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In many major cities around the world and especially in those with a tech-ish userbase, you may find free wi-fi. That's right, FREE!

There are now stories (and actual implementations) of Google's city-wide free wi-fi, but it requires registration of-sorts. If you're looking for semi-anonymous access, this wouldn't the way to go. Neither would the T-Mobile or Cingular's wi-fi data plans. BTW, if you are browing via EDGE, then you can forget your anonymity there too.

There may be some ways around it using anonymizing apps such as Tor, but I haven't seen any ports for it yet on the Pocket PC or other phone platforms.

So, what do you do?

You look for services put on by nice folks like SFLan in San Francisco, CA. All you need is to locate their nodes and with no WEP encryption and DHCP, you just connect and you're off.

The best way to find out is to do a search for "your city name wi-fi" or "your city name wi-fi hotspot" as examples. You may be surprised to find that your local coffee shop, bookstore, or friendly neighborhood Wi-Fi supporter may be offering it for free.

Happy WarDriving (and using)! Just remember to be nice citizens and don't steal other people's connections - you may very well be breaking a law somewhere.

Union Square becomes Wi-Fi hotspot
http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_page.asp?id=27481

SFLan Community Wireless project
http://www.sflan.org/

Sean Savage's Free Wi-Fi Cafes list
http://www.cheesebikini.com/wifi-cafes

BayAreaFreeFi Hotspot Listing
http://www.bayareafreefi.com/

Webdog's Free Sunset Wi-Fi Hotspot Listing
http://www.webdog.com/assets/sunsetfreewi-fi.html

