Saturday I was having a working lunch at Panera Bread before heading over to Roosevelt Field Mall and a little iPad action. Time Warner, Optimum Online and Comcast all have wireless hotspots at the Panera Bread in Carle Place but I sat down, signed onto the Panera Network  and got down to work.

After a really brief 30 mins I was booted off the Panera network. Time’s up. “You gotta go” is basically what the screen that popped up told me. How rude! Come on now, 3o minutes was just enough time to respond to all my emails.

I quickly switched to the optimum wifi network to finish my work and even write up this quick posting.

The place was not that busy on this beautiful Saturday so I don’t think my one person was preventing people from sitting and having lunch but, whatever. It’s their prerogative. I understand they want to move people along and make money, especially in this economy.

Unfortunately there will now be people who stay well beyond the allotted time limit now that there are other options available.

So this is just a head’s up to those of you who want to use Panera Bread as a hotspot. Between 12-2pm you are limited to 1/2 hour of WiFi. You’ve been warned! ;)

I’ve spent months tracking WiFi hotspots on Long Island and usually what I turn up is AT&T and Optimum WiFi and these two have a huge head start. In the past I have written that I thought Cablevision would have a monopoly on Long Island if no other cable company attempted to blanket Long Island with WiFi.

Now as I do my daily travels I am finding Time Warner and Comcast are both entering Long Island. My favorite WiFi hotspots now have more choices for me to connect to the internet. As I write this posting from a Starbucks I originally used the Optimum network but had some trouble connecting. I switched to the Time Warner WiFi network to finish my work. So far these new networks are open to everyone. (Quick Update 4/3/10, Comcast seems to have secured their WiFi hotspots and are now open only to their subscribers)

According to my research the Time Warner WiFi networks are piggy-backing on the Cablevision networks and if that’s the case Cablevision will still hold a monopoly on Long Island WiFi. I’m not sure if Comcast is doing the same but I’ll keep checking.

So that’s my heads up for the day. I would love to know if anyone else is stumbling across open networks across Long Island. As the summer hits and more people travel I expect to find some real diamonds.

An AT&T, Cablevision, Time Warner, Comcast combo – Long Island is going to be the most connected place on the planet and I’ll be right here enjoying it all.

Related articles

• Free Wi-Fi In NY for All Road Runner Users [Wi-Fi] (gizmodo.com)
• Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi Zones Now Available To New York City Area Road Runner High-Speed Online Customers (prweb.com)
• Time Warner offers free Wi-Fi in NYC (news.cnet.com)

I get this question quite a bit and the answer is “NO”! If you are an Optimum Online customer you get unlimited free WiFi with your internet package.

The same does not hold true for people who do not subscribe to Cablevision. Non subscribers trying to get onto the Optimum WiFi network will be considered a guest.

Guests will be able to access the Optimum WiFi network three times per 30-day period for a 10-minute session each time. There is a limit of one 10-minute session per day.

For guest access to Optimum WiFi:

Connect your device to the Optimum WiFi network.

1. Open a Web browser. You should be presented with the Optimum WiFi login screen.
2. Select the GUEST button at the bottom of the login screen.
3. Provide your Name, Mobile Number, E-Mail Address and Zip Code, then click SIGN IN(for laptop users, you will also need to check the Terms and Conditions Agreement then click SUBMIT).

And that’s the scoop on Optimum WiFi time limits. If you have any additional information regarding Guest access, feel free to leave a comment.

Related articles

• Free Wi-Fi Via Skype Access This Weekend! (ubergizmo.com)
• Airports offering free WiFi on the rise (trueslant.com)
• Cablevision WiFi Cloud Is Getting Easier, Smarter & Busier (gigaom.com)

Mavis Discount Tire - Optimum WiFi Hotspot

Yesterday I found a hotspot that came in handy and will certainly make my visits to the mechanic a little more pleasant.

I had met up with a client in the Rockville center area. After I was through I went out to Panera Bread in Rockville center for lunch so I could hop on their free WiFi. Paid $1 for parking so I wouldn’t get a parking ticket.  Over Lunch I worked through my Google Reader as I had fallen behind my favorite blogs. When lunch was over I went back out to the parking lot only to find a ticket on my car for an expired inspection. It expired last month. I knew it but I was dreading going to the mechanic for this as it is a good 2-3 hour wait with absolutely nothing to do.

