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Safeway has good, free Wifi

Safeway (the grocery store) features both Starbucks outlets and free, anonymous log-in WiFi access (in Canada/Manitoba/Winnipeg at least). I don’t know what Starbuck’s wireless rates are like in the US, but here they’re exorbitant ($9/hr, etc.) - so if you hang out at the grocery store instead, you can sip the same coffee, nibble the same snacks, and surf for free. I tried it out today, and it was fast and as free as promised. I was only there for about 20 minutes, but there’s no stated maximum time policies or whatnot, and my location had plenty of electrical outlets about.

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Any-Port Wireless Web for your docked yacht

Here’s a business model I love: pick a beautiful location, provide wireless internet access for a premium. Any-Port is on it, serving the yachting community of the Mediterranean and Carribean:

This popular anchorage spot [Villefranche-Sur-Mer in Southern France] for everything from private yachts to cruise ships is an ideal spot for a picnic lunch or a bit of snorkeling in the clear azure waters. Any-Port clients can now access the company’s guaranteed broadband service throughout the bay and port, further consolidating their position as the leading provider of wireless broadband services to the international yachting industry in ports and anchorages around the Mediterranean and Caribbean. (from Press Release)

I wonder if they’re making money at it? Oddly enough, they’re not using WiFi, its a proprietary signal/antenna system requiring a hardware installation. I would have though it would be more effective just to pepper the docking area and surrounding beaches with cheap, off-the-shelf WiFi routers and extenders, but Any-Port does claim a multi-kilometer range.

anyport, france, wifi, wireless, yachting yachts

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