If you're in San Francisco, here's a partial list (from WiFiFreeSpot). It's been edited and sorted based on street names:
San Francisco
- 16th between Valencia and Guerrero Cafe 16 - 3170 16th between Valencia and Guerrero
- 16th St Cafe La Onda - 3159 16th St - 415-431-7516
- 17th Street H Cafe - 380 17th Street
- 17th Street (at Church) Morning Due - 3698 17th Street (at Church)
- 22nd St. Papa Toby's - 3248 22nd St.
- 24th Street Cybelle's Pizza - signal actually comes from a neighbor - 3782 24th Street
- 9th and Lincoln Canvas Gallery and Coffee Lounge - weekdays only - 9th and Lincoln
- 9th Ave. Cafe Evolution - free w/purchase - 1336 9th Ave.
- 9th Ave. Internet Wired Cafe - free w/purchase - 1392 9th Ave.
- Balboa Street Nibs Bakery/Cafe - 3717 Balboa Street - 415-379-6468
- Bush St. Leland Tea Company - 1416 Bush St. - 415.346.4832
- Bush Street The Orchard Hotel and Solea Restaurant - 665 Bush Street - (415) 362-8088
- Bush, near Kearny Golden Gate Perk - Bush, near Kearny
- California St Omni San Francisco - 500 California St - 415-677-9494
- California St. California Grind (Cafe) - 5501 California St.
- Castro Street between Market and 19th Streets AnchorFree Hotzone - Castro Street - between Market and 19th Streets
- Central Ave Oh!Java Cafe - 562 Central Ave - 415.776.5282
- Church Street Episode Salon - 1380 Church Street
- Church Street @ 30th Street, Noe Valley Cafe XO - 1799 Church Street @ 30th Street, Noe Valley - 415-826-3535
- Civic Center Plaza Civic Center Plaza
- Cole St. Bambino's Ristorante - 945 Cole St.
- Columbus Ave. @ Union Caffe Roma - 526 Columbus Ave. @ Union
- Cortland Ave. MaggieMudd - 903 Cortland Ave.
- Cow Hollow area along Union Street between Fillmore and Octavia Streets AnchorFree Hotzone - Cow Hollow area - along Union Street between Fillmore and Octavia Streets
- Divisadero Street Loco Taco Taqueria - 292 Divisadero Street - 415-255-8225
- Dolores Maxfield's - 398 Dolores
- Dolores St Café Luv A Java - 1300 Dolores St - 415-401-6444
- Eleventh Street DNA Lounge - 375 Eleventh Street
- Ellis Puccini & Pinetti - 129 Ellis
- Ferry Building Ferry Building
- Fillmore Street between Sacramento and Bush Fillmore Street between Sacramento and Bush
- Fourth St Sony Metreon - 101 Fourth St
- Fourth Street The Hotel Utah Saloon - 500 Fourth Street - 415-546-6300
- Geary Blvd Nani's - 2739 Geary Blvd
- Geary Blvd. Coffee Break - 4601 Geary Blvd.
- Geary Blvd. (corner of 20th Ave.) JavaCat Coffee - 5549 Geary Blvd. (corner of 20th Ave.)
- Geary St. 24 f.p.s. Internet Cafe - 608 Geary St. - (415) 440-3437
- Golden Gate Park de Young Museum - main floor area near tower - Golden Gate Park
- Grant Ave Hotel Triton - 342 Grant Ave - 415.394.0500
- Grant Ave Mojito - 1337 Grant Ave
- Guerrero Street Cafe Petra - 483 Guerrero Street - 415-626-9-626
- Guerrero Street Cup O Java Coffee Shop - 1600 Guerrero Street - 415-282-4423
- Harrison St. Mission Cliffs - 2295 Harrison St. - 415-550-0515
- Hayes and Ashbury Cup A Joe - free with purchase - 1901 Hayes and Ashbury
- Lombard St America's Best Inn - 2707 Lombard St - 415-567-2425
- Lombard St Buena Vista Motor Inn - lobby area - 1599 Lombard St - (415) 923-9600
- Lombard Street Francisco Bay Inn - 1501 Lombard Street - 415-474-3030
- Lombard Street Travelodge at the Presidio - in guest rooms - 2755 Lombard Street - (415) 931-8581
- Marina District, along a four-block area of Chestnut St. between Fillmore and Scott Streets AnchorFree Hotzone - Marina District, along a four-block area of Chestnut St. between Fillmore and Scott Streets
- Market Street Repastoria Satyricon - 2251 Market Street - 415-565-0733
- Mason Street Gallery Cafe - 1200 Mason Street
- Minna 111 Minna Gallery - 111 Minna
- Mission St Hotel Vitale - 8 Mission St - 415-278-3700
- Mission Street Cafe Mama - 4754 Mission Street
- Mission 26mix - 3024 Mission - 415-826-7378
- Montgomery St Ramzi's Cafe & Catering - 44 Montgomery St - (415) 837-0170
- Ninth St Best Western Civic Center Motor Inn - 364 Ninth St
- Noe, at 14th Jumpin' Java Coffee House - free with purchase - 139 Noe, at 14th
- Ocean Ave Bahia Cafe - 1901 Ocean Ave
- Ocean Ave King's Coffee Shop - 1901 Ocean Ave - (415) 333-9088
- Ocean Avenue Black Pearl Tea Zone - 1330 Ocean Avenue - 415-587-6868
- O'Farrell Joey's laundry/cafe - 517 O'Farrell
- Pacific Avenue Nob Hill Motor Inn - 1630 Pacific Avenue - 415-775-8160
- Pacific Heights District along Fillmore Street between Sacramento and Bush Streets AnchorFree Hotzone - Pacific Heights District - along Fillmore Street between Sacramento and Bush Streets
- Pine St. Nob Hill Lambourne Hotel - for guests only - 725 Pine St.
- Plaza at Union Square Plaza at Union Square
- Polk St Teavana - 2164 Polk St - 415-931-9301
- Portsmouth Square Portsmouth Square
- Post St. #100 Cafe Lavender - 1610 Post St. #100
- Post Street Mechanics Institute Library - for library members only - 57 Post Street - (415)-393-0101
- Post Street Prescott Hotel - public space use OK for non-guests - 545 Post Street
- Powell St Westin St. Francis - lobby area - 335 Powell St - 415-397-7000
- S Van Ness Cala Foods - 1245 S Van Ness - (415) 282-0514
- SBC Park during Giant Home Games SBC Park - during Giant Home Games
- Scott St. Edward II Inn and Suites - 3155 Scott St. - 415-922-3000
- Second St Harvest & Rowe - 55 Second St - (415) 541-7771
- Spear Street Rincon Center - Food Court - 101 Spear Street
- Steiner St Cafe Murano - 1777 Steiner St - 415-771-0888
- Sutter Street Cup A Joe - 896 Sutter Street
- Taraval Street Sunset Cafe - 1722 Taraval Street - (415) 283-7528
- Taylor St Taylor Hotel - 615 Taylor St
- The Cartwright Hotel 524 Sutter St. The Cartwright Hotel 524 Sutter St. - (415) 421-2865
- Union Square AnchorFree Hotzone - Union Square
- Valencia St Mission Creek Cafe - 968 Valencia St - (415) 641-0888
- Vallejo St Caffe Trieste - 609 Vallejo St
- Van Ness Avenue Broadway Manor Inn - 2201 Van Ness Avenue - 415-776-7900
- Van Ness Notes from the Underground Cafe - 2399 Van Ness - 415-775-7638

