Keeping in touch using Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi has become a vital part of Grass Valley and Nevada City downtowns both for the connections they provide to passing tourists and for technology-savvy regulars with laptops in tow.

Wi-Fi hotspots are public areas like a cafe, restaurant or hotel where a wireless Internet router has been installed, allowing a person to connect a laptop computer to the Internet without a wire. The name derives from the old term for high-fidelity stereo, HI-Fi.

"I think Wi-Fi is critical to downtown. You have to have it," said Howard Levine of the Grass Valley Downtown Association. "It's here to stay. Nobody wants cables."

A year ago, Downtown Grass Valley hooked up to Wi-Fi, following Nevada City's lead. Nevada city became one of the first downtowns in Northern California to become a hotspot about three years ago.

Wi-Fi is turning into an amenity like electricity or water, especially in larger metropolitan areas. In San Francisco, city officials have been working on a deal with Google and Earthlink to turn the city into a municipal Wi-Fi hotspot, with free coverage for everyone.

"I think more and more people are looking to it as a necessity," said Nevada City manager Mark Miller.

Going wireless trend

Internet providers are able to make the services free because they recoup the money through local advertising. Full Moon Wi-Fi provides free coverage to Nevada City and Grass Valley businesses, such as hotspots the Mekka and Holbrooke Hotel, then generates revenue by selling advertisements on the company's log-in Web site.

The company serves about 100 businesses and gets 5,000 guest log-ons each month, said Noray Sarkisian, owner and CEO of Full Moon Wi-Fi.

"That's quite a few people, and it's growing," said Sarkisian, who said laptops are being used for such tasks as checking the daily news, sending family photos and staying connected to work.

Grass Valley's adoption of Wi-Fi last year is just in time for the opening of the Holiday Inn Express and its 250-seat convention center.

"It's extremely important for them to stay in touch," said Mary Ann Mueller, President and CEO of the Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce. "We have a new opportunity to truly market our area," Mueller said.

Wi-Fi in town vs. slow dial-up at home

Hilly terrain and heavy forests make for spotty DSL and cable coverage in the county's outlying areas. Many with slow dial-up at home come to town for a faster connection.

Customers can download music or other files in half the time for the price of a cup of coffee and a danish.

At the Flour Garden Bakery on Sutton Way, an average of 15 to 25 people daily bring in a laptop to use the coffee shop's free Wi-Fi, cashier Ade Rachmansyah said.

The bakery added a cyber cafe to its Glenbrook Basin store 10 years ago and offered free Wi-Fi three years ago. While there still is a demand for the in-house computers, printers and scanners, the laptop crowd has grown.

"Many more people have laptops now," said Susan Copeland, owner of the Flour Garden. While the free service doesn't equate to big dollar sales, it gives a competitive edge to business owners who use it.

"It's important for communities. If one coffee shop puts it in for free, pretty much all of them have to," said Russ Steele, freelance writer and chairman of the Nevada County Economic Resource Council's Telecommunications Resource Committee. The group promotes broadband coverage in Nevada County as a way to increase employment opportunities.

He says he's a Wi-Fi "junkie" and prefers businesses - including campgrounds - that offer Wi-Fi over those that don't when traveling.

"I'm a blogger. I need my e-mail. I need to surf the Internet," Steele said.

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The what and where of Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi means wireless Internet connections through a local area network.

The term originally was licensed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe a wireless technology based on international specifications for local area networks. Lately, it has come to include a wide variety of services that use Internet connections, including voice on the Internet, television, DVD players, gaming and digital camera access.

Technology is being developed to allow motorists to use Wi-Fi in their cars, according to the Wikipedia Web site entry on Wi-Fi.

• For a listing of hotspots in Nevada City and Grass Valley, visit the Nevada County Economic Resource Council on the Web at spiral.he.net/~sierratc/erc/wireless.php.

• For a link to free Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the state, go to www.wififreenet.com.

• To contact Full Moon Wi-Fi, go to www.fmwifi.net or call 265-4938.

- Laura Brown

To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail laurab@theunion.com or call 477-4230.