Suzanne's+WIFI+Experiment

For my practicum project I have been assigned to look at WiFi in Madison, Wisconsin. I have decided to do a 15 day experiment upon which I will spend an hour or more each day at a location in Madison that offers a Wifi connection for the next 15 days. Throughout this experiment I will compare and contrast my daily experiences then discuss my findings. I intend to go to these locations at different times each day to ensure my research will be diverse and offer enough information for a complete analysis. Also, I plan to conduct surveys to gain more understanding on the Wifi user's perception of the service at each location. In addition to this, I look forward to finding new locations that offer Wifi within walking distance of State Street and the University of Wisconsin's campus. As a senior on campus I am already very familiar with a number of locations that offer WiFi, however, I'm interested in exploring how someone might find Wifi if they were not familiar with the city of Madison. Culturally, I think it has become common knowledge among internet users that Wifi connections can be found at most coffee shops. With this in mind, I intend to compare how the coffee shops in Madison differ from one another. What makes a customer like one coffee shop over another? Of course the taste of the coffee may be the reason for picking a certain coffee shop to go to each day but I want to look further into this decision on where to go to use Wifi. I don't plan on limiting myself to coffee shops, in contrast, I plan on comparing a variety of different spaces that offer WiFi connection. I intend to prove how important it is to the average consumer to find easy, accessible, and cheap WiFi connection in the public setting. I will document my experience each day by blogging about it on this Wiki page and include pictures to add to the entertainment. I look forward to the next 15 days and the opportunity to learn more about one of my favorite cities: Madison, Wisconsin.
 * Day One**

1. To determine how those unfamiliar with the city of Madison find locations that offer WiFi. 2. Understand why certain WiFi hotspots are more successful than others. 3. Analyze how Wifi hotspots in Madison change the community. 4. Develop new questions along the way...
 * Goal of the experiment:**


 * Day Two - Starbucks**

For my first stop on this WiFi adventure I decided to go to Starbucks. Like most Americans I have been to many Starbucks and have gone to the one on State Street numerous times. Over the past few years I have studied a number of times at Starbucks but due to ease have often connected to the Memorial Library Wifi connection. This connection is offered to all UW students and professors. With this in mind I have never actually used the Starbucks Wifi offered by the coffee shop. Today, I ordered a tall coffee and asked how I could go about accessing the Starbuck’s Wifi. The lady working there informed me that you must have an AT&T account to access Wifi at Starbucks. I was shocked. Clearly, this merger between Starbucks and AT&T is a big business scam to promote their products and manipulate the consumers choices. After many years of enjoying Starbucks I feel really let down by the company as a whole. Since I do not have an AT&T account I went upstairs and and accessed Wifi through Memorial Library. I did a little research on Starbucks and this is what I found.

On the starbucks website www.starbucks.com

Wi-Fi (United States) Enjoy great coffee and the Internet at your fingertips. Whether you need to check your email, download files for your next meeting, or just surf the web, feel free to connect right in store. Simply register your Starbucks Card and receive two consecutive hours a day of complimentary AT&T Wi-Fi service. Register your Starbucks Card now. We offer many of the comforts you’d find at home – delicious drinks, tasty snacks, cozy seating. So is it any surprise we offer free internet access too? It’s just part of being neighborly, which comes as naturally to us as making a fantastic cup of coffee. Already Registered? Great! Then all you need is an AT&T Wi-Fi account. Sign up for yours now. Access to this page is always free in store (of course). Need More Than Two Hours of Wi-Fi? Connecting in Store Having Trouble? Upstairs at StarbucksHere you can see the balcony right off of State Street. This adds to the appeal as a Wifi hotspot.
 * If you’re an AT&T DSL customer, you’re in luck. Unlimited Wi-Fi is free of charge.
 * If you have an AT&T mobile device that is Wi-Fi enabled – such as an iPhone or a BlackBerry – you're also good to go long.
 * You can purchase two consecutive hours of Wi-Fi access for $3.99.
 * Make sure your computer has Wi-Fi capability.
 * Connect to the “attwifi” wireless network. (Most wireless devices will automatically detect it.)
 * Open your web browser. A login page will appear.
 * Sign in using the connection bar at the top of the login page.
 * Agree to the AT&T Terms and Conditions.
 * Enter your username.
 * Select “AT&T Wi-Fi” from the dropdown menu.
 * Enter your password.
 * Click “Login.”


 * Day Three -** **Espresso Royale Caffe**

Today I decided to go and check out Espresso Royale Caffe that is basically across the street from Starbucks. I bought a medium coffee and asked if they offered wireless internet. They said their Wifi is free but you have to type in the password. However, once you type the password into your computer you won't have to re-enter the password if you come back on a different day. To access the password for their Wifi you are handed a small square piece of cardboard with the saying ""Gnomes return their wifi cards, you should too". On the Wifi card was a green gnome dancing and the Wifi password. This coffee shop offered a much different feel than Starbucks. They played music lightly which I liked. One negative to this Wifi hotspot was how dark it was inside of the coffee shop. Yes, this created ambience but it was not a great environment for one that needs to study and be productive. However, with this experiment in mind I would give Espresso Royale Caffe five stars for their friendliness and accessible Wifi connection.


 * Day Four - Steep & Brew**

Since I've already gone to both Starbucks and Espresso Royale Caffe I decided for the next couple days I will just work my way down State Street towards the Capital and stop at a different place each day. The next stop down State Street that offers Wifi is the Steep & Brew coffee shop. This coffee shop differs very much from Espresso Royale Caffe. The environment is bright with big windows and the walls are painted white. Here, the Wifi connection can be found simply by logging into Steep and Brew's wireless connection. No password was needed to login into the wireless connection. I really enjoyed my experience at this Wifi hotspot. I even ran into a friend from one of my classes.

Day Five - Fair Trade Coffeehouse