Get connected on the road with hot spots

Updated January 20, 2006

When traveling for business, you often find yourself in unfamiliar cities. Though business-oriented hotels usually offer broadband Internet access, it's nice to be able to get out and see a new city. Internet hot spots are a great option, and the easiest and most reliable places to find hot spots are often cafes. If you're out and about, you can use a combination hot-spot finder/Wi-Fi adapter, such as the Trendnet TEW-429UB or the Linksys WUSBF54G, to sniff out public networks and tap into them. Not all hot spots are created equal, though. Toshiba's MyConnect service offers both wireless and wired (dial-up and Ethernet) locations in the United States but little in the way of wireless security. T-Mobile has wireless security and VPN support, but it's on the pricey side. Finally, Boingo Wireless offers a multitude of U.S. and international access points and supports a free VPN service, all with reasonable rates. If you're looking for a hot spot in a particular area, you can also use CNET's hot-spot finder.

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