How do I find HotSpots?

Several websites now contain lists of hotspots. Some are database driven and quite large, but their search modes are primitive. Road warriors looking to park near an access point will not find most of them easy to use.

There's also the Catch 22 that just when you are looking for an access point is when you have no Internet access to get to these lists (or maps). So you will want to copy some of the useful local lists and maps into your laptop.

Lists do not generally contain any information about how to connect. Many Access Points have been set to names like "MyLAN Welcome - DHCP" which is telling you to go ahead and request an IP address. How To Request An IP Address.

Commercial For-profit wireless services have proprietary client software that can sniff out their server software and log you in automatically. Then their monitoring and billing software keeps track of your usage. It splits the fees with the local wireless access point operator.

Some For-profit CAPS are area-specific, like WiFi-Metro in San Francisco. Others are nationwide and enlist smaller CAPS to offer their server software and share the profits. Typical charges are $19.95/month or sometimes $1.99 per connected hour.

Some small municipalities not well served by their local telephone companies provide wireless Internet access, and large cities have considered spanning the digital divide by expanding free access in schools, libraries, and government offices to a wide range of public places if not the whole city (called a MAN or Metropolitan Area Network). Hot spots are usually limited to their public buildings like libraries, but some cities are expanding to parks and public spaces.

skyCAPS are Community Access Point Services based on a mix of technology, hardware, and software for management, monitoring, and billing recommended by skyCAPS.net, a subsidiary of skyBuilders.com.