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Story: Wi-Fi 'in danger of being overhyped' - Intel exec

Posted by: Rupert Swyer (Sunday 31 August 2003, 10:55 AM)

WiFi in trains, in airports, public places. Great idea in theory. But the practice? Armed with my Airport-oaded 12" PowerBook, I tried logging on in London's Heathrow Airport last week. Bing! My computer recognized the network right away. A BTopen window on my browser then opened to inform me I had to subscribe if I wanted to log on, surf and collect/send email. Twenty minutes later, I was still trying to subscribe as BT kept telling there was a system error. No indication of where I could buy a 1-hour connection pass. Another 15 minutes passed, time to rush for the plane. Game over!
In Marseilles, where I live, there's an ongoing free access experiment in the town centre. But my computer has yet to pick up the signal.
No wonder Intel says WiFi's being over-hyped. Providers just aren't responding to the demand, or are communicating very badly.