Free Wireless Internet

Back in September 2005 Google announced its plans for providing free wireless internet access in the San Francisco Bay area ( It hasn't as yet April 2006 been approved).

Although offered as free it will probably be supported by Ads. Whether those ads will be as intrusive as the ones offered on free email accounts by MSN and Yahoo remains to be seen.

There will probably also be a paid (premium) option as is common with the free email accounts but again that remains to be seen.

What is sure is that Free Wireless internet access seems to part of a growing trend. The Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory blog reported adding over 500 new free locations in the first 3 months of 2006.

Why Offer free Wireless Access?

For hotels, guest houses, pubs, coffee shops and similar it is a very low cost way of providing a very valuable service. It is low cost because the businesses concerned already have a broadband connection to the Internet and sharing it with their guests doesn't cost them anything.

It is also high perceived value as most travellers these days want internet access anywhere they are and this trend will increase with VOIP Wireless phones that are currently entering the market.

For companies like Google I find the rationale less clear, and I will be interested to see how it develops. However for other companies like Wall Mart etc it will probably become expected that it is available, just like you expect then to have restroom and a restaurant.

Wireless Community Networks and Wireless Stealing

Because most people using WI-FI home Networks are also attached to the Internet using Broadband many have deliberately left their networks open so that anyone within range can access the Internet via their home wireless network. This types of access points have become known as Wireless community networks

There are even many more who because of lack of knowledge have unknowing left their home wireless networks open and hence are vulnerable to what is known as wireless stealing. Where unknown to them others are accessing the Internet via their home network.

This can have the effect of slowing down their own Internet access it can also result in additional charges or cut-off as limits are exceeded (depends on Internet connection package type).

Related articles and resources:

Directory of free Wireless Network access points (hotspots)

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