Here is a list we created for all cities around the world where there is a Craigslist presence since these are the ones most likely to also have a free Wi-Fi "presence". Just click on the link and it will perform a Google search for you.

Adelaide
Albany
Albuquerque
Allentown
Amsterdam
Anchorage
Ann Arbor
Asheville
Athens
Atlanta
Auckland
Austin
Bakersfield
Baltimore
Bangalore
Bangkok
Barcelona
Baton Rouge
Beijing
Belfast
Berlin
Birmingham
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Brisbane
Bristol
Brussels
Budapest
Buenos Aires
Buffalo
Burlington
Cairo
Calgary
Cape Town
Caracas
Cardiff
Champ-Urb
Charleston
Charlotte
Chennai
Chicago
Chico
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbia
Columbus
Copenhagen
Costa Rica
Dallas
Dayton
Delaware
Delhi
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
Dublin
Edinburgh
Edmonton
El Paso
Eugene
Florence
Fort Myers
Frankfurt
Fresno
Geneva
Glasgow
Grand Rapids
Greensboro
Halifax
Hamburg
Harrisburg
Hartford
Helsinki
Hong Kong
Honolulu
Houston
Humboldt
Hyderabad
Indianapolis
Inland Emp
Istanbul
Ithaca
Jackson
Jacksonville
Jakarta
Jerusalem
Johannesburg
Kansas City
Knoxville
Kolkata
Las Vegas
Leeds
Lexington
Lima
Little Rock
Liverpool
London
Los Angeles
Louisville
Lyon
Madison
Madrid
Maine
Manchester
Manila
Marseilles
Melbourne
Memphis
Mexico City
Miami
Milan
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Mobile
Modesto
Montana
Monterey Bay
Montgomery
Montreal
Moscow
Mumbai
Munich
Naples
Nashville
New Hampshire
New Haven
New Jersey
New Orleans
New York City
Newcastle
Norfolk
North Dakota
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orange County
Orlando
Osaka
Oslo
Ottawa
Paris
Pensacola
Perth
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland
Prague
Providence
Puerto Rico
Quebec
Raleigh
Redding
Reno
Richmond
Rio De Janeiro
Rochester
Rome
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Luis Obispo
Santa Barbara
Santiago
Sao Paulo
Saskatoon
Savannah
Seattle
Seoul
Sf Bay Area
Shanghai
Shreveport
Singapore
South Dakota
Spokane
St Louis
St Petersburg
Stockholm
Stockton
Sydney
Syracuse
Taipei
Tallahassee
Tampa Bay
Telaviv
Tijuana
Tokyo
Toledo
Toronto
Tucson
Tulsa
Vancouver
Victoria
Vienna
Warsaw
Wash Dc
West Palm Bch
West Virginia
Western Mass
Wichita
Winnipeg
Wyoming
Zurich