Ars Technica reports that cafes and coffee shops which offer free wifi are moving to limit access to services because of perceived abuse of the free wifi and the effects it has on an establishment's atmosphere:
Coffee shop owners are now fighting back. Customers who purchase nothing are politely asked to do so, while WiFi is sometimes shut down at peak periods. Other shops have begun charging for the service, more as a way to limit access than to make money. Panera has put up a message on the first page people see after connecting to their network; it asks patrons to limit use during peak hours and makes them click a button agreeing to the terms of use.
Hmm...This is an interesting
Hmm...This is an interesting situation. I'm just guessing that the biggest problem here is the tying up of tables during peak times. Seems like snipping the wifi during those times (and placing a warning to this effect) would solve the problem. If I were running a coffee shop, I'd probably resort to asking my waitrons to pester the worst offenders and put up signs reminding them that "This isn't your office," and so on. If all else failed, I'd have the waitrons start "accidentally" spilling scalding hot cappacinos directly onto their precious laptop keys. That ought to do the trick!
Check out Barton's other blogs at Armchair Arcade, Free Software Magazine, and Gameology.
Coupa Cafe laptop policy
I had an interesting experience a few months ago at Coupa Cafe in Palo Alto. The owner came over and told me I had to buy something if I was going to use the wifi. I turned my laptop around and pointed out that I was giving a PowerPoint presentation, and that my AirPort was actually turned off. He said it didn't matter, that I had to make a purchase even if I simply wanted to open my laptop.
wifi pda phones and nintendo ds
I suppose next they'll be telling people with wifi-enabled pda phones and kids with their nintendo ds to turn those off as well.
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Charlie | cyberdash
& Pacemakers
Yeah, and pacemakers, too. Geez, for some of us, turning off your laptop is just about as deadly as turning off ol' pacey. I know my heart stops everytime my computer shuts down.
Check out Barton's other blogs at Armchair Arcade, Free Software Magazine, and Gameology.