Wi-Fi Hotspot News

It's been an interesting and worrying week for Wireless Hotspots and the UK Internet Service Industry.

There's been talk of banning public WiFi hotspots completely; news that the UK government's trying to take control over what sites we look at and finally copyright infringement policies on video sharing sites such as vimeo and youtube.com

Banning our access to the Internet via Wi-Fi Hotspots is not the answer - instead we need strong controls over how they're operated. At PolkaSpots we have so many discreet controls in place, it's pretty hard to abuse our network. And, our customers never notice unless they're doing something illegal.

But is it just the fault of public Wi-Fi hotspot companies? Probably not, what about the ISPs - shouldn't they be trying a little harder.

If you're thinking about setting up a free or pre-paid Wi-Fi Hotspot in your cafe, restaurant, hotel or bar; think twice before you do it yourself as your business may be at risk.

We were so excited about the new reporting facility, we forgot to write about it!

You've been asking for it, now we've done it. You can now all see who's doing what and when at your PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot!

If you're already a customer, please contact us for your login details. If you're not, sign up soon.

The PolkaSpots Web Team have just finished the brand spanking new Wi-Fi Hotspot Login screens for our PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot customers.

Take a look here or pop down to one of our Wireless Hotspots!

We're keen to hear your feedback and if you have comments, please send them to carrots@polkaspots.com or put one in below.

It's now even more affordable to get a PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot for your business! Attract customers to your business for just £14.99 per month*. And, from January 2010, there's no set-up cost.

What's more, you can now take advantage of a partnership between PolkaSpots and XLN telecom, an award winning business telecom provider. Get a phone line plus broadband for just £24.99 per month!

What else does your business need:

1. Cheap telephone calls
2. Affordable business broadband
3. A PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot to attract customers
4. Customers!

If you watched BBC Watchdog last week, you will have seen their article about Wi-Fi Hotspots being unsafe. This has caused a bit of a stir in the industry and our comments have just been banned from their site...

Whilst most of the article contained well researched information, there were some glaring mistakes.

Firstly, you can protect yourself by visiting secure websites, i.e. those where you see a padlock in your browser.

Secondly, their focus on public Wi-Fi providers was irresponsible. In fact, DIY hotspots pose even more problems because they don't tend to be set up correctly and also because there are rarely any user controls.

Finally, while it is our responsibility to keep people safe, surely the companies asking for this sensitive data should make more of an effort?

Why are PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots Safe?

Firstly, if you use our broadband service, your office machines will be totally separate from the public Wi-Fi Hotspot. You get your own Wireless Modem with a WPA2 encrypted network.

Unlike the other providers, you can rest assured that only your customers are using the connection. You give your customers an access code when they want to get online. If they don't have one, they can't use it. Other providers have roaming agreements, so anyone with an iPhone (for example) can use them.

Obviously, your customers need to have a firewall on their machine and they should alway practise safe browsing ;)

Don't Panic - Practice Safe Wi-Fi Hotspots with PolkaSpots

Read more about PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots here.

Another one bites the dust. The Coffee Plant, a much loved cafe on the Portobello Road, has decided to use PolkaSpots for their Free Wi-Fi Hotspot Service.

As a local, London based Wireless Hotspot company, we're proud to support our fellow local businesses. You'll find a Wireless service, provided by our goodselves, all around Notting Hill.

It all started with a server, sitting on the floor in a small basement flat in Ladbroke Grove, West London...

In the summer of 2005, Simon Morley was fresh from a Mechanical Engineering degree, and considering his career options. Just by chance, his local café asked if he could provide affordable, timed Internet access. Digging around, it seemed that only large companies were providing this kind of service...but they were expensive and inflexible (and boring).

And so PolkaSpots was born. Simon gained a new flatmate - a single server in a massive box, humming relentlessly away 24/7...no sleep without earplugs, no room in the kitchen, and electricity bills going through the roof.

The first mail-shot saw lots of companies sign-up, and PolkaSpots' customer-focused, personal service continued to attract new business. A year later, Simon was joined by Web Ninja, Michael Speechley who's helped grow the company from just 30 Wireless Hotspots to about a million.

There are now 5 of us - we still work in Ladbroke Grove (albeit in a slightly different office) and we're still listening to our customers.

Call 020 7183 1471 to find out more...