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Adelaide Gets a Taste of Free WiFi
Anonymous Coward writes "Adelaide's Citilan network is being relaunched. Sometime in the last two weeks they decided to open it up for free use to anyone in Adelaide's CBD, pending full commercial launch.
Get in and find a hotspot while its hot!"
The first one's free, when you want some more you know where to come.
Sounds like a pretty sensible promotion.
Who said crack dealers have nothing to teach service providers?
Starsucks
Adelaide used to host the Australian Grand Prix, but the drivers fell asleep at the wheel when they saw the scenery.
What kind of fee will they be charging once it's commercial? Also, wouldn't it make sense to require people to register a free account so that the migration will be more structured?
see a Text Widget
OMG, you're a slashdotter???!!
Hasn't Citilan always been open for free (at least for members of a long list of ISPs including Internode, Adam, Esc.Net, and others)?
I have used it on several occasions to grab files from the Node mirror instead of having to use dialup. It's even faster than my DSL if you can find a hotspot that isn't heavily used (sitting outside the State Library at 3am helps until you get arrested).
They are going to close it off soon AFIK - there are too many leechers. There's always a bunch of (no offence, but they are always) asians around some of the more public indoor hotspots (library, museum, etc) that bring desktop PCs, fold out tables and chairs, etc just to leech free Internet for the day. There was even one there that brought his 5.1 surround speakers and the stands for the rear ones were set up behind him - in the middle of they foyer.
I'm amazed that Citilan is still open to the public, actually - the ISPs are footing the bill and it's free, although I did hear talk that if you use a Node login on it you chew up your Node download quota for the month; but that was just a rumour, I've never heard proof of it.
I drink to make other people interesting!
I'll just pull out my trusty laptop and connect to free wifi!
Wait...will I be able to connect from queensland?
-pingu
do we really need a story everytime a new city gets free wifi? It was cool and progressive the first dozen times it happened but now it's just about as exciting as reporting on SBC running fiber optic lines in a new area (which is to say, not very)
I was so excited, but then I realized there probably wasn't a hotspot in good 'ol Freeport, ME.
I really hate this town sometimes.
Does anyone that used Citilan before it fell into disrepair find it intriguing that the "refreshing process" involves a change in SSID from the fairly neutral "citilan" to "Agile"? And why do they no longer state who the "access partners" are?
Won't identity theft be easier than ever? Now hackers can take down your information 5 miles away. They can just sit near the transmission towers. How can anyone secure their line without using a land line. Any attempt to establish a certain protocol or identity involves transmission of data, which will be intercepted and decrypted. Sure, we can just surf the web. But how about checking our email and posting on slashdot? We need to protect our DATA!
It makes very poor manners to name a city without naming the country you're talking about.
c ouncil-history.htm
Background on Adelaide in Australia - the one mentioned in the article:
http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/council/about/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide
well i have had many a drug bender(cheap Oz's there) and Also seen Pantera live there and got a bass pick in the mosh so dont tell me it aint fun.
As the acronym CBD claims, not many residential houses can be find within the wifi coverage. The most would be if they set up in some of the suburbs as well, Glenelg for example. Then you could check your mail at the beach ;)
/* it's never to late to give up */
actually, it is very flat, oh topographically challenged one
Not Free SF Reader
The singer?
Yay me!
From the people who brought you "extreme ADSL2+" while only enabling 4 actual exchanges.
This oughtta be a laugh.
You couldn't see it from the track, however, it isn't all that far away from the CBD - about 1/2 hours drive at "normal" person speed.
The Internet's nature is peer to peer - 20050301_cs_profs.pdf
The retirement capital of Australia, where most people don't have laptops and they temporarily roll out free Wireless networking. Wonderful.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Even if they switch on authenticated Internet access, are they going to have problems with people just using the wireless layer 2 link for trading files between laptops etc.
Are they using something like 802.1X/LEAP for layer 2 authentication, which would also prevent unauthorised use of the wireless, layer 2 bandwidth itself ?
