Cooling off over public hotspots

According to the hype, mobile workers enjoy high-speed wireless internet access almost wherever they lay their portables. So I set out with notebook and Wi-Fi card to see how today's public hotspots measured up.

In theory, public hotspots work no differently to private wireless networks. Once in range, you need the SSID name to connect. Commercial providers redirect you to a page where you can enter subscription or prepay details. The main UK players are BT Openzone and Megabeam.

My first stop was an Openzone hotspot, the BFI Imax cinema. Sadly there was no promotional evidence of wireless services and the staff were equally nonplussed, although one helpfully pointed to an Easyinternet Cafe.

I powered up my notebook and, lo and behold, Windows XP found the network. Once logged in, Windows reported impressive 147Kbps download speeds.

Second was The Drury Lane Moathouse Hotel, listed as one of Megabeam's hotspots. Again, no stickers in the window, but the lady behind reception cheerfully confirmed its presence and handed me a Megabeam leaflet.

This was out of date though, instructing me to use an expired SSID. Megabeam is renaming public SSIDs to 'eurospot', and this Moathouse had been switched.

Next up was the legendary Starbucks of 32 Fleet Street which, along with the branch at 90-94 Old Broad Street, was one of the first public hotspots in the UK. Starbucks was still offering promotional free wireless internet access in these branches.

T-Mobile's Hotspot window sticker was clearly visible and the staff well versed in their wireless service and proud of it too. They explained that it was popular, but I appeared to be the only user. I then discovered seven notebook users fervently tapping away downstairs.

Continuing the caffeine theme, I headed to Costa Coffee on Cannon Street, listed as a live BT Openzone. The store had many Openzone leaflets and the staff were well informed. I was told that the service was not yet operational, but I powered up and connected straight away.

The confines of coffee shops are all very well, but I was keen to see how hotspots worked on a larger scale, so it was off to Paddington Station to check out Megabeam's service. En route, I nipped into the Paddington Hilton to try out its BT Openzone but, although staff explained the service, I found it hard to maintain a reliable connection.

Things looked up when I headed into Paddington Station, despite drawing blank looks from everyone questioned and a complete lack of marketing materials. Windows found the Megabeam service immediately, but also spotted a second wireless network labelled 'Readytosurf (free network)'.

One double-click later and I was enjoying free wireless access, but who was operating it? The answer lay in a coffee shop on the second floor, with a small cyber-cafe alongside called Readytosurf.

The staff assured me the cyber-cafe was now closed for the day and became quite standoffish when I suggested that there was an open wireless network with their name on it. As they turned their backs I noticed a lone man in the corner tapping away on an Apple Powerbook.

He was an American businessman staying at the Hilton, but after finding its hotspot unreliable he'd wandered outside and came across two more, including this free one, and had been coming back for several days.

I hadn't the heart to tell him London wasn't the dense collection of public hotspots his experience implied, but it proves that sniffing for free SSIDs is well worthwhile.

The following day I finished the remaining credit on my Openzone prepay card in the main departure lounge of Heathrow Terminal 1; it was faster than ever, with download speeds over 200Kbps, putting a 135MB file on my disk in just over 10 minutes.

My exploration revealed a huge range of experiences, although my underlying memory was a lack of information.

Few locations advertised their services and in half of them staff seemed blissfully unaware of what was passing over their heads. Thank God for XP's ability to discover network SSIDs, as without it I wouldn't have got connected or found the free services.

Even once connected, the absence of SMTP servers or personal access to a corporate virtual private networks meant having to use web-based email to send messages.

I'm also concerned about security and will continue online shopping at home only. Problems aside, though, the experience was genuinely liberating and felt a world apart from using a mobile phone.

Hotspots remain few and far between, which begs the question of whether you'd be willing to travel to one. Judging by the complete absence of mobile users in all but two I visited, it seems that people won't come unless the price is right, or free.

The situation would be different if hotspot coverage approached the ubiquity of cellular networks, but so long as you've got to make the effort to travel, I reckon they're best operated free of charge as an incentive.

I'd definitely take my custom to a cafe offering free access but, despite enjoying my day of high-speed wireless freedom, I'm happy to go without at current pricing.

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