Huy Dang's Little Experiment with Wi-Fi
written on Thursday, August 23, 2007 by Huy Dang
Earlier this year, I heard from someone that there were free Wi-Fi hotspots in downtown Saskatoon. Being new to this whole wireless Internet access thing, I did not believe anyone until I read the news one day. Then, I told others and they all said I was "bullshitting."
So this past Monday, I took my good old Compaq Presario 700 laptop downtown to prove to myself and maybe even others that there are indeed free Wi-Fi hotspots being provided by the Government of Saskatchewan. But, when I decided to prove that, there was more I didn't know about.
My journey started in front of the CTV building where I originally popped open my laptop and started surfing the Internet... and the first thing I went to was... Huy's HomeTurf!!!@Home:
By the way, for larger images, click on them.
Now, here's some proof that I was actually connected to a network and that I did not go to that website at home, leaving the laptop on:
After surfing the Interweb on a pretty kick-ass wireless connection, I decided to head further north on 1st Avenue North closer to 24th Street East and pulled up in front of the Tramps music store. Now here's the networks that were in my range in front of that store:
I did some more "war-driving" and stopped in front of a store that sold ceiling fans and other furnishings. It turns out that location gave me five potential networks to connect to. However, four of the five were locked. Check it out:
Then, before heading to 8th Street East to visit my favourite store of all time (the Real Canadian Superstore), I stopped at a red light at the intersection of 1st Avenue South and 21st Street East. There, I quickly checked for wireless networks within my range and was suddenly surprised:
So... the moral of the story is, in downtown Saskatoon, there are wireless networks provided by the Government of Saskatchewan... and much more.
