Or if you prefer a pint...
Not that I've got round to trying it yet, but apparently the Wetherspoons pub chain also does free wifi these days..
Sandwich maker Pret A Manger has begun offering free wireless internet access to its customers. The sarnie seller said it has already activated the service in 60 of its Blighty stores and plans to roll out free Wi-Fi access to another 70 outlets over the coming week. UK wireless web service provider The Cloud struck a five- …
Here in the US the Starbucks usually install themselves into some strip-mall next to other generic restaurants that give away WiFi, so I guess if you had to you could leech off of them. The one close to my house has a Panera Bread (sandwich shop) 20 yards away that offers free WiFi. If that doesn't work you can probably pick up an unsecured one, "linksys" seems to be a very popular service provider around here ha ha.
On a recent road trip we stopped at a couple of McDonalds and noticed that they are giving out an hour of free hotspot use with your purchase. Only way I knew about it was that the cash register receipt had a WiFi passphrase posted on it. I don't think that it is available in all locations.
McUpChuck has earned at least 3 meals worth from me in the last 12 months. Its free wifi has meant I have gone in sat down, eaten, picked up my e-mail. Actually their coffee is alright, but what do they add to the food to make you more hungry after you have eaten than before?
Wifi service is good. Just waiting for Virgin West Coast trains to catch on - as per your "stories" 2007 and before. Current rumour is Spring 2009.
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Starbucks offer 2 hours free wifi per day as long as you use a starbucks card to buy something once per month.
So pretty much every regular customer, and those that carry a card in case they need emergency wifi, can get free wifi from Starbucks in the US.
Maybe time to ask why they don't offer UK customers the same deal?
Fair enough, your call. If you like a lager, frankly it makes no odds where you get it from, its all the same really, buy it cold, drink it cold, taste as little as possible. As for real ale, spoons actually does a far better range than most places...as to whether they know how to keep it, that's a whole other question, and one I ain't going to get into :)
Re:
"Wifi service is good. Just waiting for Virgin West Coast trains to catch on - as per your "stories" 2007 and before. Current rumour is Spring 2009."
I tried using Wifi on my way back from York to Kings Cross using GNER once, absolute joke.
It was rip-off expensive - as you might expect for a train company - and performance was diabolical. I resigned myself to being satisified with "I just wanted to try it on the train, see how well it worked", didn't achieve anything useful with it, peformance was too bad.
Actually Goldman aren't involved at all. They were consulted on the sale but have no money in there. Bridgepoint are the ones. Thankfully starting to wield the axe at the bloated HQ structure (sack Y please).
Fortunately McDonalds aren't involved anymore although Julian is still around as a "creative consultant" although not seen as often as he used to be.
The wi-fi works quite well, although it's very un Pret like - you're "supposed" to gve a name, email and DoB to Cloud before it'll let you on although it works if you put in any old rubbish.
Typically half arsed. If you read this Jess: sort it out ;-)
I've found myself in McDonalds on a regular basis when out and about due to their free Wi-Fi, the Didcot branch just off the A34 proving very handy. It's a great way to get people in and the connection is always fast.
So big thumbs up to Maccy D's. The coffee is cheaper than Starbucks as well.
I'm currently working regularly in Peterborough which means travelling by National Express with their 'free' wifi. It's slower than dial up, almost useless. Like someone else here I tried it 'on the train' but i haven't bothered for months.
And staying at the Holiday Inn Express (near the showground) where they charge (business rate, not walk up which is £90) £75 per night, they want £15 extra a day for wifi... or you could get the £11 per day version which 'allows simple web surfing'.
So I found a nice little b&b nearby - free wifi, freeview tv and Sky, beers for a pound and the owner picks me up when it's too wet to walk.Oh err.. £45 per night. If only the rest of the world worked that way, what do you reckon?
I wonder how much Paris would charge per night?
i didn't know McD's did free wifi for customers because I never even go through the door.
But now I might. I can imagine paying a couple of quid for a "Mcburger" (or whatever their cheapest item is, I really have no idea, "royale with cheese" maybe) and then binning it and using the wifi. It's still probably cheaper than the other wifi options available (5 pounds for an half hour, 7 for an hour or 8 for a day type pricing plans).
Or even approach other customers (many of whom would be confused by the idea of the internet "whit d joo meen ah cin git pikshoors n moosic offov a wyur when there innt no wyur?) and ask for their receipt with the password printed on, then sit just outside or even scavenge receipts off the discarded trays (if you don't mind looking like a real freak for free wifi).
"Everybody be cool, this is a wifi robbery. Any of you punks go online and I'll execute every mother%£%@ing last one of you"
Their bacon sandwiches and coffee are nice, I have ended up binning the hash brown that comes with them a few times though. The nuggets used to be good, I've not had them for a while. All the burgers just up drop a sauce/mayo/lettuce combo down your front, so I avoid them.
To the person scavenging receipts for the password, if that's in the UK you don't need to. On the Cloud portal page that comes up, click the McDs logo and you get a page asking for your name and address. Enter any old rubbish in there, and you're away. The user name and password are for Cloud subscribers.
Alan.
the bloke serving us in a certain boozer in kirkintilloch didnt even know that they provided wifi in the first place. probably still doesnt. it was that pay as you go cloud crap anyway. luckily there are a few, as someone posted, "linksys" networks around said area which was quite unbelievable as one of 'em was a computer "repair" business / shop. which he can find out about for himself :D
quite amusing...
<quote>Not that I've got round to trying it yet, but apparently the Wetherspoons pub chain also does free wifi these days..</quote>
[checks blog] 'Spoons moved their free wireless internet out of trial phase last Christmas (article at http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/news/index.php?NewsArticleId=18691)
At the time, the stickers in the window suggested you could just switch on and surf and the staff (in my "local" at least, which hadn't been furnished with leaflets) tended to posit the same view; fortunately I'd been able to get a leaflet from another branch. Presumably the situation is better now.
It was nice to check my email over a great-value beer, in the name of passing the time.
I just connect my N95 8GB to my laptop if I need internet on the move (Not that often tbh). It runs just as fast as when you buy the mobile broadband deals with USB modem except I always have my phone on me and it connects to my laptop wirelessly using either bluetooth or the built in Wi-Fi.
Can use bluetooth if you have Nokia PC Suite installed, or if you want avoid using that software Jokiu do a Symbian-OS App that lets the phone act as a WiFi access point and share it's connection.
I usually just use the Nokia PC Suite method when i'm using Windows.
You can all come to my house and use my wi-fi for free if you're willing to pay silly money for a cup of hot water and tiny piece of cake :)
Screw the American chains and their rip-off culture of Central Perk style of coffee shops! Free wifi doesn't justify the open-wallet surgery every time I get dragged in for a coffee.
Hm... every single Starbucks I know here (Mexico City) has free WiFi. Some other restaurants have "not so free" WiFi, the catch being that you need to be using an ISP at home that has the WiFi service... which isn't a problem with me, anyway; I use one of those ISPs.
So basically, I've got free WiFi nationwide, either Starbucks-free (no passwords!) or ISP-served (thanks, Telmex/Prodigy!) I didn't even know some patrons rip off WiFi users.