Free Downtown Dayton Internet service.

[Gene Heskett]

On Thursday 22 January 2009, Steven Vollom wrote:
>On Wednesday 21 January 2009 8:25:41 pm Derek Broughton wrote:
>> Steven Vollom wrote:
>> > I just tried to change my ISP to Cincinnati Bell, to get cheaper and
>> > faster
>> > service.  They told me that I could connect free to the downtown
>> > free-service, because I am in live in the area.  My laptop is broken ,
>> > but I
>> > have a router with antenna.  They said I would have to purchase their
>> > wireless service to connect to it.
>>
>> What part of "purchase" is "free"?
>>
>> Sounds like a scam to me.
>
>Here in Dayton, to promote the Downtown area, they have included free
> internet service.  It works pretty well.  Lots of people hang out downtown
> in the coffee shops with their computers and socialize becuase of it.  Lots
> of students in Dayton.  My studio is very close to the downtown area and is
> in the area of free service.  I am so stupid that I never thought of it
> before now.  Anyway my laptop broke a week after I purchased it; it was
> used so there was no recourse.  It never occurred to me to hook my PC to
> it.  I think that the service is probably not a part of the need.  I think
> that it was not figured when the City started the promotion and therefore
> has caused them to lose a lot of downtown service business.  Anyway, unless
> you have to have some code connection to a wireless service to make your
> laptop modem to connect, it makes sense that you could use it free without
> having service in the area you are located.
>
>When a person with a laptop goes on a business trip, is he charged
> connection fees when out of his home area?  Or is he able to connect to any
> available signal where he is currently located, eliminating the ISP from
> collecting a fee?  An interesting thought.

When I have gone on the road, the only thing I was ever charged for was the 
deposit on the little dlink radio the motels have that is pre-programmed for 
their service.  Plugs into the cat5 jack on the end of the lappy.  But I 
haven't ever paid that where I usually stay.  I just tell Cindy I need a 
radio and it comes over the counter.  Much easier than trying to figure out 
all the passwords and encryption so I can use the bcm-4318 in my lappy, and 
considerably more dependable than the linksys wifi router it connects to, it 
crashes at least 2x a day.  As for the connect fees, the motel covers that, 
either as part of the charge, or buried in it, so that is a wash.

A word of advice:  If you have to go by a wifi card for the pc, make sure it 
is an Atheros chipset based design, they are the only semi-friendly to linux 
folks around.  Brand names on the box generally don't mean a thing, so read 
the fine print carefully, or get return privileges.  The one I have here came 
in a NetGear box, a WG311T but that's old now & this stuff changes at about 
the same rate as our underwear.

You might have to make them open the box so you can read the label on the 
chipset, my box doesn't say a thing about it on the outside.

>Thanks for the input.  Enjoy the day.
>
>Steven



-- 
Cheers, Gene
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