Brewed Awakenings coffee shop in Capital Center recently became the site of Rhode Island’s first “hot spot,” a common wireless network that provides on-the-go Web surfers with Internet access via their own laptop or personal digital assistant (PDAs).
Hot spots rely on a technology standard called 802.11, also known as WiFi, or wireless fidelity. The technology has quickly emerged as a popular way for Web users to access the Internet wirelessly – at speeds far faster than wireless phones.
The wireless network at Brewed Awakenings is a joint effort between Pawtucket-based QC2, a provider of infrastructure to the telecommunications industry, and DSL.net, an Internet service provider in New Haven, Conn.
Users need their laptop or PDA, such as a Palm Pilot, and a wireless networking card, which retails for about $60. Once connected to the wireless network, the user can open his or her Web browser and be routed directly to QC2’s sign-up page. After filling out an online form the user is free to browse the Internet, send e-mails or download music.
The hot spot signal carries more than 100 feet outside the coffee shop, so users can surf away at one of the café’s outdoor tables. And the hot spot is compatible with most corporate local area networks, allowing users to access their company Intranet without reconfiguring their laptop or PDA.
“People don’t want to fool around with their configurations,” said Dennis M. diBattista, president of QC2. “That trepidation goes away with the hot spot. It allows connectivity without configuration, and that’s great in any environment.”
Another benefit: It’s fast. While wireless phones offer speeds that are about as fast as a traditional 56k (kilo bytes per second) dial-up modem, the wireless network at Brewed Awakenings is nearly 20 times faster.
“DSL.net is in an exceptional position of being able to support hot spots around the country … because of its broadband infrastructure,” said Keith Markley, president and chief operating officer of DSL.net.
QC2 and DSL.net this month have been offering a free 30-day trial of the wireless network at Brewed Awakenings. When the trial ends Sept. 30, users can choose from one of three QC2 payment plans: $30 per month for unlimited use, $6 a day or $3 an hour. Payments are made via credit card, through a secure “settlement page” after the user logs off.
What users get in speed they lose in coverage. Customers that sign up will be limited to using the service only at Brewed Awakenings, since it is the only hot spot in the state. But DiBattista said that as QC2 and DSL.net roll out the hot spot networks to other businesses in the state, users will be able to roam among different locations under the same rate plan.
The up-front cost to the host business for installation of the wireless network is about $3,000, and there also is a $410 monthly circuit charge, diBattista said.
But David Levesque, owner of Brewed Awakenings, said he expects to make those costs back – and then some – by offering wireless, no-hassle Internet access as a perk for coffee shop loungers. He said it’s a natural fit because the shop caters to a tech-savvy clientele: businesspeople, students and tourists.
“The other day we had some guys in here from Silicon Valley,” Levesque said. “They were going to go somewhere else for a meeting, but they saw the wireless Internet trial and decided to stay and have the meeting here.”
Levesque estimates that since Brewed Awakenings opened at Capital Center last year, hundreds of patrons have asked whether the shop has Internet access. He said the wireless network is ideal because the shop can offer access without having to maintain its own wired PCs.
“(Customers) don’t have to come up to the counter to sign up or pay or anything like that,” said Levesque, who said he soon plans to install a hot spot at the Brewed Awakenings in Johnston.
Michael S. Rogers, director of enterprise services for QC2, said the company is targeting other spots in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut that serve as natural congregation spots for students and business types. In Rhode Island, for example, he said businesses along Thayer Street are a possibility. Hotels and apartment buildings are other important target markets, he said.
A Web site called www.Wifinder.com maintains a list of hot spots around the country. While none were found in a search of Rhode Island, the site lists about 20 spots in the Massachusetts, including three sites at Logan Airport and several hot spots at Boston-area hotels and Cambridge cafés and restaurants.
IDC, the Framingham-based technology research firm, says 7 million wireless cards were sold last year and expects 25 million cards to be sold annually by 2005.
