New Wi-Fi Keeps Net-heads Connected

July 2, 2003

Can‘t bear to be away from your beloved internet and e-mail when you head out for a cuppa‘ joe? Then the good news is that Wi-Fi hot-spots (translation: wireless connections to the internet) are the new wave in connectivity, and the revolution is happening even here in Northern Michigan.
Wi-Fi is old news on the technologically-hip West Coast. When you stroll through downtown Portland, Oregon, you see rainbow-haired kids sitting on street corners in punk tatters, downloading music on their wireless laptops or keyboarding friends in chatrooms. Soon, however, it‘s predicted that wireless connectivity will be available around the planet.
Wireless technology is possible through local area networks (LAN), which produce hot-spots of microwave connectivity which can be accessed by lap-tops rigged for such.
On June 9, the Traverse Area Association of Realtors (TAAR) announced that it has begun providing hot-spot access points throughout downtown Traverse City.
“We envision a place where people can bring their laptops and handheld computers, sit on a park bench or a café, and read e-mail or surf the Internet,“ said TAAR President Stan Tornga in a news release.
More good news is that the access will be free to the public, thanks to a partnership between the TAAR and local businesses. A new non-profit subsidiary of the realtor group, called TCWiFi, is providing the equipment and technical know-how to make the hot-spots available.
The free aspect is important to users because elsewhere, users are charged for the service by providers such as Verizon or AT&T.
Lars Kelto, a technical consultant for TCWiFi, notes that wireless access is one of today‘s hottest technologies. “It‘s everywhere. New York City recently budgeted $10,000 per park to implement what we‘re doing in Traverse City.“
Kelto notes that wireless connections are currently available at the Loading Dock, Horizon Books, FireFly/310, Holiday Inn and Building 50 in Traverse City, with new hot spots slated for the Open Space, City Centre Plaza and other sites.
It‘s not all fun and games, however.
“We will put limits on the service so it can be used for e-mail and business, but not for games and all-day chats,“ Kelto said.

DO IT YOURSELF
Of note, virtually anyone can become a hot-spot operator. For as little as $695, you can purchase the equipment from companies such as Boingo Wireless, which has established 1,300 hot-spots around the country.
“Anyone can set up a Wi-Fi network and cover an area of typically 100-500 feet with Internet access hundreds of times faster than a modem connection,“ Boingo Wireless notes on its website at www.boingo.com. Boingo also offers free software that “sniffs“ for hot-spots wherever you go.
For the future, Boingo Wireless predicts that every service station will serve as a hot-spot, making internet access possible in your car.
“Soon you will pull into any service station and top up on your data along with your gas. Download MP3’s, update your navigation system with the latest traffic data, download the day’s Wall Street Journal audio edition to listen to on the way to work. When you pull into your garage, your car will “dock” with your home Wi-Fi network.“
Wireless hot-spots are an outgrowth of cell phone technology, according to Carl Sullivan, a columnist in Editor & Publisher magazine. Unfortunately, like cell phones, Wi-Fi technology tends to be all over the map in terms of service and accessibility.
“As with any evolving industry, there isn‘t a single standard yet,“ Sullivan writes. “Nor is there a standard device for downloading wireless information. There are countless models of cell phones, PDAs, laptops, and combinations of the above -- each with a different size screen and formatting specs.“
All of the above, however, is mostly a problem for those wishing to download the newspapers of the future, in some yet-to-be-invented universal format. In the meantime, it shouldn‘t take much effort for the technologically-astute to get their lap-tops up to speed with local Wi-Fi for those all-important coffee house internet musings.
Cost to upgrade your lap-top? Wi-Fi radio chips started out at $100 in 2000, but now cost only $15, according to Boingo Wireless. And by 2005, some 90% of all lap-tops will have Wi-Fi chips as a built-in feature.
For more info on Wi-Fi service in Traverse City, check out www.tcwf.taar.com or call 947-2050.