Hot spots Where to find wireless Internet in the Lincoln-Way area

You need to get some work done online, but the kids are clamoring to go to story hour at the library. What to do?

Now, you can do both.

In the Lincoln-Way area, the Mokena, Manhattan and Frankfort public libraries offer free wireless Internet access -- Wi-Fi -- to anyone with a laptop and wireless network card.

Wi-Fi allows people to bring their wireless-enabled laptop computers or PDAs to places with wireless networks -- hot spots -- and connect to the Internet.

Wi-Fi is a term that has become almost synonymous with wireless access, although technically speaking, that's not the case.

"Wi-Fi is actually a trademark, a marketing term. It means a certaindownload and upload capacity, like a speed," said Joe Sullivan, assistant professor for Cisco networking programs at Joliet Junior College.

"A hot spot means, `We have wireless access,'" he said. "It's designed for people who have a laptop or other devices with a wireless card. It will come internally with a laptop, or you can buy it externally. Plug it into a port ... and you have wireless access. Most new laptops today come standard with wireless."

The Frankfort Public Library has offered free Wi-Fi service for about two years, said library Director Detlev Pansch.

"It relieves the pressure on library to provide more equipment, which is very nice," Pansch said, adding that the library has 14 computer workstations dedicated to Internet use. "With the growth in this community, there is constant pressure for Internet access.

"We've even had people sitting in the parking lot using it before we open," he said.

Wi-Fi is useful because rather than carrying CDs or diskettes and waiting in line for a computer to open up, patrons are bringing their work in with them.

The Manhattan Public Library installed free Wi-Fi access about a year ago, said library Director Judy Pet.

"Now that we have it, I can't imagine not having it," Pet said. "We're a very small library in a very small building and frequently our eight Internet stations are in use. It works out very well for us. You can sit anywhere in the library and access the Internet."

Panera Bread

Wi-Fi service is also free to use at Panera Bread restaurants. Mark Crowley, spokesman for Panera, said the company began offering Wi-Fi in late 2003.

"We really felt that the addition of Wi-Fi fit well with what ourcustomers want in Panera," he said. "From comfortable seating to thefireplaces, it's viewed as another step in providing customers with aninviting environment. They can come in, grab a cup of coffee, a bagel, and if they want to check their e-mail or the news, it provides them with another opportunity to do so.

"Wi-Fi is definitely a growing trend -- Starbucks, McDonald's both offer it," he said. "It falls in line with the growing trend of more wireless technology. With the growth of PDAs and cell phone technology, and laptop computers becoming more popular, (the service) provides customers who are on the go and traveling a lot a `home- away-from-home' environment."

T-Mobile HotSpot

Starbucks launched Wi-Fi in August 2002, with 1,200 stores offering what is known as the T-Mobile HotSpot service, said Starbucks spokesman Nick Davis. T-Mobile is the network provider for Wi-Fi service.

T-Mobile HotSpot is now in 7,344 locations, like Starbucks coffeehouses, Borders Books & Music stores, FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers, select Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and airports. Locally, you can find it at the Borders Books in Matteson and Orland Park, the FedEx Kinko's in Joliet and Matteson and Starbucks stores in Frankfort, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Homer Glen, Matteson and Plainfield.

Davis said customer demand prompted the addition of Wi-Fi.

"Before we offered it, customers told us they wanted to stay connected in our stores," he said. "In some cases, they were asking baristas if they could plug into our phone jacks."

Customers need to have an account with T-Mobile to use the service.There's information about pricing plans on the T-Mobile Web site.

Once you have an account with T- Mobile, you can use the service at any places T-Mobile has hot spots.

"As a whole, having Wi-Fi in our stores is a great fit for our storeenvironment and that coffeehouse experience," Davis said.

The Westfield Louis Joliet Mall offers Wi-Fi for a fee of $3 a day, $20 a month if it's an ongoing subscription or $40 for a one-time, one- month subscription, a spokesman said.

Barnes and Noble Booksellers has it through SBC, for a fee. Denny's in Mokena offers wireless Internet access through two different fee-based providers.

Even McDonald's has gotten into the act. Several area stores offer Wi- Fi for free. A lot of area hotels offer Wi-Fi, as well.

In fact, it's getting more and more common to find hot spots in localbusinesses. For more wireless hot spots, check out www.jiwire.com.

Home use

People can buy wireless access points -- WAPs for short -- that allow the entire house to become wireless. The kits can range in price from $30 (on an online auction site) to $100. Sounds great, right? Not so fast.

"That's very dangerous because the security isn't installed at thatpoint," Sullivan said. "You have to provision the wireless access point to lock it down so only people in your house can use it. It's dangerous to buy one and just plug it in."

Making that access point secure is "not an easy process; you have to be knowledgeable about what security risks are there," he said. "It's kind of a process where if you didn't know about it, you should seek someone professional."

If you don't lock it down, someone could conceivably stand in front of your house in the street and connect to the Internet off your signal, he said.

Citywide

There are entire cities that have gone wireless, like Seattle andPhiladelphia. The city of Chicago is seeking proposals on how to build a city-wide wireless Internet network. Even the village of Frankfort is looking into offering wireless Internet access in its historic downtown area.

Ideally, citywide access would lead to a wireless connection for first-response teams -- police, fire and ambulance.

Then there are other questions to consider -- would wireless access be another utility bill? Where would that leave the cable and phone companies? Would home builders start including access points in new homes?

What would happen to businesses already offering Wi-Fi to customers, either for free or for a fee?

"Here's the thing about wireless: it transmits across boundaries," Sullivan said. "If Aurora goes wireless and these stores offer theservice, the wireless will beam right through the windows at Starbucks. The laptop is going to use the signal it can jump on board with andaccess. So they'll be able to use the city's wireless service in theStarbucks.

"It really depends on how far the user is away from the antenna. It'slike kid using a walkie-talkie. Location has a big effect on that," hesaid. "Wireless access points don't limit the number of users. It could have hundreds of people on one access point."

Staff writer Janet Lundquist contributed to this story.

color.John Patsch/Staff Photographer