I’m cranking with the workload here so I really wanted to find a spot where I could sit down and work so that 2-3 hour wait would be productive. Since I have been mapping hotspots in my area I knew I could access an Optimum WiFi hotspot all down Franklin Ave in Franklin Square which is on my way home. There happens to be a Mavis Discount Tire within this hotspot and they do inspections.  I walk in, do a quick look around and notice there are two cubicles were you can sit down and work. They have electrical outlets and are semi private. No one can see what you are working on. They just got my business.

Yes the place was busy and there were at least half a dozen people waiting around for their cars, some snoozing in the waiting area, some reading a newspaper but others were just waiting right in front of the service desk giving the clerk the eye, like that’s going to speed up the work on their car. Really now!

I sat down and started working. People are looking at me typing away. Some are probably thinking, “So that’s what those cubicles are for”. Others are probably thinking, “why didn’t I think of that” and then there’s that one soccer mom who just left to take her young daughter down the block for lunch. Quality time with the kids. Possibly a dying art. Put a smile on my face.

Anyway, I just had to share with the world the new WiFi spot I can now use when the car needs work. If I had found it sooner I could have avoided the $50 fine for having an expired inspection sticker. If you find similar hotspots, please let me know. I’m building my list of hotspots here.

Related articles

• Cablevision WiFi Cloud Is Getting Easier, Smarter & Busier (gigaom.com)
• How to Have a Good Working Lunch (jkontherun.com)

With the spectacular weather we had yesterday I actually took out the video camera for the first time for 2010. Of course I spent most of my day in traffic so that’s what I filmed. Long Island Traffic! What Entertainment! Don’t worry, I took the 10 minutes of video and speeded it up into about 60 seconds.

I gave up sitting in traffic  and decided when I was in the East Meadow area, I would stop at Eisenhower Park. I actually originally uploaded this video from the park using the Optimum WiFi. The strongest point of the hotspot is the Corner of Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Ave. I expect to see a lot of really pale white kids crawling out of their basements and dragging their laptops to the park for some badly needed fresh air after hearing about this.

I’m still searching for the perfect outdoor spot to work from. If you know of any, get me in the know!

WiFi Hunting

Today I spent some time, early this morning, doing some WiFi hunting in the Uniondale, long Island area. I updated my spreadsheet with the results. I was a bit disappointed in what I found.

I got up really early and did my usual routine by headed to the local Starbucks in Uniondale located on Hempstead Trnpk. The day started out fine as the local Starbucks obviously has AT&T access and is close enough to an Optimum WiFi hotspot to use either/or network. That’s exactly what I was hoping for.

As I was planning my day I noticed the Marriott Hotel across the street. Wondering if this would be another viable mobile office, I finished my coffee and headed on over. It’s the long Island Marriott directly next to the Nassau Coliseum. I went in and sat down in their lobby area, pulled out the laptop and attempted to get some work done. I found there were about 8 wireless access points, 6 were secured, 2 were unsecured, and those 2 needed passwords. In effect there was no access for a person like me.

Reckson Plaza Atrium

I then left and went across the street to Reckson Plaza. I was wondering if there was open internet access here to get some work done. I found that Reckson Plaza has a really nice atrium with an area where you could sit down. There were about a dozen tables with chairs located in this area and on the second floor there were 3 locations with sofa’s and love-seat’s that a person could sit down and work. I attempted to connect to a network from the atrium area. I found 12 access points, none were open to the public. Mind you, if you walk out to Hempstead Turnpike the Optimum WiFi signal comes in at full strength so I was disappointed that you couldn’t work here either.

As a matter of fact, if you drive up and down Hempstead Turnpike in this area the Optimum WiFi network can be accessed, at least that’s what my iPhone told me. So my next task will be to write a letter to both the Marriott in Uniondale and to Reckson Plaza, informing them that in this economy, they should offer access to one of the many networks they already have installed. There are many people out of work and this might just help them out. As for bloggers like myself, I usually spend money wherever I end up working. Usually on coffee and snacks. So could you open up some networks around here? With warm weather coming, job seekers should not be couped up in the house. Ya think?

Looking for interesting places to blog from on Long Island? From coffee houses to restaurants to Airports, Here are some of my favorite places to do some mobile blogging:

Starbucks – The Bloggers personal choice for an office away from home. You can sit back and write for hours.  Most Starbucks have some really comfortable chairs to just lounge in, sit back and enjoy your coffee while writing away. It can get pricey but if you budget about $100 a month, ($4 a day for coffee and snack) and 2 hours a day for your writing then this is by far the best way to go. In about 6 weeks you’ll have that gold card from Starbucks to show off.

