Skip to navigation | Skip to content

Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

Wireless Internet Hotspots in the Twin Cities

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 2 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #462 in Local, #65249 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

Free Wireless Internet Hotspots Around the Minneapolis and St. Paul Area

 

Mapped locations of free wireless internet (known as hotspots) in and around the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Also, I'm including great books to help you get started.

About Free WiFi 

You can take advantage of free wireless internet (hotspots) at many locations through the Twin Cities area.

A hotspot is a venue that offers WiFi access. The general public can use a laptop, WiFi phone, or other compatible portable device to access the Internet.

Hotspots are often found at restaurants, train stations, airports, libraries, coffee shops, hotels, hospitals, bookstores, gas stations, department stores, supermarkets and many other public places. In addition, many universities and schools have wireless networks on their campus.

Of the estimated 150 million laptops, 14 million PDAs, and other emerging Wi-Fi devices sold per year for the last few years, most include the Wi-Fi feature.

What you need:

* A wireless adapter for your laptop computer OR a WiFi-ready laptop or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant - think "Palm Pilot")
* The location of a free WiFi network
* Some basic knowledge of accessing the wireless networks (see books below for more detailed help)

That's it!

A Poll 

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Map of Wireless Internet Hotspots in the Twin Cities 

These are all free

Powered by Google

The Latest News 

RSS Feed of Wireless Internet in the Twin Cities

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

WiFi Security and General Details to Keep in Mind 

There are a few things to keep in mind about some Free WiFi high speed internet access locations:

* It is normally an open, unsecured connection. Be careful not to access bank accounts or anything very personal, as you could be putting yourself at risk.
* The signal may not always be on or be strong. You may need to try to get closer to the wireless router/transmitter to pick up the signal.
* In fact, it may be from another location. Make sure you are accessing the correct network signal for the location. You may need to ask the staff what the name or SSID is for their router.
* Don't expect to get any support help from the staff. Some may not even know it exists!
* Don't expect to find many outlets to power your laptop. Make sure your battery is charged or bring a spare.
* Some people even drive around looking for wireless signals (sometimes known as 'wardrivers', when up to no good) to use for free.

 

Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

by E. Phil Haley

Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $21.99
Used Price: $2.39

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

 

The Book of Wireless: A Painless Guide to Wi-Fi and Broadband Wireless

The Book of Wireless: A Painless Guide to Wi-Fi and Broadband Wireless

by John Ross

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $29.95
Used Price: $17.99

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

 

Wi-Fi Toys: 15 Cool Wireless Projects for Home, Office, and Entertainment

Wi-Fi Toys: 15 Cool Wireless Projects for Home, Office, and Entertainment

by Mike Outmesguine

Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $29.99
Used Price: $2.33

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

Wireless Adapters 

Typically, you would need to purchase a wireless adapter for your laptop computer. They are easy to use and usually just require you to insert it into your computer. You may need to install special software (called a driver) so your computer recognizes the adapter.

Some adapters slide into the PCI slot, while others use a USB connection (virtually all modern laptops have several USB ports).

 

Linksys WPC54GX4 Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SRX 400

Linksys WPC54GX4 Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SRX 400

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $79.99
Used Price: $10.00

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

 

Xtreme N Wireless Cardbus,adapter, Draft 802.11N

Xtreme N Wireless Cardbus,adapter, Draft 802.11N

Amazon Price: $72.26 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $99.99
Used Price: $39.99

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

 

Wireless G USB Network Adapter

Wireless G USB Network Adapter

Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price:
Used Price:

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

Guestbook 

If you have one to suggest, please leave the address and name of the place and I'll make sure it's listed.

ArtSiren

Interesting lens. I use a wireless mobile dongle, and find it pretty slow.
A while ago somebody was arrested by the police for sitting outside somebody's house, stealing access to their 'unsecured' wireless network! 'Wardrivers' eh? Never heard that name before. I just call them thieves. lol.

Posted July 29, 2008

Related topics: twin cities,  access,  business,  Local,  more

X
triathlontraining

About triathlontraining

I love exploring, training for triathlons (swimming, biking, running), hanging out with family and friends. I live in the Twin Cities area.

Squidoo Tools and Resources

I own a small, family-ran triathlon training products business on the side. It's fun and has been quite a learning experience, which is a good thing! :)

- Family Treasure Hunting (Geocaching)

Look for other ways to supplement your income? Take a look at this huge list of revenue sharing sites. It all adds up!

List of Revenue Sharing Sites



All Posters : Make 25-30% commission!

Powered by MyPagerank.Net

TwitterCounter for @tritrain

triathlontraining's Pages

See all of triathlontraining's pages

X

Gold Star

This is a certified gold star lens, which means it's the best of its kind on Squidoo (or shows some serious potential for getting there!)

Read more about gold stars »

X

triathlontraining is a Giant Squid!

Giants are distinguished by their exceptional skill for making top-notch lenses, and lots of them. Whenever you land on a Giant Squid's lens, you know the person behind it is passionate about the topic and is hard at work making the lens worthy of your time and attention.

Learn more about what it takes to be a Giant »