Some places in Ottawa for Free Wifi.

Bridge Heads Coffee
Please note that all the coffee houses will give you a WiFi receipt with User Name and Password that is good for 1 to 2 hours depending on the location. They will happily give this to you after a purchase of anything. Sub-Note: the Bridge Head at Bank and Albert uses an open Wifi that will last you as long as you would like it to.

List of Bridgeheads.

Ottawa Public Library/Bibliotheque branches offer free Wifi with a free membership card. I.D. plus 5 minutes will get you in to any of the locations.

Library and Archives Canada 

The Library and Archives of Canada is also a great place to use Free Wifi. Located at 395 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0N4 CANADA the archives is secure location and a safe place to work on internet related activities while visiting the Nation's Capital. Will take about 15 to 20 minutes to sign in on your first day. This is a better location if you plan to be at your computer for more than an hour.

Second Cup

When you open your browser at the Second Cup, it will automatically be navigated to http://www.secondcup.com/ where you will be asked to log into and Second Cup to your Facebook. This is free but will open you up to some spam. Use at your own Risk.

StarBucks

Yes that's right, StarBucks in Ottawa now offers free Wifi to their costumers. You just need to sign in the same way you would when you are at Second Cup.

Second Cup uses Rogers as their ISP while StarBucks is using Bell for their ISP. On the corner of Slater Street and Metcalfe there is both a Starbucks and a Second Cup, both establishments are within Wifi range of one another. This means that while you are in StarBucks you have the choice of Rogers or Bell as your free Wifi ISP. Personally, I prefer what StarBucks is doing with their login. You only have to click onto a link that asks if you agree with the terms and conditions. Second Cup on the other hand asks you to sign into your Facebook to gain access. I'm not sure what they are doing with the info from my Facebook, but I'm sure it has to do with Marketing. For more on this checkout my Marketing Behaviour Blog.

Is Free Wifi all the rage?

I recently found free Wifi at the Bridge head in the Minto Building in downtown Ottawa. This can be found at Slater and Kent, just a little West of Kent St.

If you prefer the Star Bucks then not to worry. Just around the corner on Kent Street just North of Slater there is a Star Bucks with Free Wifi.

Seems like Free Wifi is all the rage.

StarBucks Free?

Yes that's right, StarBucks is now offering free Wifi to it costumers in the Ottawa area. I've been using it for a  little while and really like it. That being said I noticed that the StarBucks on the corner of Elgin and Laurier does not offer free Wifi, so don't waist your time.

Wardriving and Free Wifi; on the corner of Slater Street and Metcalfe Street there is a StarBucks and Second Cup across from one another. Both offer free Wifi. StarBucks uses Bell as their ISP while Second Cup uses Rogers ISP. Someone with a Wifi enabled device can actually sit in the Starbucks and Wardrive on the Second Cup Wifi or visa versa. Personally I prefer StarBucks free Bell Wifi, easier to log into.

However, if you are just into coffee and tea. Go for BridgeHead.

Security

I have gone on for a few posts about where one can find open WiFi spots and I have not yet talked about security. For some of you security while on line is not a big deal or something we may not know about. Most of us, myself included from time to time just open the old Laptop up at some random Free Spot and start working on this or that. However, there are times that I need security while on a public WiFi.


The best way to secure yourself while using an open WiFi or Free Spot is with a VPN (virtual Private Network). In general VPN uses public Internet lines in one of several unique fashions to create a virtual private network. The VPN can operate between educational institutes, companies and government to provide secure and efficient traffic for their users via a set of software and hardware protocols that encrypt traffic. I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of what a VPN is or is not, but I want to let you know that they are out there.


If your company or Educational institution has a VPN and you have the passwords to use it, than do so. This will make it so others on the same free spot with a computer can't see or even access your computer. The down side of this is that if you are on your companies VPN then that means the IT department can see what you are doing, and if you are looking for a new career on line this could get back to your boss.


Luckily there are some free programs that basically create a free VPN for you. One of the best I have seen so far is Hot Spot Shield. Hot Spot Shield creates a VPN between your computer and secure server. Each client has his or her own account that no one else can access, unless you wear your password on your forehead with a sticky-note.


Canadian's can benefit form this program two fold, not only is your internet usage more secure when you're out in public, but Hot Spot Shield will tunnel you to an IP address in the United States. This means that even Canadians can go back to listening to Pandor Radio, or watching the latest TV shows on Hulu because to the server you are accessing, it looks like you are somewhere in the United States, when actually you are sipping coffee in an Ottawa Bridgehead.


Anther option that I can think of is an add on for FireFox called Foxy Proxy that works in much the same way as Hot Spot Shield but runs within your fireFox browser. You will need to download FireFox if you have done so already and then download Foxy Proxy to run within FireFox. Just like Hot Spot Shield, Foxy Proxy can be switched on and off when ever you like and does not require any new hardware.


Enjoy and Digg.

At the college

St. Lawrence College in Kingston Ontario offers an open net work for anyone within or near the campus. The college has secure WiFi for it's staff and students, but in addition to the secure WiFi there is publicly accessible signal without encryption. This lends itself to the bipedal wardriver who doesn't mind wondering in the college library for some reading or the cafeteria for a hot cup of joe from the on campus Tim Horton's. However, don't bother trying to use the desktops within the library, you'll need a student ID and password.

Don't worry about not fitting in if you are over the age of 20. Presently with the large number of older people returning to college to upgrade their skills anyone can look like a student, so take a trip to the college for some free WiFi. 

Via Rail; Trains and stations

Via rail has been offering free WiFi on it's trains and in the stations for over a year now. At first it was being offered for free because Via was updating their internet service. The service seems to be updated as it has a new launch page and is much faster than before. The WiFi Free Spot can be surfed in the stations or once on board a train. This is great for the traveling business-person or geocacher.

Restricted??

School Board Internet security compromised.

Not too long ago I was working in a high school that had restricted WiFi. I went to the gentleman who was the IT department for help on connecting my computer. It turned out that the password for the school's restricted WiFi was the same password being used by the entire school board. The IT gentleman was no gentleman. He was very rude and agressive, not to mention insulting. He preached to me about security and demanded to have unlimited access to my system for 2 to 3 days before he would consider putting the password on my system. He told me a list of programs I could and could not have on my system. Basically making it impossible for me to join. When I told him that I have a Mac he became more insulting and went on to say that using a mac is stupid. I later learned from a newly hired teacher, that the IT guy told her that a mac would not connect to the WiFi.

One day after my run in with the IT guy, I was working with a student while I had my laptop in front of me. The student suggested that I look for something on the internet help with his research. I told the student I couldn't connect because I didn't have the Password. He smiled and looked at me like I had told him I had never heard of New York City or something just as ridiculous. He said, "All the student's know the the password. If you want to know the password you just ask a student."

I asked him why all the student's knew the password, and he told me that one of the students found out how to get on by watching a teacher type the password onto the compter four years earlier. He went on to say, "It's funny because if a teacher needs to know how to get on the WiFi they just ask one of the students for the password." "The password is passed from student to student like a beach ball at a beach party. This sentiment was later confirmed by one of the teachers I eventually became friendly with who said, "Unofficially, we avoid the IT guy if we can. Usually we go through the students. It's funny because the the IT Guy's preaching of "security" is laughable and kind of joke".

So, I pose the question to my readers; If a "secure" or "restricted" connection is shared openly does that fall under the category of Free Spot or hacking? Should we give out passwords to help out our restricted colleges or not?

Thank you for reading.