Denver International Airport is now offering Free Wi-Fi; previously they charged about $8 for 24 hours.

I know ATL has free WiFi at the food court in Concourse E. I actually figured it out by accident when I had to spend the night after missing a flight, of course I figured it out AFTER I already paid for it in another concourse.   

I just used the free wi-fi last week in denver, and it sucks horribly, its slower than dial up, and I kid you not.

CMH has free Wi-Fi too. and it's pretty fast  

Good to hear another airport getting onboard with the free wi-fi.

In PHX it's fast and I love it.

BOI has free wifi. Its nice to see some larger airports get with it.

SRQ has free WIFI, as do a lot of smaller airports like DAY. And of course you can camp outside any CO presidents club at any airport and get free wifi. CO doesn't seem to mind, as they see the people sitting there and never bother them.

Oh yeah, TPA has free internet too. I think it's a trend spreading among Florida airports, though not sure about MCO.

Honestly, it's a great service to provide for free. It not only keeps people occupied (not complaining) but encourages people to arrive early because they have internet, which would lead to increased food sales (which is the reason they tell you to arrive early to begin with...)

Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 2): I just used the free wi-fi last week in denver, and it sucks horribly, its slower than dial up, and I kid you not.

Probably just a start-up issue. Free Airport Wi/Fi seems to usually run pretty fast.

I was just in MCO, and they 2 have free wi-fi!!!!!


Even CPR has free Wi-fi....

Quoting N1120A (Reply 8): Probably just a start-up issue. Free Airport Wi/Fi seems to usually run pretty fast.

I hope so. I used it this morning, and it was bad. I was able to get on it for about 10 minutes, and after that, nothing. It never would re-connect.

LAS Has free WiFi too IIRC

-Carl

Quoting OOer (Reply 9): I was just in MCO, and they 2 have free wi-fi!!!!!

So in Florida, it's TPA, MCO, SRQ, PBI...

Any other florida airports with free wifi? MIA, JAX, RSW, others?

Quoting AirEMS (Reply 11): LAS Has free WiFi too IIRC

You are correct, and it's FAST!!!

I wish DEN had that when I was through there once a week earlier this year.

Airports that I have been to that have free wifi though are: CAE (has had it for years actually), SMF, RNO, LAS.

The free WiFi at LAS sucks as well during busy hours.

NS

Quoting N1120A (Reply 8): Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 2): I just used the free wi-fi last week in denver, and it sucks horribly, its slower than dial up, and I kid you not. Probably just a start-up issue. Free Airport Wi/Fi seems to usually run pretty fast.

I'm not so sure. I used it last week. It was ad supported, meaning you had to watch a video at the beginning and then a frame stayed at the top of the window throughout your surfing, unless you just opened another browser window, which worked much better.

As mentioned, though, it was slow. Using gmail was a bit tough.

I still appreciated it though...I'll spend 5 minutes to log in, watch a commercial, and send an email if its free.

Quoting Gigneil (Reply 15): The free WiFi at LAS sucks as well during busy hours.

Indeed, though I do remember a podcast I listen to had one of the contributors on via VOIP from LAS terminal 1.

FYI, remember that free wifi is usually unencrypted, which means I can run a program and watch all your unencrypted traffic go by. Your websites, your email passwords (and email content), etc. Be safe! Use encryption!

[Edited 2007-11-30 11:10:40]

Its about friggin time that DEN got into the game!!

Quoting Futurecaptain (Reply 4): In PHX it's fast and I love it.

   I love PHX wifi, its the best thus far.

Now, if SEA will hurry up and jump on the free wifi bandwagon, then I'm all good.

Quoting SirOmega (Reply 17): FYI, remember that free wifi is usually unencrypted, which means I can run a program and watch all your unencrypted traffic go by. Your websites, your email passwords (and email content), etc. Be safe! Use encryption!

Good advice. Never bank or enter credit card information in public places.

When I was in SLC right before Thanksgiving (waiting for my my flight to ATL), my computer found a "computer to computer" network titled "free WiFi." I thought that was odd - since SLC doesn't have free WiFi (as far as I know). Personally I think it was a scam - people hoping to find information on the computers of unsuspecting travelers who connect to that network. Anyone else ever experience this?

P.S. - PDX also has free wireless.

Quoting NotPs76 (Reply 20): "computer to computer" network titled "free WiFi."

