A number of restaurants and retailers offer Internet access, but a special few have both free Wi-Fi access as well as comfortable surroundings.
As more and more people live life on the go, their computing happens on the go as well. It is a
great boost to productivity to find a good place to take your laptop and stop, check e-mail, and get a little work done.
But if you don’t have a Wi-Fi card, you’ll need to find hot spots offering Internet access. Several restaurants and stores will let you log on for a price, but if you’re looking for more of a bargain, you can find a number of places that have free Internet access.
Most cities have great local places that offer free Wi-Fi, but here are some places throughout North Carolina and the U.S. that offer free Wi-Fi and a laptop-friendly environment.
Libraries—many libraries have computers with Internet access. Some libraries, such as some of the newer ones in Wake County, N.C. also have free Wi-Fi as well, so you can bring your own laptop and set up your own workstation.
Buffalo Wild Wings and Fox and Hound restaurants also provide free internet access.
Bear Rock Café, with locations from Arizona to New Hampshire, has Wi-Fi and food. You could stay there from breakfast until closing.
Many McDonald's Restaurants have Wi-Fi. Check the Mcdonalds website at mcdonalds.com and plug in your address to check.
Bruegger's Bagels also offer Wi-Fi in addition to hot crusty bagels. You'll have better chance of scoring a table if you get there after the breakfast rush.
Speedway Gas Stations have free internet access at most of their locations located throughout the U.S.
Panera Bread Company used to be high on the list, but Panera’s recently (and probably with good reason) begun limiting Internet access to 30 minutes between 11a.m. and 2p.m. Of course, if you’re using Excel or Word, or a non-internet based program, you’re still in good shape.
In addition to restaurants and service stations, many hotels also offer access to the Internet. Naturally, with some hotels you need to be a guest, but many hotels also provide Internet access in public areas, such as lobbies.
A great website for finding free Wi-Fi spots throughout the United States is the WiFi Free Spot website. Remember that the majority of these sites may not have secured wireless connections, so you may want to wait and check your bank statements or make credit card purchases from a secured connection.
Remember also to call to make sure that particular location does in fact have WiFi and that it is working properly before you head out.
No comments:
Post a Comment