Municipal Wi-Fi thrives – on a small scale

Public safety: In January, Cocoa Beach, Fla., (population 12,000) finished outfitting its police cars with wireless computers connected to real-time video, dispatch software, and state and federal crime databases. Ocean City, N.J. (population 15,000), plans to roll out wireless bracelets, which would employ the Wi-Fi hubs to track young children on the boardwalk.

Businesses: Citywide Wi-Fi is a boon to small businesses and helps draw new companies to the area. Similarly, wireless hookups spread that coffee-shop phenomenon of surfing the Net while nibbling on snacks to every store downtown.

Mobile users: With the popularity of Wi-Fi devices, residents are increasingly likely to expect Internet access on the go.

Municipal workers: Most city Wi-Fi deals now require that the local government sign on as an "anchor tenant" to the network. This ensures the million-dollar projects will at least have some subscribers and can save city departments countless man-hours. For instance, Corpus Christi, Texas, uses its network to automate home meter readings instead of dispatching workers to individual homes.

But, of course, not all small cities have found wireless success. Almost a year after launching its $2 million Wi-Fi system, Lompoc, Calif., (population 40,000) has attracted fewer than 500 registered users.

"Is Wi-Fi doomed? No," says Craig Settles, a wireless consultant. "The concept that you can get wireless for free ... is dead. Cities will have to find the right mixture for them and bring something to the table in order to get it."

How to find a Wi-Fi hot spot near you

Coffee shops are often a good bet, but countless other businesses and towns also offer wireless Internet – some for free, some for a daily or monthly fee. To locate hubs in your area, check some of the many online wireless directories. Here are three websites to get you started:

anchorfree.com – Focusing on free Wi-Fi hot spots, the website's search engine lists more than 12,000 wireless hubs in the United States alone. The advertising company that runs the directory also offers a free iPod application that lets you take the list on the go.

jiwire.com – The site boasts a massive catalog of 150,000 international Wi-Fi zones. JiWire, another ad company, provides the list on its website as a cellphone program or as an extension for an Internet browser.

rv.net – Even campgrounds offer Wi-Fi nowadays. If you need to check e-mail while on the road, or appease your kids during a long trip, check out RV.net's 31-page directory of parks with wireless internet at: www.rv.net/campgrounds/cgphonenetaccess.pdf

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