Techwire.net‘s broadband reporter is on the scene in London. While the setting is not business-oriented, the scene is worth a quick report. The knights of the round table sought the Grail. I am on a quest for WiFi hotspots in London.
You see I paid Verizon Wireless for a modest foreign cell phone plan for us three travelers. We are connected to Vodafone 3G in London and free WiFi at my cousin’s chic Notting Hill flat where we are staying. But wireless Internet coverage when we are out and about is pretty spotty, even in well-trafficked tourist areas of London. Maybe it’s the famous London clouds and drizzle affecting our wireless reception. It turns out, a summer in London is a lot like a summer in San Francisco, meaning cold and dreary. But I digress.
During our four hours standing in front of Buckingham Palace for the impressive Trooping of the Colours ceremony in honor of the Queen’s birthday, the Vodafone service was very spotty. We could not immediately send the cool photo of the royal family on the balcony, my shot of the Queen in her carriage, or the Royal Air Force fly by into cyberspace as quickly as we wanted. Afterwards we ran in the rain to a lovely pub who had no WiFi to offer, only a WC and crust-less jam sandwiches.
Likewise during our foray to Camden market, a flea market to end all flea markets, the wireless service by Oxygen in the north suburb stunk, rather like the patchouli and incense in some of the stalls run by hippies.
After only three days of the trip, one teenager and I each hit the 200 megabit maximum included in the plan and started on a second $25 tranche. She was checking Instagram; I was researching tourist sites, Tube stops, places to eat, and uploading sightseeing photos to my family via WhatsApp. This is why the hunt for WiFi became as much fun as the hunt for photo-friendly beefeaters, Hummingbird cupcakes, Nandos chicken joints and rock group landmarks (both Beatles and One Direction.)
First of all, British Internet Service Providers offer a number of WiFi options, including Virgin Mobile, British Telecom, Sky, TalkTalk, EE, plusnet, and a free to the end user BSkyB option called The Cloud. The Cloud markets itself to businesses to provide free WiFi to their customers using The Cloud’s owned routers in order to increase customer traffic to the business. It boasts as partners Wetherspoon pubs, PRET fast food chain, Wagamama noodle cafes, Caffe Nero, as well as many stations, stadiums and shopping centers. In some Tube stations, The Cloud’s free WiFi is handy to check my Map app for Harrods and post a Beefeater photo to Facebook whilst waiting for the next train to Piccadilly Circus.
BT offers a pay as you go WiFi hotspot option for visitors: about $10 for 90 minutes in 24 hours; $16 for unlimited use for 24 hours; $42 for 2000 minutes over five days; $44 for 500 minutes over 14 days; and $61 for 4000 minutes over a month.
Second, many commercial locations also offer free WiFi to customers. We stumbled into a Waterstone’s bookstore after a long day at the Tower of London. We gratefully fell into its comfy chairs with a book. The kids noticed free WiFi. After registering with an email, consenting to the privacy policy (easily found), and inputting a zip code, we were in a robust WiFi bubble for an hour. In thanks, we bought two books for the train ride to Paris.
Likewise, the famously free London museums also offer some free WiFi. At the Tate Modern Museum, my teens noticed free WiF, walked right by a famous Monet “Water Lilies” painting, and plunked themselves down in cafe chairs to check their social media. In despair over the missed educational moment, I paced down the hall way and noticed a fantastic floor to ceiling view of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge across the Thames. I decided to live in the moment. I snapped a photo, connected to the free WiFi and posted it to my Facebook site. If you can’t beat them, join them!
Image: iStockphoto.com
