Chapter 5
Spotting Hotspots
In This Chapter
Using hotspot directories
Using a network detector
Employing network detection software
B
ecause public wireless networks (better known as hotspots) have limited
broadcast ranges, you can't just park anywhere and expect to connect to
the Internet via Wi-Fi. You might, however, be surprised at the number of places
besides truck stops making wireless Internet access available to you. The trick
is in finding those places when you're traveling through unfamiliar areas.
In this chapter, I tell you about my favorite methods of finding hotspots that
might be hospitable to large vehicles.
Checking Wireless Directories
I'm big on directories. I've got about three truck stop and diesel fuel directories;
I've got a couple of truck service directories; I've got two tire service directories,
and I've even got a few phone directories that I carry around with me. For the
most part, though, a lot of the information printed in these books is also avail-
able on the Net. For example, www·dieselboss·com has several excellent
online directories available, including a comprehensive truck stop directory --
which I've been using with greater frequency because it's updated often.
When it comes to finding hotspots, you also have several online choices.
Online directories make perfect sense because the number of hotspots in the
U.S., Canada, and around the world is growing so fast that a printed directory
would be obsolete before it ever made it to the shelves. A few of the available
online directories are
JiWire·com: The JiWire search engine and database powers several
directories besides their own. The best among them are
· Wi-Fi Zone Finder: Not long ago, the Wi-Fi Alliance partnered with
JiWire to provide a directory of hotspots that are Wi-Fi Certified
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