chrisurban.com » wifi philly

Free WiFi back on air

Chris Urban — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:59:08 +0000

I tried a couple of times late last week to sign on, even after creating a new account with Feather for the free service. A phone call to EarthLink customer service, not surprisingly, provided no new details – really no details at all – regarding when, or what would be available when.
Today, after signing on using the new free account, I can surf away. What is interesting is the obvious data that gets collected after signing on: I see in my redirection URL the following parameters:

name
plan=free
zip=where I am?, from the nearest router is, presumably
start time, in the format MM:dd:hh:mm:ss
end time, in the same format, + 30 days
email= address provided during signup
lat and lon, from the nearest router,presumably.

On closer examination of the zip and the lat/lon correlate, but these are actually nowhere near where I am physically. It’s putting me at 15 blocks west, a bit over a mile away, of where I actually am.
Aside from loggin where customers physically are, this probably being used more to draw a little local map as well as determine closest items (movie theaters, etc.) on the new home page you land on:

http://philadelphia.feather.com/

Going to this page without these parameters won’t work, so try this:
http://philadelphia.feather.com/?name=Your%20Name&plan=free&zip=19141-3025
&start=06:20:13:59:43&end=12:31:13:59:43&email=email@domain.com&lat=39.952846&lng=-75.134983

This will put you on the Ben Franklin Bridge, and give you 6 months remaining on your free account.

Nice note from Earthlink

Chris Urban — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:30:25 +0000

Dear EarthLink Wi-Fi Subscriber,

This email contains important information about your EarthLink
Wi-Fi service.

On June 17, 2008, EarthLink transferred its Wi-Fi network in
Philadelphia to a new locally-based company. Beginning June 17,
2008, you will have access to the Wi-Fi network at no cost to
you. You should expect to receive information from this company
about the new Wi-Fi service in the near future.

This new company was created by some of Philadelphia’s most
experienced telecommunications and technology executives, and is
funded by several prominent private investors from both the
Philadelphia area and the West Coast.

EarthLink is pleased that this group has agreed to allow your
Wi-Fi service to continue with them after the termination of
your Wi-Fi account, and EarthLink is working with them
on a smooth transition.

Thank you for being our valued subscriber.

Sincerely,

EarthLink Support

Back on the Air: WiFi Philly

Chris Urban — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:17:37 +0000

We’re waiting with anticipation for the details to come out of Mayor Nutter’s press conference today (12PM ET) with regards to the future of WiFi Philly. According to the Philly Inquirer, a group of local investors are plotting to revive the network using an advertising-based model rather than subscription based. In this same article, we read the total subscriber count at 6,000 user (at $20 a month or less). I’m curious to see how this advertising based model pans out – will we be getting pop ups every few minutes with advertising? Will we be encourage to browse in a framed window?

Another update: we tried yesterday to log on to the network; we could join the network but it wouldn’t actually go anywhere. Today? We can join, sans password, and surf freely. Nice!

Earthlink free for now?

Chris Urban — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:37:45 +0000

I managed to sign on Friday afternoon to the WiFi Philly network, but without the usual username and password. Something is going on, and word on the street is that a consortium on NPO’s, possible with the City’s help, will keep things running, perhaps until a more definitive plan can be determined?
It’s now Sunday, and it’s presumed that city leaders and interested parties are diligently working through the weekend to make the new Monday deadline for finalizing a plan to keep this wireless network afloat. Stay tuned!