Finding Restaurants with WiFi while travelling?

I'm changing jobs, and no longer have my 3G stick to get wifi wherever I am in the world. ( I know- first world problem. ) I'm in Cincinnati this week in a class and feeling rather stupid because I hadn't thought about the implications on not having access for my Laptop wherever I go.

What are the best sources for finding wifi ( preferably free) at restaurants wherever I go? I tried a couple of hotspot finders , the matches are all Starbucks, McDonalds, Panera, etc. I want some local places to go for breakfast and dinner where I can also catch- up on mail responses etc. I promise to spend money.

Thanks for any insights-
Deb

I know Havana Rumba at Douglass Loop has wifi because they have a sticker on the door. Sorry that's not much help.

[Robin Garr]

Deb, coffee shops (not just Starbucks) might be a good pool to troll in. In Louisville, Heine's and Highland and Vint have wifi. So does Blue Dog. I'm sure many others do, too. Panera has it. I think the nature of the coffee shop makes it a natural for people to go get a cuppa and go online.

Thanks, guys. So one suggestion is to find local coffee shops in Cincinnati? Maybe I check Urbanspoon...?
Any ideas on restaurants? I know some of the Louisville restaurants offer wifi to their customers (like Havana Rhumba) but no idea how to find these here.

Thanks!
Deb

[Robin Garr]

Hey, Deb, someone just emailed me this info for Cincinnati ...
http://www.openwifispots.com/city_free_ ... 0000002,14

And more for general info about wifi.com ...
http://wifilouisville.com/
(The Website looks a little broken on my iMAC, though.)

Deb, while not directly a place to eat the lobbies of almost all hotels have free Wi-Fi available. Also I know places like Jason's deli, McAllister's deli, Panera, Qdoba and many places like that also have free Wi-Fi.

Thanks to the great person who sent that to you, Robin!
Mark- thanks for the info on the hotels. I assumed they would need a login from the lobby like you do from your room. That's great to know!
Deb

Thanks to the great person who sent that to you, Robin!
Mark- thanks for the info on the hotels. I assumed they would need a login from the lobby like you do from your room. That's great to know!
Deb

Most don't require a password!

Unfortunately, a lot of places that offer "free" Wi-Fi have painfully slow routers or don't really have the capacity for all the people using it.
I think sooner or later you will get frustrated enough to go ahead and sign up for a 3 or 4G data plan from whomever you have your cell phone with. I have a 2 Gig plan that serves me pretty well. I just try not to watch a lot of movies on my iPad when I'm away on business.

[Robin Garr]

I think sooner or later you will get frustrated enough to go ahead and sign up for a 3 or 4G data plan from whomever you have your cell phone with.

Deb mentioned in the original post that this is about her laptop. Smartphones are great - I never travel without my iThings. But there are times when you need a laptop when an iPhone/Android won't serve the purpose very well.

Dan,
Thanks. Interesting timing on your response- I'm switching my phone to our family Verizon plan today.
Are you using your phone as a wifi hotspot? And using it to provide connectivity for your laptop/iPad?

Thanks,
Deb

I travel a lot and find wifi so abundant for my laptop that I almost never covet a wireless data plan. Between hotels, convention centers, Panera, starbucks, McDs, local coffee shops, etc., I find I can find coverage quite easily (and the fact that my iPhone does what I need it do when I don't). I sometimes google free wifi in a town I'm in if I'm really stuck.

I just switched to a new cell phone that is $13 a month for unlimited talk and text and a free data plan when on WiFi. I have found that finding WiFi is quite easy. Almost every restaurant has it and most of the time it is unlocked. The few that I have ran into with locked WiFi have been happy to share the password.

If you are interested in the phone, here is the info.
https://republicwireless.com/plans

This is my referral link: http://rwshar.es/R2Wg

It gets you and me a $20 credit on the bill.

Dan,
Thanks. Interesting timing on your response- I'm switching my phone to our family Verizon plan today.
Are you using your phone as a wifi hotspot? And using it to provide connectivity for your laptop/iPad?

Thanks,
Deb

Funny you ask....It depends on the speed of the free wi-fi. If it's painfully slow, I will connect via Bluetooth to my iPhone which is very serviceable in most places and even faster than some hotels.

I HAVE NO BUSINESS INTEREST IN VERIZON OR THE ELLIPSIS 7 TABLET. I GET NO RENUMERATION FOR THIS.

Having said that, I have had an Ellipsis7 for a few weeks to explore it. It's a small tablet computer that meets the needs of connectivity and online use. It does have a 4G LTE modem for speed. And of course WiFi capable. The nice thing is the Hot Spot for up to 5 devices. If you are meeting with client or business associates this will let you get on at a relatively fast speed.

Altho WiFi is near ubiquitous with Mickey D's and Starbucks as well as a slew of independent restaurants and coffee houses, sometimes you are stuck and that Hot Spot Feature is awesome.

It would be something to look at to solve those issues I believe.

Let me know if I can help any other way.

Richard