I prefer to just use netstumbler
finds all wireless AP's in the area and connects automatically to a unsecured network if you tell it to.

regul8r

Limited content here in Canada (at least in my three cities, I didn't check outside of my three bases of operations). Only found one or two per area and missed some really obvious ones such as public libraries, university campuses and airport terminals that I know offer access points.

Potentially could become useful in the future due to the ability of uses to add hotspots. Guess I'll have to wait and see.

twvogels

Is there any service much like this where users submit their own wireless from there home?

ma5t3rw1tt

@Elliott: Pointless, or just no use to you. There's a big difference.

cde

"The map is limited to 100 locations for perfomance reasons."

Kind of pointless IMO :s None even showed up even NEAR my address.

Elliott

That site didn't work for me, search never changed page... either it's being hammered or broken. I had luck with
[www.jiwire.com]

though, just googled for it. Seems like the same functionality but shows free vs. paid.

aphex242

Though I live in a small town, all of these services will be extremely useful when I move this summer.

June 27th at 12:45 actually. :D

Myles

Oops, that link should be Google WiFi. Darn these markup languages!

Deprong Mori

Yeah, I dunno. The map for [url="http://anchorfree.com/hotspot/view/28174"]Google WiFi[/url] (the mostly citywide WiFi for Mountain View, CA) actually puts them northwest of Coffeyville, Arkansas.

Deprong Mori

@regul8r: netstumbler tells you what's up where you are. this tells you where you could go.

twins8791

Hmm, I put in my zip code; So. California and I'm told the mark on the map literally 2 streets over is in Arkansas.

I put in my street address and the mark says I'm in downtown Los Angeles.

Netstumbler says I have no free sites, I know for a fact I have 3, 2 Starbucks and 1 Borders Bookstore.

Anyone know of a Netstumbler for mac Leopard that works well? I have one that crashes on a regular basis; downloaded for Tiger app not yet updated.

strega

Didn't list my FON hotspot.

RickS

@cde: Kind of pointless to everyone considering there's not that many hotspots listed...Also, they have a lot of errors with their site/maps, like this:

"Arts Café
201, Fairmount O.,
Montréal, Qc,, QC H2T 2M8 CAN"

Copied directly from the map ^^

Elliott

I put in "91601," the ZIP code for North Hollywood, California, and it returned 14,836 hits!!

Dai Tryon

Yep, it's broken. I got pointers to nonexistent sites in my neighborhood, and the ones I know about -- like the free and comfy public library -- aren't listed.

Lauram

well i only got 3!!!! it seems that nobody wants to share their WiFi :(

ChambrasWeed

I'm just getting nothing

eKiTeL

Nothing shows in the screen once you find your regions... I clicked on a town near mine and the next screen was blank.

no text is showing up at all.

sogalitno

Not very exhaustive. Missed two nearby public libraries.

Capone

I just get a blank page, no options, no map, just header, footer, sidebar, and blank space in the middle

eKiTeL

I looked at a couple more local entries and now I'm not sure if this site is being maintained. Some of the data and comments are rather old. One of the most popular cafes in downtown Palo Alto doesn't have any comments since 2005.

I think this site is mostly dead.

Deprong Mori

It's a mess.

That_Bastid

Just use wigle.net. That'll show you a TON of wifi's. Now, whether they're open/free or not is something to find out but, at least you know they're out there.

kl0an

Works using my desktop, but crashes the browser on my mobile unit. Is this only happening to me? Because if mobile users are unable to use it to find a hotspot, then what good is it?

rogun64

@aphex242: I have to agree with aphex, jwire was faster, showed more results, and has a better web interface.

nka

I tried looking up the postal code of 48080 (Michigan). The map showed one location in the area, but when I clicked on it, the location address came up for Utah.

I will not be using this site in the future.

jakeu1701

On a similar subject, if you have a device with both GPS and WiFi you can use Navizon to log the location of AP's and make a few bucks doing it for them. Granted you need to log a lot to make any money but it's nice to fire it up when I go out and collect $20 every couple of weeks. Their program is more geared toward using AP's to triangulate the location of devices with wifi but no GPS but it's cool to go to the site after running errands or going on trips with it on. You can see the path you took as told by AP's and cell towers. Pretty neat.

JerryA

You can try the WeFi.com website for this service.
You can get a map of the hotspots near your address, and you can add hotspots using their software.

tomwolfstein

Got one result. The name and address given for this one hotspot was:

5 Zhulebinskij bul'var
Moscow, Moscow RUS

I do not live in Moscow.....

jleosack

Same thing I see everywhere-

All the PAID access points are shown, Sprint, Starbucks, etc.

Not a single free wifi hotspot is shown, not even the local businesses that advertise in the yellow pages with free wifi or giant billboards, etc.

Heck, even the local flower shop I work in has 500 users a month using the free wifi (only one in our tourist town) and it doesn't even show up.

buckleytech

um, none in london... apparently

shoobly

Yeah, Google Map mashup part has enough problems to summarily dismiss. The comments? Half of them are from whiners complaining that such-and-such cafe doesn't offer free power outlets for laptops.

Yeah, they don't want you to camp out eight hours in a row. Yes, a few people might actually occasionally buy something, but the vast majority of these jerks won't. Their attitude of entitlement is astounding.

I'm all for forcing laptop users (and I'm one of them) to go to battery power when in a coffee shop with free WiFi.

Deprong Mori

put in my location in NJ and found one hotspot - right at my address - and it belonged to a B&B that is 100 miles south.

a check of downtown manhattan showed the brooklyn public library as having a hotspot - when did that move across the east river?

accuracy seems to be a challenging point on this.....

acornemb

@Lauram: Same. They showed one on my street as a Cafe...there's only houses on my street. Hahah

Elliott

i actually like hotspotr better.

firesign

Not to rain on the parade, but connecting to anyone's wireless is technically illegal in most states (at least I know it is here in PA).

darkpaladin79

'Actions speak louder than words'. Here it simply fails to deliver. Someone has to create a much useful version.

Twinklestar

Just doing our part to spread the love:

[www.xbarit.com]

Thanks, y'all.

@darkpaladin79 - I am doubtful of the illegality of connecting to OPEN wireless connections for the purpose of accessing the Internet:

[journalism.nyu.edu]

If you can cite a law that shows differently... The laws I have seen only make it illegal to use an OPEN network if you then break other laws. However, hacking into CLOSED networks seems to be illegal regardless of how nice you might play afterwards.

JamesIsIn