For example, at JiWire, the advanced search feature includes a filter that
includes cafes and campgrounds as well as RV parks and travel centers. By
specifying the type of business or venue you're searching for, you can narrow
your search in such a way that the results should correspond nicely with
your needs.
When you're using the filters provided within these directories, keep in mind
that you don't want to totally ignore businesses like a coffeehouse or book-
store that might be located near an area easily accessible to an RV or truck.
I've been able to connect, on occasion, with a coffeehouse or motel hotspot
located near a truck stop that had no wireless access, and once, when staying
in a motel that offered no access, I was able to connect to the hotspot pro-
vided by a neighboring RV park.
As good as these directories are, they're absolutely not perfection in motion.
With the number of hotspots opening up each day, it's not likely that all of
them will be listed in any one directory. Online directories also rely on infor-
mation provided to them by either the proprietors or users of the business or
venue making the hotspot available. Most of them take great pains to verify
that the information they provide is accurate, but if, for example, a coffee-
house goes out of business or an RV park ceases to offer Wi-Fi to its cus-
tomers and no one bothers to inform the directories, it might be quite some
time before it's removed.
Putting a directory on your device
So, here you are with "Nowhere" lurking on the horizon, and you're wonder-
ing where you can find a nearby hotspot. Obviously, using an online directory
when you're looking for a place to connect seems a bit silly. Fortunately, the
good folks at JiWire have anticipated this very problem. In early 2004, JiWire
unveiled a downloadable hotspot directory that can be updated whenever
the user is online. In May of 2005, however, the free directory was rolled into
a hotspot security utility known as SpotLock. The directory is still free, and
you can download SpotLock and choose to use the directory free of charge.
You can't, however, choose to download the directory only. I cover the full
SpotLock security utility in Chapter 10, and you can find complete instruc-
tions for downloading and using it there.
Using Wireless Network Detectors
With or without a hotspot directory, online or otherwise, it's sometimes nice
to be able to detect the presence of a wireless signal. You might, for example,
want to connect to a particular hotspot, but you wonder if you're too far from
the signal source to make the connection. You could get out your laptop,
Chapter 5: Spotting Hotspots
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