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WiFi Gone Wild

Posted by michael on from the freebie dept.

b4k4 writes "According to this news release, the Texas Department of Transportation is proposing to install hotspots at all 84 Safety Rest Stops and 12 Travel Information Centers statewide. This would be in addition to the four test locations already in place along US287." Reader polluted notes that Portland is working on free WiFi. An anonymous reader sent in word of this year's wifi-shootout, a contest to maximize the range for an 802.11b connection. And Roland Piquepaille writes in regarding cows wearing WiFi collars, which I'm afraid reminds me of a crummy sci-fi movie.

9 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. Saftey measures... by Ninwa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The places that have wireless networks should also issue handouts concerning possible security problems to cover their butts. How long until you hear someone getting sued because someone borked their computer over a wireless network?

  2. Crowding by officepotato · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Won't this cause parking problems as people stay at rest stops as long as their battery lasts, rather than long enough to do their business?

    1. Re:Crowding by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      why would they waste their time there, just for fun?

      I think you think that there's more nerds out there than there is.

      However truck drivers & others who are forced to spent some time on these stops would really benefit from this.

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      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:Crowding by Jahf · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Set a 1 or 2 hour time limit on the DHCP lease and only lease to a MAC once per day. Sure, you will get the occasional geek who knows how to change their MAC, but it prevents the majority of the problem.

      I'm more curious to know when the first hackers are going to realize how easily they can be anonymous. And I'm sure someone will say "they'll probably have cameras" but with a pringles can you don't need to be near that camera.

      --
      It is more productive to voice thoughtful opinions (reply) than to judge (moderate) others.
  3. WiFi WiFi WiFi *yawn* by aussie_a · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have to admit, I'm becoming annoyed with WiFi. Not because I think there is anything wrong with it, but for the simple reason that if there is ANYTHING involving networks, out comes WiFi.

    Why is WiFi so great? And why is everyone working to provide free access to it? Free acces (as in beer) is great. But I just have one question. Why?

    Sure it's convenient and everything, but governments, businesses and individuals are all doing this. Providing free WiFi. Why? What payoff does everyone get?

    1. Re:WiFi WiFi WiFi *yawn* by cuzality · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Wi-fi is the next 'bathroom' -- every customer-service-oriented business will have to have it, even though you get nothing out of it, and in fact it costs you money, but if you don't have it you're not a 'complete' business.

  4. Pre-emptive Personal Telcos by philntc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How long before telcos ship integrated devices that include DSL modem and wifi, all interoperable with VoIP networks?

    They could still make money on the DSL subscriptions and do and end-run around the grassroots personal telcos.

  5. Set up a damn ROAD CONSTRUCTION WEBSITE! by wowbagger · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This would be GREAT, if they were to set up a damn ROAD CONSTRUCTION WEBSITE.

    I'd love to be able to check and say "oh, I-35 is under construction from hither to yonder. Hm, what is my alternate route?" instead of the old "a mile past the last exit you see the ROAD CONSTRUCTION NEXT 50 MILES" sign.

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    www.eFax.com are spammers
  6. Terrible waste of money by Moblaster · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I can understand how wonderful it would be to have these hotspots available for "free."

    However, taxpayer dollars are coerced from citizens for any government project. This one is a short-sighted waste of those dollars.

    If there is a compelling demand for this kind of service, then Texas should have stopped at a trial of 4 spots (if even that) and let private industry take over.

    The "1.5% of fatalities are caused by fatigue" argument is a red herring meant to justify this wasteful expenditure. I am sure the hundreds of thousands (million? two million?) of dollars spent on this "sexy" bureaucratic project could have been far better spent in other forms of more relevant traffic safety measures -- like carving those "wake-up" notches into road sides, or more money into re-inforcing messages not to drive drunk, or more money for training to reduce recidivism in previous DUI convicts.

    OR HOW ABOUT THIS? How about putting some stalls on the bathroom doors in the rest stops at El Paso? No joke... they had open stalls last time I was there a year ago. Aren't there are more basic steps along the road of highway culture than going from the outhouse straight to Wi-Fi?

    As it stands, this is a luxury expenditure that will let a small number of travelers with laptops get mail while otherwise subsidizing porn-surfing. Come on... if it's late at night and someone is tired, precisely how does an hour spent surfing web sites and expending ones mental resources in that kind of concentration improve one's alertness? It's an unsubstantiated bureaucracy-boosting statement that pushes the taxpayer just a few steps further down the road of permanent government debt, and ultimately, a form of bondage to pay back old expenses that should never have been incurred in the first place.

    Next time I drive through Texas, I'll drive friendly, I won't mess with Texas, and I'll surf the web for free. Three nice thoughts. But only two of them are good ideas. It would be nice for the Slashdot crowd of harder-than-average thinkers to look past our love of technology to identify bigger-picture issues before slapping on the seal of approval for this kind of government excess.