Last updated 28 November 2006; latest changes: access in Sydney (thanks Paul!)

Introduction

I had a CompuServe account for several years which, for email access, worked fine. A while ago I decided to drop CompuServe and try to manage without it. Broadly speaking, I've been successful - here are some of my methods for getting on-line down route.

Internet Cafés and Free Access

For those strange people who manage without laptops, internet cafés are the best option. They're everywhere, cheap (the one in Times Square, New York, charges only $1.50/hour), and by going to the Mail2Web website you can read and reply to all your email. Public libraries in the USA offer free internet access (there is one close to our crew hotel in Manhattan). There are three internet computers in the lobby of the hotel in Narita and the charge there is 10 yen/minute. In Delhi there is an internet café just outside the hotel. Turn right and it is in the block just behind the Chinese Restaurant. Rates are £1/hour. (Hotel charges £10/hour in their Business Centre). In Capetown there are 3 free PCs in the bar area. In Hong Kong our hotel has a free terminal on the 22nd floor. And, of course, many shops in the States have computers on line - in New York, for example, try CompUSA (5th and 39th) or the Apple Store on Princes Street, Soho. [Thanks John Watkins and Ian Black for this information]

If that fulfills your on-line needs, 'nuff said, otherwise, read on...

Hardware

I'd be very surprised if any of us own a laptop without a built-in modem, so a telephone cord with a couple of adaptors is all the hardware you'll need for dial-up access. For broadband, however, you'll need an ethernet port, sometimes referred to as a LAN or network port. If your PC doesn't have one already, a PC Card version can be had for about £45 so it's well worth having one in your travel bag. For wireless access you'll need a 802.11b or 802.11b/g wireless network PC Card which will set you back around $65 in CompUSA (or £50 in PC World).

Global ISPs

AOL/CompuServe is still used by many travellers as they have an extensive world-wide network of Access Points. Although their base monthly fee is quite low (around £7/month), the on-line charges soon add up if you spend any time browsing the internet. It was a few monthly bills of over £40 which sent me scuttling off to find something cheaper.

I first checked out the alternative 'global' options i.e. ATT Global Net and GRIC/BALPA. They're expensive (in my opinion) for anything other than short calls to retrieve email and if that's the way you use the internet you might just as well stick with AOL/CompuServe.

Pipex, a respected UK ISP, offer a world-wide POP dial-up account at half their usual monthly fee (£7.50) if you sign up for their broadband service at home (£23.99 last time I looked). Unfortunately, as broadband has yet to reach villages in the Fens, that wasn't an option for me so I started looking at the free ISPs.

Free ISPs

In Europe it's pretty straightforward. There are many free ISPs so you just pay for local call charges. For example, in the UK Virgin Net and Tiscali still offer 'Pay As You Go' services i.e. free except for the phone call. For home use the AnyTime services range from £12 to £15/month for unlimited access (calls are disconnected after two hours but you may reconnect immediately). The unlimited accounts only work from a specified telephone number so you still need to make a note of the Pay As You Go numbers for access away from home e.g. simulator. A new unlimited service is Fast4.Net which I noticed recently is charging only £6.99/month. It's still to early to tell if their service is any good. (If you use Fast4 and like them, please let me know!)

For those of us forced to work in small rooms in Toulouse and Berlin there are also free accounts available. France has Wanadoo.fr although you have to navigate their French language web site to open an account. In Germany it's even easier - set your computer to dial 019231760, 019231750 or 01929 (with the appropriate outside line prefix) and log onto Freenet.de with anything at all (but not blank) in the username and password fields. You are now on-line for the price of a local call.

Unlike Europe, the USA doesn't have a tradition of free ISPs although there are a few available for Windoze users. The free ISPs usually tag on advertising to your email, but hey, free is free.

Try all-free-isp.com or freedomlist.com to find more free ISPs around the world.

Broadband

Further afield, some of our hotels now offer free broadband either by ethernet or WiFi e.g. Boston, Hong Kong (free WiFi in the lobby) Miami, Manhattan, Tokyo (not all rooms yet) and Washington. In hotels that have paid broadband (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Long Island), I'm happy to spend $10 of my allowances for 24 hours' high-speed access.

But your hotel doesn't have broadband and you don't have a free ISP account in that country - what now?

The first place to try in the States is the local Kinko's (no, it's a print shop). There are almost as many branches of Kinko's as there are Starbucks and about half of them have a "laptop work station". To you and me that's a broadband ethernet connection so, as long as you've got an ethernet port in your laptop, you're up and running. It's completely free (but you pay for printing).

Wireless Access

If you've gone to the trouble of buying a wireless network card (802.11b or 802.11b/g) then you have a few more options. Barnes & Noble bookstores have wireless access in their coffee shop with a reasonable charge of $4 for 2 hours. Starbucks have wireless access in almost all their US branches. The service is provided by T-Mobile and the charge is $6/hour with a minimum charge of $6. Not cheap, but OK for email over a coffee if you click on-line, download your email and click off-line for a charge of a few cents for a few minutes. Keep an eye on your watch if you start browsing, though. Borders Books also offer T-Mobile wireless internet access, and McDonalds, believe it or not, have WiFi in Manhattan - free access for the first hour and $3/hour after that. [Update - the McDonalds scheme is now $2.99 a day]

However, there are many free wireless access points in New York if you're prepared to walk a few blocks to find them (the nearest to our Manhattan hotel is Bryant Park, behind the Library on 5th Avenue). Go to the New York City Wireless web site for a map and listings. [Update: Manhattan hotel now has free wireless in rooms]

Free wireless access is also a practical possibility in Hong Kong. Pop across the road to Windsor House and go up to the computer floors (10/11/12). Open your laptop and you'll see three or four wireless networks. Because they're run by the shops and demonstrated to potential customers they're not password-protected so you've got unlimited free wireless broadband!

Wireless hotspots are springing up everywhere. Here are some websites that list wireless hotspots:

• 80211hotspots
• NYCwireless
• WiFinder
• Wi-Fi Free Spot
• Wi-Fi Zone

Asahi Net

The ideas I've given up to now cover many destinations, but you might still need a dial-up ISP for some places. The best "back-up" ISP I've come across up so far is Asahi Net in Japan. There are free ISPs in Japan but they don't have English pages and don't have access points outside of Japan (as far as I know - I can't read their web sites!).

Asahi Net charge 450 yen/month (that's about £3) for up to five hours access and 8 yen/minute thereafter. Outside of Japan and the USA there are also access surcharges, usually 8 yen/minute, but that's still much lower than the likes of AOL/CompuServe and GRIC/BALPA. Asahi Net covers most of the world (unfortunately it excludes Africa) so it's great for Narita and very cheap as a back-up for other places. You can't sign up immediately on-line, however, because they send your username and password by snail-mail to your home address - allow a few days before you want to use the service.

Conclusion

With so many wireless hotspots appearing now I recommend buying a wireless network card for internet access down route. Look for 802.11b (or 802.11b/g) for the greatest compatibility. There are many makes and models - NetGear, LinkSys and Belkin make reliable products - and most computer shops sell them.

I also recommend an account with Asahi-Net to give you cheap dial-up access in most destinations. [Update - 11 Feb 05 - I've discontinued my Asahi Net account as I can find WiFi spots just about everywhere now]

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© C J Parker