Wi-Fi Directory

Find a provider with national presence.

What's the best way to locate a Wi-Fi service provider? It's totally up to you. Do you need broad coverage, or are you content to get online at a couple local coffee shops? If you'll be a moderate to regular Wi-Fi user, it makes sense to look for a comprehensive plan with as many hot spots as possible. That way no matter where you go, you've got a good chance of connecting wirelessly. While there are hundreds of local Wi-Fi access providers, there are fewer that have anything resembling a countrywide reach. Here's a sampling of national providers, along with a description of what you can expect to pay depending on your usage.

T-Mobile HotSpot has more than 2700 hot spots in 33 states and Washington, DC. You can find hot spots in some airports, but the vast majority of T-Mobile locations are in Starbucks coffeehouses and Borders Books and Music stores. Unlimited access costs $30 per month with a 12-month subscription ($40 per month if you pay month-to-month). Pay-as-you go service costs $6 per hour and 10 cents per additional minute.

Boingo Wireless has more than 1400 hot spots in 43 states and Washington, DC. While it shows up in various cafes, Boingo has strong coverage in hotel lobbies around the country--ideal for the business traveler. Unlimited access costs $22 per month for the first year, then $40 per month. A pay-as-you go option costs $8 for the first two days, then $8 per day thereafter. Boingo also offers business rates.

Cafe.com has about a dozen hot spots in Southern California coffeehouses, but it also has more than 150 roaming partners across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For instance, Cafe.com subscribers can log in at Baltimore-Washington Airport, Newark Airport, and the McDonald's on Frontage Road in Longmont, Colorado. Unlimited access costs $35 per month or $7 per day. You can also sign up for 200 minutes per month for $16. However, when you log on at certain Cafe.com roaming partner sites, you can pay an additional 4 cents per minute.

Wayport doesn't just provide wireless internet access. It also runs the Laptop Lane locations in several major airports and provides high-speed wired Ethernet access in hotels (the Four Seasons Hotel, for instance)--and where there's wired access, there's normally Wi-Fi access. In all, Wayport access is available in more than 525 hotels and 12 airports. But Wayport is also notable for its Wi-Fi pilot program in 75 McDonald's locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hundreds of AT&T Wireless, Boingo, and other service providers' hot spots are actually Wayport locations. Unlimited access costs $30 per month with a 12-month commitment, or $50 per month with no commitment. Pay-as-you go plans vary by hotel, but typically cost $10 per connection. A one-time airport connection goes for $7.

Airpath Wireless helps small local providers establish hot spots, although it's not a national service provider per se. If your local provider is part of the Airpath Provider Alliance, you can log in at more than 360 locations in the United States, including the Flagstaff (Arizona) Mall; Naughty Nick's Pizza in Stockton, California; the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Maryland; and the Krispy Kreme on East Lake Lansing Road in Lansing Township, Michigan. Prices vary.

AT&T Wireless has about as many of its GoPort hot spots as Wayport has hot spots (no surprise--AT&T uses Wayport's Wi-Fi network). Hotel coverage is good, but airport coverage is minimal. What's not minimal is the price: Unlimited access costs a mind-boggling $70 per month. (You can get access to many of the same hot spots through Wayport's $30-per-month unlimited plan.) Pay-as-you go plans are also very expensive: They start at $10 for a one-time connection and go up to $50 for 10 connections in 180 days.

Sprint has promised more than 2100 hot spots by the end of 2003, many operated by companies such as Wayport. When and if Sprint delivers, its network will probably be larger than AT&T Wireless's but smaller than T-Mobile's. It will clearly focus on business travelers, meaning more hotel, convention center, and airport hot spots, and fewer coffee shops and bookstores. Pricing is not yet available.