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WiFi Free-For-All

Posted by timothy on from the restroom-free-for-all dept.

my_LART writes "Information Week reports that WiFi access is becoming a free commodity. Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) has recently dropped its pay-per-use model and has installed free access to the WLAN in the food court and will be expanding access to the gates. On a similar note, Choice Hotels International is planning a WLAN rollout at its 370 Comfort Suites and 140 Clarion properties by the end of May. Choice Hotels International plans on expanding the rollout to two more of the company's brands by the end of the year. While this is great for us Road Warriors, how can this make financial sense? Choice Hotels can certainly markup the cost of the rooms by a few dollars per night, but how is PIT planning on reclaiming the costs? Regardless, lets hope other airports and hotel chains follow suit."

17 of 339 comments (clear)

  1. Easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Landing fees.

    1. Re:Easy by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

      actually, you make a good point.
      Set up your own Server, then use a 'age verification' process the gets numbers for, well, age verification.

      Load a trojan onto the laptops, so the next time they boot up, it runs a wav file of someone screaming "I'VE GOT A BOMB, AND A GUN, AND I AM GOING TO KILL YOU ALL".

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  2. Hmmm by gid13 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Could we just cover the globe and get it over with? :)

  3. Re:Where I work by xoran99 · · Score: 5, Funny
    At the ISP where I work, I can sit in the lobby and pick up about 3 other free wide open WiFi APs from the couch in the lobby.

    Imagine that... An ISP employee looking for internet access at work...

    --

    Karma: Bad (mostly due to all those "In Soviet Russia" jokes)

  4. Easy by Ooter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sniff credit card numbers on the wireless network and charge them "convenience fees" which most flyers probably won't complain about :) Lazy americans (myself included)

  5. It's crazy! by chunkwhite86 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I agree this wifi free-for-all is getting out of hand. Heck, I've got three different neighbors providing free wifi! ;-)

    --
    I'd rather be a conservative nutjob than a liberal with no nuts and no job.
  6. Re:WiFi access at airports by coryking · · Score: 5, Funny
    (lady): "Gee, what do you think honey? Should we go to bumfuck, idaho or hawaii for our honeymoon?"

    (MadHungarian): "I vote for idaho, i hear they have free WiFi access in the airport"

    Yeah, way to win one with the ladies dude...

  7. Re:ALSO, YOU FAIL IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    and the worst part is, he failed it to a legitimate +5 Insightful first post! It just doesn't get any more failed than that!

  8. So you're saying ... by pavon · · Score: 5, Funny

    they are going to pay for it by not providing soap and not cleaning the toilets twice a month? :)

  9. Re:How will they pay for this? by coopaq · · Score: 1, Funny
    They could charge for wireless access in the men's room.

    Ya'll know one thing that makes money.

    See Here.

  10. youknow what would have been better? by geekoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    hookers.

    Free Hooker access points. You would have people lined up around the block. Hell get rid of the damn planes, they just cost too much.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  11. Re:How will they pay for this? by Moofie · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just for that, I'm building a gun into a MagLite.

    --
    Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  12. Re:Strange rumblings by Pete+(big-pete) · · Score: 2, Funny

    With a 16-digit credit card number, people often memorize it, and less often store it in a text-file on their computer for easy reference.

    Yeah - I wrote my 16-digit number on the back of the card, so it's easy to find...

    -- Pete.

    --
    Monochrome - Probably the UK's largest internet BBS
  13. Re:May I borrow yours? by Technician · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh really? When I installed one on my XP notebook, I had to load drivers from the CD as well. Other people with different brand cards need different drivers. And this is certainly one area where Linux doesn't make it easier than Windows; most wireless cards don't even have Linux drivers. I don't really see this as an easy way to use someone else's MAC address, even if you could find someone willing to just let you share their card.
    Another fine example of how Plug-N-Play works to make life easy! somehow I think Plug-N-Play is not named correctly. It should be load driver software-Plug-Pray-Reboot-Pray-Configure-Play.

    --
    The truth shall set you free!
  14. Re:Every bit of business sense by Bastian · · Score: 2, Funny

    Those cafes sure don't get more business when they come across asshole road warriors like me who park next to the building and check their e-mail without getting out of the car.

    heh heh heh

  15. Priceless by smoon · · Score: 2, Funny

    10 wireless access points: $1,000
    Internet T1: Already in place, so free
    dsniff, mailsnarf, etc. sensor: Teds old P-400, so free

    Getting thousands of people to provide their personal info unencrypted over our network every day so that we can re-sell it to marketers: Priceless

    Sorry. Had to be done.

    --
    "But actually trying to use m4 as a general-purpose langage would be deeply perverse" --ESR
  16. Re:How will they pay for this? by Short+Circuit · · Score: 3, Funny

    What's the security gaurd's opinion when someone who hasn't shaved in two weeks is always hanging out at the airport?

    Or do I just wear a business suit?

    --
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