L’encyclo de Mido

Table of contents
How to find a Wifi Hotspot
How to use a Wifi Hotspot
How to connect to a wifi newtwork / hotspot
Hostpots in Fribourg
Glossary
Legaly speaking…

How to find a Wifi Hotspot

It is often written, or you have the Wifi logo:

There are also the links of this “Wifi” category in this blog, and all the Hotspots Wifi category

How to use a hotspot

You need:

• A laptop or PDA or… capable to use Internet(browser, email application and application for discussion already set…)
• a wifi card, existing as internal (as in recents computers [airport mac, …] and PDAs), as PCMCIA (the rectangular shaped port were to put cards in a laptop) or for special slots (SmartMedia card, …) for a few items or even as an USB adapter
• If possible, think of (usefull accessories for that kind of case…):
  • energy cable
  • one of those lock cable to clip the computer to the table (if you need to go… ;-))
  • a pocket / wireless / laptop / … mouse
  • an audio hearphone (it helps depending of the cafe’s style…)
  • Install on your comp a Firewall and an antivirus, as precaution. There are free ones, for all OSs (like the duet Outpost / Antivir for PC)

An idea: if you stay for a while, set your lock when you arrive and activate the screensaver’s exit password… so, if you stand up for any reason, your computer will protect itself alone against thiefs and curious people.

How to connect to a wifi Hotspot

Depending of the network, three possibilities:

• perhaps set in the network’s name (SSID) and password (either password, wep key, or wap key, …)
• or only the SSID alone
• or nothing….

All that depends if the network is in broadcast (open SSID) or not, and if there is a security or not. See the glossary about that, and http://www.commentcamarche.net [FR] for windows users, et chez http://www.powerbook-fr.com [FR] for Apple eaters.

Hotspots in Fribourg

1 - Cuba Bar
2 - TM Café
3 - Fribourgeois
4 - Rex / Proms
5 - CyberCafé Matrix
6 - CyberCafé Lagavulin
7 - Havana bar

(map from http://map.search.ch/1700-fribourg.fr.html)

Outside Fribourg city:
- Le Centre, Courtepin (FR)
- L’Azimut, St-Luc (VS)

To verify:
- Scottish Pub & Brewhouse, rte du Jura 47, 1700 Fribourg, FR
- Winebar Fribourg CH, Rue de l’Hôpital 39, 1700 Fribourg, FR
- Bar à Soupe, Rue de l’Abbé Bovet 1, 1700 Fribourg, FR
- Petite Brasserie, Rue de Lausanne 25, 1700 Fribourg, FR. 026 - 321 36 46.

Glossary

• Ad Hoc (network): wireless network where both computers / equipment communicate directly, for example a computer and a printer, two gaming consoles, …it is the case if you have no Access Point
• Mac Address: nothing to do mith MacIntosh. Mac means Media Access Control. It is a physical address, identifying in a unique maner an equipment (card, adapter, …) for networks. Allow to limit access to a wifi network. An analogy would be the postal address that do not change even if the person living there does.
• IP Address: The xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx address that any member of a network usinc TCP/IP (those days standard) receives, where xxx is a number from 001 to 255. A few norms are applying, and in a private network (as opposed to public, internet, …) the IP are often of 192.168.xxx.xxx type, where 192.168.xxx.0 is the entire network. This address allows to identify to whom the data blocks are sent. An analogy would be the phone number, changing if someone else occupies the flat…
• Channel: the channel (frenquency, wifi is a radio signal) on which the information travels. By choosing SSID an channel carefully, you can create a large network, or many small ones in a same location, with several access points. In Switzerland, the usual channels are 1 to 11 (2412 Mhz to 2462 Mhz)
• Hotspot: Place (coffee, airport, …) were a Wifi network in “Infrastructure” (as opposed to adhoc) mode is available
• Infrasctructure (network type): wireless network where an equipment (computer, access point, router, …) is in a way the “server”, all wireless communication going through it. You can use more than one of these equipments for a same wifi network, and that is the way all Hotspots work.
• IP: see IP address
• Access Point: (or AP) the computer / access point / router / … that centralise all the wireless communications in one place. Necessary for an Infrastructure type network, base of a Hotspot, and often used as DHCP server at the same time
• DHCP server: a computer / equipment / .. that distributes the IP addresses to the computers asking for one in a data (TCP/IP) network
• (E)SSID: (Service Set Identifier) iidentifier (supposed to be unique amongst networks and the same in one network) of a wireless network. Allows to choose to which network you want to connect, and also, by using channels, to have several wifi networks at the same place
• Wifi: Wireless Fidelity. In other words: good quality wireless networks. The othe name of wireless
• Wireless: Without wires. Network between computers / informatic equipment, not needing cables / wires. There are two types: Ad Hoc and Infrastructure

Legaly speaking…
You can refer to that site for Switzerland: http://www.terraincognita.ch/. Anyhow, if it is a private network, securise it, you will avoid legal problems, and to pay for others. For a hotspot, I do not know, I am trying to get the answer(s).

An interestring article from the french-speaking magazine Fémina: