Houston’s Downtown wireless-access experiment is now up and running, with a network of 20 free hotspots, identified in the city’s interactive map above. The hotspots offer download speeds of up to 2Mbps and uploads of up to 1Mbps, which is in the ballpark of cable and DSL service. Brave iPhone tester (and Chronicle Tech columnist) Dwight Silverman reports coverage is pretty spotty between Wi-Fi hotspots:
I’d get a decent signal on my iPhone in one block, then turn a corner and get bupkis. But if I walked a few more feet, I could usually get enough of a connection that I could check e-mail.
Silverman also offers this tip:
If you want a good connection and you’re not near a hotspot, look for one of the dual-antenna access points mounted atop street lights. Get close it for a stronger signal.
- The city’s free Wi-Fi is fast – if you’re in the right place [TechBlog]
- Surf the Web for free in 20 downtown ‘hotspots’ [Houston Chronicle]
- Updated: It lives! City of Houston turns on free downtown Wi-Fi [TechBlog]
- Houston WiFi [City of Houston]
Map: Houston WiFi