C
 
On what basis? Do whatever laws apply there have any equivalent here or in the wider EU? Are you sure that these weren't prosecutions of offences involving illegal content (e.g. child porn etc.) or cracking (i.e. nefarious hacking) as opposed to simply using somebody's open hotspot?
 
Hi Clubman

A lot of "computer crime" here and in other countries is prosecuted under existing legislation e.g. theft, trespass, etc. unless it falls under specific legislation such as those laws pertaining to child pornography. This is because technology changes much faster than the specific laws do, so charges under existing laws are often brought to bear.

In the UK case the individual was found "guilty of dishonestly obtaining an electronic communications service and possessing equipment for fraudulent use of a communications service". See
[broken link removed]

Details of the case in the US [broken link removed]

Also see recent story about an unsecured wireless network in Finalnd being used electronically steal money from a bank. http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,104005,00.html
Here the owner of the network initially was the one under police suspicion.

C
 
Thanks for the info. Interesting if a little bizarre (at least to my mind) but there you go.
 
''its ok to borrow a jug of milk but not to take the whole cow'' thats what i said to a downstairs neighbour last year
 
if you are near ucd (and have nothing else to do), you can park up beside one of the buildings and surf from your car
 
there was a craze in America where people were leavign secret chalk marks on buildings to indicate if there was an open wirelsss network for you to use...
 
All Dublin City (and other?) libraries now offer free Wifi. Tried it recently in the ILAC central library and it worked a treat. Seems to be popular judging by the number of people with laptops in the library!
 
Thanks Rainyday for mentioning our collaborative Google Map of Irish wifi hotspots. I'd just like to note that we have now applied a consistent colour code to the several hundred pushpins such that it's easier to determine whether a hotspot is free and open, voucher required or paid. BT Openzone, eircom zones and FONs are also distinguished.

Finally, the latest post on my blog (which you linked to above) shows how to use a network link (KML) to view all hotspots in your area of interest either on Google Maps or Google Earth as you zoom in and out.

Clubman, as regards Dublin City Library hotspots we've also marked them on the map. However, Eugene Farrelly of the Library Council told me that wifi is not available in all library authorities around the country as yet though it is something "being considered by all library authorities"
 
Hotels (and bars) are another place to find free surfing. Some hotles allow you to surf without charge which means sitting in the lobby or bar, sipping a cup of coffee!
 
Welfarite said:
Hotels (and bars) are another place to find free surfing. Some hotles allow you to surf without charge which means sitting in the lobby or bar, sipping a cup of coffee!
Click to expand...

That's right Welfarite and we've got a whole lot of them marked on the map, using green, yellow and red colour codes to distinguish between free, voucher required and paid. If anyone comes across a new one please add it to the map (it's set to open collaboration so all you have to do is login with your Google ID)
 
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