Wireless Networking in UK?

We've got Starbucks here you cheaky thing! But only 1 (some where in darkest Birmingham iirc) has wireless access. I have not found many places offering wireless access (unless you count my flat)

 

there are a few cafes that do have free wifi access, i think borders on oxford street do, as do a few of the bigger starbucks. A lot of libraries are adopting the wifi approach - you have to 'rent' an IP address off them. I'm a student and Reading Uni library went wireless recently, very handy! the great thing is you can pick it up from outside the library too so i'll be able to sit on the grass in the summer!

 

This link should give you all the info you need to wonder round Britain and browse while getting a coffee/haircut/pack of cigs/... Delete where applicable - or just walk out of range!

 

generall, if it detects a wireless network your airport icon will change from grayed out lines to black ones (depending on the signal strength). That's if the network you're on is using DHCP, and your network prefs are set up right. It will scroll the network name next to the aiport icon when you join it.

It's probably not a good idea to have airport turned on all the time as it probably uses up some of your resources scanning for networks constantly! I don't know too much about this. All I know is from when i've used wifi on my iBook.

 

All I can say is, "ITS WICKED!!" I got my Power Book 1GHZ for working abroad, I am from London. I was hoping that Japan had loads of WiFi points I was so disappointed when I when WiFi wasnt so popular. Acually Home computers arent really as popular as they are in Europe and US. Anyway how will be home soon in at the end of the month, so I can go hunting for these WiFi points.

Anyway about Scanning and stuff, yeah when you sit down with your coffee, and open the PB/iBook, it just gives you a list of local newtworks and you just hop on. I think I had the Max speed of 100mbps, is that possible? sounds pretty high. I download a network speed monitoring software, not sure whats it called. As you can tell typing this up in an Internet cafe in Tokyo on a DELL. sorry Guys. The PB sitting in the bag keep warm.. oh I think also having the AIrport on most of the time zaps some of the battery life...

Sorry to babble, wanted to share my qirport life with everyone

 

the highest speeds you can get thru aiport is 11mbit/s (if you're sitting next to the hub!), airport extreme is capable of 54mbits

 

Thought so... Got a software that lied to me.. Thought it was too fast. I was getting readings like 300 mbps on my Ethernet..

 

if you've got a 1gigabit ethernet on your mac (which you will if its a powerbook) then you could quite possibly get speeds like that, BUT very few people adopt gb ethernet as its so damn expensive!