Wi-Fi hotspots

By Jon | Filed in Computers and Internet, Online, WiFi

Simone suggests a good topic: a collection of wireless hotspots around town. Useful for the laptop set (or wardrivers). (She also suggested a rating system for them, but I’m not that far along.) Between us, we came up with a few:

  • DiLusso’s: You need to access their site first when going online.
  • Balay
  • Bellatazza (downtown and in Sunriver)
  • The Columbia River Bank parking lot—they have an unsecured connection

I also did a quick sweep online for hotspot access maps; I’ve seen these around before. One site, JiWire, lists 19 spots, five of which are free:

Interestingly, Google Maps will also show you Bend hotspots… just search for "bend oregon wifi hotspots". This of course gives you a handy map as well. Unfortunately, there’s no indication as to which ones of these are free.

Anyone have others to list? We’ll start compiling them here…

6 comments

  3. First off, I think you need a contact/submit form for comments like Shannon’s so they don’t get posted here.

    Anywho, I don’t know much about free WiFi in Bend (though I *think* Barnes and Noble has it), but I do know a few Sunriver area businesses that have some (and since Sunriver is technically a Bend zip code, we can list these, right? :-).

    I know there is free wifi at the following:

    -Mavericks Sports Club (at SR’s North End across from the grocery store). While technically you have to be a member to use the facility, I set up that hotspot so pretty much anybody within a quarter mile radius of the building can get it. It’s a stupidly powerful AP.

    -Actually, driving around Sunriver you can pick up a lot of them, as a couple of the larger vacation rental companies out here outfitted their combined 500 homes with Wi-Fi, just using the default SSID, no security, and they’re easy to pick up (I really need to borrow my boss’ GPS and map this area out, as I know there are a ton out here, catering to the tourists).

    -The Sunriver Coffee Co has free wifi.

    -There will soon be a fairly powerful one based out of the Discover Sunriver/Coldwell Banker office that will cover most of the village mall (as I’m going to be setting it up with a strong antenna on the roof of the building). My goal is to hit as far as the mexican place on the otherside of the mall. There’s already somebody in the village mall that’s running a pretty strong signal, but I have NO idea who’s actually doing it, so I don’t know if it’ll last.

  5. Figured I’d update this here, in case somebody manages to search and find this URL: The hotspot I mentioned before in the Sunriver Village Mall is up and running. It’s public, free, just have to register (you’ll get a prompt when you connect to it).

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