Ooooo the biggest scam out there! Never connect to that. Its easy for one to steal your information when connecting like that. BEWARE!   

FWA has had free Wi-Fi for eons now.

Quoting AirframeAS (Reply 21): Ooooo the biggest scam out there! Never connect to that. Its easy for one to steal your information when connecting like that. BEWARE!

I connected for a moment before I realized that I shouldn't have and immediately disconnected. I was pretty upset at myself for falling for it - I'm usually smarter than that. Everything seems o.k. so far.

Quoting AirframeAS (Reply 21): Quoting NotPs76 (Reply 20): "computer to computer" network titled "free WiFi." Ooooo the biggest scam out there! Never connect to that. Its easy for one to steal your information when connecting like that. BEWARE!

Folks, everyone should beware of "open" WiFi connections (that's a connection where no security key is prompted for). Remember, any information you send or receive over that connection is *NOT* encrypted. There are people in this world that will intercept stray radio waves and turn them back into meaningful data, in an attempt to steal from you...I would never check my personal e-mail or my bank statement over a free, open WiFi connection. I have no qualms with getting MapQuest directions or surfing a.net (as long as I don't have to log in again   ) over an open WiFi connection.

Okay, I now step off my building's Network Administrator soapbox on that one  

Quoting KELPkid (Reply 24):

Computer to Computer connections is what I was talking about. I have no problems connecting to a wifi that is a legit server operated by a legit corporation, university, college, airport or whatnot.

Never, EVER do computer to computer connections!

Quoting AirframeAS (Reply 25): Quoting KELPkid (Reply 24): Computer to Computer connections is what I was talking about. I have no problems connecting to a wifi that is a legit server operated by a legit corporation, university, college, airport or whatnot. Never, EVER do computer to computer connections!

I know, I just expounded on that...   I'm not sure people also realize the security implications of using an open WiFi connection, too..  

SLC and SFO need to get with the program!!!!!

I'm using the free Wi-Fi at Denver Int'l right now for the first time. It's painfully slow (54.0 Mps, right!)...not much useful for anything other than checking United's story that there is bad weather in Phoenix or checking e-mail.

The previous pay Wi-Fi provider (I think it was AT&T) wouldn't even give you access to flight information for free..

Quoting Brick (Reply 28): It's painfully slow (54.0 Mps, right!)...

Remember that the speed at which your laptop claims you're connected to the access point at has little to do with the actual performance. (And true 54mb B/G-band wireless is difficult to acheive, especially in a radio-rich environment).

If they're routing all of the Internet traffic through, say, a 56k modem in their back office... you could have a gigabit connection to their network and surfing would still be painful. They could also be applying QOS rules to the traffic so that anything more important (for example, PCs in the airport operations office, etc) get access to the bandwitdth first; if they're doing a lot everything else would be throttled back.

RIC [Richmond, VA] has free WiFi, but last time I was there the performance was a little on the slow side
PLN [Pellston/Emmet County, MI] has free WiFi, and I have no complaints about the speed
IAH, not free, but worst wireless performance I've ever seen in a commercial network -- paid or free.

Lincoln

They should have installed N routers. Makes a world of difference, here in my apartment building there is a wireless network in just about every apartment, but the N makes those seem like they are not even here.

BIS also has free WiFi.

Now, I went out and got myself a mobile broadband card, and I love it, but its nice to see more and more aiports have free WiFi.

I wish DEN would have had it last time I flew through there, I had 2 hour connections, and got stuck spending the night there.

I wish JFK had free wi-fi. Sure they have it at the jetBLue terminal, but its overpriced at the other terminals, and especially where there's little to do (EX: Terminal 1)

-A

Quoting Brick (Reply 28): I'm using the free Wi-Fi at Denver Int'l right now for the first time. It's painfully slow (54.0 Mps, right!)...not much useful for anything other than checking United's story that there is bad weather in Phoenix or checking e-mail. The previous pay Wi-Fi provider (I think it was AT&T) wouldn't even give you access to flight information for free..

The bottleneck is most likely not the Wi-Fi itself, but rather the internet connection...maybe they did something a bit   ed like put all the access points into a single T1...

Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 30): They should have installed N routers. Makes a world of difference, here in my apartment building there is a wireless network in just about every apartment, but the N makes those seem like they are not even here.

