With the number of wireless hotspots increasing all the time, IBM`s wireless technology strategist Peter Lee offers business travellers some tips for planning when and where they will need Internet access through wireless hotspots.
Lee says with a number of technologies and access packages being available to access the Internet, business travellers must have the right equipment to access the Internet.
"The first step is, of course, to get equipped. Notebooks with integrated antenna and a broad selection of radios will simplify the connection for the user, and security software in the form of a virtual private network or personal firewall is essential.
"If the traveller wants to access the Internet through a GSM/GPRS network, a GPRS PC card or a Bluetooth-enabled GPRS mobile phone will be needed," Lee says.
Once the business traveller has the right equipment, Lee recommends some pre-trip scouting for wireless access.
"So many varieties of wireless access exist that business travellers would do well to do some searching on the Internet to find out which airports, hotels and other venues have wireless services.
"One will probably end up using several solutions - wired dial-up or Ethernet, a fee-based wireless service accessed through a browser or free services in locations like a coffee shops and conference centres. A tool that helps the user to sniff out these services and automatically create a location profile for their notebook to access the Internet or intranet is therefore very important," he says.
Once in the wireless environment, Lee says the user will have to enter credit card details on a Web browser screen if it is a fee-based environment. Positioning oneself close to wireless access points, or transmitters will provide the best reception, he says.
"If you`re having trouble finding a hotspot in an airport, camp out in a waiting area near a frequent flyer club; reception is often acceptable outside the walls of the club."
Because of the fast changing nature of wireless business models, Lee warns against getting tied into long-term agreements.
"New mobile phone standards are also evolving, resulting in increasing improvements in data performance. News about restaurants and coffee houses adding new wireless services, sometimes free, emerges on a daily basis. It is therefore important to stay abreast of technological developments and where access points are being situated," he says.
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