The Internet's nature is peer to peer - 20050301_cs_profs.pdf
Now tell me, how could a hotspot not be hot? Have you ever heard of a cold hotspot? Wouldn't make much sense now would it? Damn slashdot, no good for my anger management process.
This is really great. Hopefully many other cities will follow soon.
...Adelaide has a CBD?
Ben Folds SUCKS
But he did write a song about it, called 'Adelaide'. He now lives in Nashville.
Read Pynchon.
Adelaide is a fantastic city! Surrounded by park lands - great place to work and live. Great weather, wine beaches, food, dining entertainment, and free wireless!
Also: Wikipedia on Adelaide
You want a signature? You can't handle a signature!!
actually, it is very flat, oh topographically challenged one
:)
Except, for the hills, of course.
Just hope that they don't install any hotspots on the hills, we won't want to have another great bush fire in there (fifth image from top left corner)!
http://codeandlife.com
Adelaide has a population of a million people. American and British posters do this all the time with cities of comparable size.
Slashdot should not post stories about places outside America. Its an American site FFS!
And those ozzies didnt support us in Iraq so they deserve our attention even less. Anything about them is a waste of bandwidth.
Since when has Adelaide had a CBD? They are providing free Internet access to a location that doesn't even exist!
Next: 'Fictional island on TV series LOST gets free WiFi'
You're a nut
Adelaide's a hole anyway. You only need to stop for a second and realise that Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are the places to be. They've had free Wi-Fi for a long time now.
/.
I'm surprised this news story even made it on
but them there hills just way out in one corner, not like Sydney, or Melbourne, etc.... :-)
rest is, well..
flat!
Not Free SF Reader
This has to be the saddest attempt at whipping up tourist enthusiasm...apart from Ben Fold's song...
insecurity asks the wrong question irritation gives the wrong answer
Tell Adelaide that the poached eggs were tremendeous.
Forever young,
Chester Elegante
I am defenseless. Use your button. Mod me down with all of your hatred.
I think they were using an open network, with a login page the first time you try to use the connection.
That's probably only the case if you enable DHCP, and then aquire an IP address from the Citylan network.
My question is more about the idea of running your own IP subnet over the same wireless LAN, by statically configuring IP addresses on the interfaces of the devices that you want to communicate. In this sense, you aren't stealing Internet bandwidth, you're stealing wireless bandwidth. If it is an open network, with an SSID of "Agile" or something similar, then using the wireless network for your own IP networking purposes is likely to be easily possible. Of course, you'll also be consuming bandwidth that the legitimate wireless Internet users would also want to be using.
The only way they could prevent that sort of thing happening is to also enable authentication at layer 2, in other words, prevent use of the wireless LAN unless you're a known and authenticated use. Even then on a wireless network, that can be a bit hard, because you can't really disable the "port" that the device is attached to, as, of course ports don't exist, unlike on ethernet switches.
The Internet's nature is peer to peer - 20050301_cs_profs.pdf
Q: How good is that place?
A: Very very good.
Beats the hell out of Cibo, and waaay better than Gloria Jeans/Hudsons/whatever.
Read Pynchon.
ilesansfil.org
I'm just about to leave and meet my wife, who's working at the Glass Arts Society international conference there.
I had debated bringing my laptop, but now I know I can get wireless it's a cinch. I can spend all my time on Slashdot!
Tell Anna Sawley that I'm thinking about her.
has a commment moderation been more appropriate.
Maybe this municipal initiative will jumpstart the competition that will get telecomcos to offer a commercial service without public subsidy. Before the telecomcos outlaw such competition altogether, so they can concentrate on only the easiset, most profitable market segments, and leave the rest of us behind.
--
make install -not war
Excellent, I'll be in Adelaide for work shortly with my PowerBook and WoW in tow, I can save the hotel dial up bills and just use free wireless :)
having been to Adelaide before, there's not a whole heap to do after hours... I've been present for drinking the Colonel Light dry once already, and casinos aren't really that entertaining any more.
Sara
Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World