Starbucks offers 2 hours of AT&T internet access per day if you have a registered Starbucks card. The 2 hour limit is not set in stone as I have never been cutoff from internet access after even 4 hours of usage but I’m sure Starbucks reserves the right if they are busy.

Libraries – They’re quiet and offer free internet but there are limitations. You cannot answer your phone and no eating or drinking. If you can put up with the limitations than this could be another one of your offices away from home. Here are a few library suggestions:

~I have found the Nassau Library System has open internet access to all, no need for a library card. I can just sit down and sign on. Of course it’s a public location so be careful what you do while on their network. There is a library in every town on Long Island and they have varying hours.

~The NYPL (New York Public Library) system also offers free wireless internet access but you will need a library card. Residents of NY State are eligible for free cards. Visitors can apply for temporary cards. Here are the terms: Get a card and enjoy free access to the best library system in the world!

~I do not live close enough to Suffolk County to have had the opportunity to visit and check out the Suffolk County Library System wireless access. Hopefully some local bloggers from there can help me out with this info.

McDonald’s – I have yet to work from a McDonald’s as I stay away from their food, but I love their coffee. On Long Island I find that McDonald’s has become a destination for stay at home Mom’s to bring their kids for lunch because most have small playgrounds. It’s a great idea as stay at home mom’s definitely need the lunch break but for this reason alone I would say that McDonald’s is no great place to write a blog. They have AT&T wireless access that is now completely free but the screaming kids will drive you crazy! ;)

Panera Bread – Now here is a great place to sit down and have lunch while doing some writing but I find that Panera Breads are incredibly busy and you will be rushed out by the staff, politely of course. 45 minutes is the posted limit at the local Panera Bread’s. Catch them on their downtime and the staff will let you sit for hours. Expect to spend about $7-10 dollars on lunch.

Houlihan’s – Houlihan’s in Farmingdale in one of my favorites and I have mentioned them in the past. There is only one Houlihan’s on Long Island and if you need great food and wireless internet, I will personally vouch for them. Right down the block from Republic Airport, expect to spend anywhere from $8-15 dollars on lunch and tip.

Local Airports - Can you blog from an airport? Yes and no. We have a few airports around Long Island and I have used them all. It’s a great place to people watch as well as write but not practical for my purposes as they are really difficult to get too. Here is a rundown on how to use the local airports without setting off Homeland Security:

~Kennedy/LaGuardia – Both Airports are run by the Port Authority of NY so it figures that both airports would offer wireless access from the same provider, Boingo. Yes you will have to pay for a subscription starting at $9.95 a month or $4.95 for a full day pass. There are plenty of areas, both pre and post security where you could sit and write a posting or two as well as eat but the access fee would only make this practical for frequent fliers. Terminal 4 at Kennedy has a small shopping mall and food-court with a host of access ports but expect to pay by the hour as there is no free WiFi. Jetblue in Terminal 5 has the only free wireless internet access at Kennedy. None of the Starbucks has open internet access either. In all other terminals you will have to go with Boingo. I’m not too familiar with laguardia. The Port authority website just states they are covered by Boingo but I’m sure there are other on site options too.

~MacArthur – They offer Optimum Wi-Fi. Yes it’s free! You do not have to be a Cablevision subscriber if you are accessing their network from the Airport. Have I seen bloggers there? No. The airport is pretty out of the way and only accessible by car. Not really a practical place to write but if your in the mood to get out of the house and write, take the trip.

Optimum Online Customers – Cablevision is attempting to blanket all of Long Island with wireless internet access. The only catch is you have to be a Cablevision customer. Check out their map. This is the largest and most advanced Wi-Fi network in the nation available only on Long Island. If you have Optimum Online, most Starbucks are within range of an Optimum Online Wireless access point. I hop onto that network first. If the signal is not strong enough I then hop onto the Starbucks network. ;)

Plan ahead and scope out a spot for your writing needs. You’ll find Long Island is incredibly Blogger friendly! I have a project ongoing where I am mapping out Hotspots that I have used. I have this information on a google spreadsheet that I am constantly updating. You can find the spreadsheet here: Do you have any other great locations? Drop me a comment. I would love to learn of more wireless hotspots on Long Island. :)