Very few of the laptops currently in existence will support N, heck, 802.11N hasn't even been completely ratified by the IEEE yet...so if you buy an 802.11N router, wireless card, laptop, or access point, it is possible that it will be somewhat incompatible with equipment by another manufacturer.

Quoting KELPkid (Reply 33): ed like put all the access points into a single T1...

Hey, if you aren't realizing any revenue from it why spend any money on the infrastructure? I really wouldn't be suprised if it's just piggybacked on the connection their administrative folks have to the outside world with restictive access to make sure that the freeloaders aren't disrupting administrative (presumably more important) access to the outside world-- lots of orginizations do that kind of quality of service management on their "guest" wifi connections.

The way DEN's doing it there could be zero incremental cost of providing the service if you assume that they were going to/have to build a wireless network for administrative/remote data acquisition needs anyway.

Lincoln

TUS even has free Wi-Fi, I logged on the other day.

Quoting Lincoln (Reply 34): The way DEN's doing it there could be zero incremental cost of providing the service if you assume that they were going to/have to build a wireless network for administrative/remote data acquisition needs anyway. Lincoln

Trouble is twofold, however, the walls in airport terminals tend to not lend themselves to letting 2.4 GHz signals pass through trouble free (and I have experience with this at PDX, I tried to get one of our company's remote offices hooked up on PDX's free WiFi upstairs, and it was a no-go   My nice laptop with a decent antenna couldn't even detect a signal down in the bowels of the airport...), and the other problem is that you don't want your administrative network, which is presumably passing sensitive data, sending and receiving unencryped information (as the free WiFi networks at most airports are).

A very smart way to differentiate yourself and improve the customer experience, particularly for connecting passengers who might have a 60-90 minute layover in between flights and need to catch up on some work. Smart move.

I think that we are rapidly heading towards free wifi becoming the norm in airports - we're still probably a few years away, but I suspect that eventually it will become standard and necessary just to remain competitive, especially for big connecting hubs like ORD, ATL, DFW, IAH, DEN, DTW, MSP, etc.

Quoting KELPkid (Reply 36): the other problem is that you don't want your administrative network, which is presumably passing sensitive data, sending and receiving unencryped information (as the free WiFi networks at most airports are).

This is where enterprise-grade access points really outshine their cheap breathren -- mainline vs. regional, if you will  

For example, at home my network is Cisco driven and I'm using Cisco 1231AG access points. The Cisco 1100 and 1200 series (probably the entire line, but I know those series two specificaly) support VLAN (Virtual LAN) Trunking to the AP and multiple SSIDs.

These two features are killer, especially in this type of application: First with VLANs you can configure each port on a switch to be on a separate "virtual" network, effectively isolated from each other unless there's a router in between. You can then "trunk" VLANs between compatible gear -- for example, the switch in the first floor closet to the 2nd floor closet -- using one network cable

Cisco's APs [and I'm by no means claiming that Cisco is the only company that provides this feature, they're just the only I have experience with] take this one step further -- you can trunk VLANs directly to the access point, and then assign each VLAN it's own SSID and encryption settings. For example, you may have

myairport-free-internet on VLAN 100 with no encryption broadcasting it's SSID in the clear and allowing anyone to associate. On the **same physical access point** you may have myairport-admin on VLAN 200 that's not broadcasting it's SSID (so it's effectively 'hidden') using something like WPA2 with TKIP encryption -- and perhaps even locked down to only allow certain MAC addresses to access it.

The only incremental cost is whatever the labor is to configure the "extra" VLAN trunking, backend routing, and WAP paramaters-- which if you already have a network dude on staff, is likely near-$0

At home Im' running three SSIDs (and 3 VLANs) on the same access points -- "personal" (heavily secured, my laptop only), "friends&family" (nearly wide open--guess what that's for) and "voice" (for my internal VoIP phone system, using Cisco phones, also secured)

Lincoln

IAD and DCA now have Wi-Fi

Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 2): I just used the free wi-fi last week in denver, and it sucks horribly, its slower than dial up, and I kid you not.

Sounds about right...same goes for SAN's free WiFi.

Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 2): I just used the free wi-fi last week in denver, and it sucks horribly, its slower than dial up, and I kid you not.

Buuuut...its free. I used it this past week as well, not horrible.
Hell, even FAR has free wifi.

Quoting Stburke (Reply 41): Hell, even FAR has free wifi.

As does RAP...