I propose a new attribute "wi-fi nearby"

[+landing]

When looking for geocaches in Central & South America, it is often convenient to know if the cache author is familiar with a wi-fi hotspot nearby the geocache in a city. Often restaurants in cities have free wi-fi, and this is valuable information that a traveler would be interested in when traveling in a foreign country without a data plan on their cell phone. This can be used to upload logs and to look for more and/or updated geocaches nearby.

 

I sometimes put it in the notes of the caches I place, but having a new attribute would be really helpful!

 

Thanks!

Landon

[+frinklabs]

Here is a candidate topic into which this one could be merged:

 

[FEATURE] New Attribute - Internet Required

[team tisri]

Here is a candidate topic into which this one could be merged:

 

[FEATURE] New Attribute - Internet Required

 

Are they really the same? One states that internet access is required to solve the cache, the other just notes that internet access is available nearby.

 

I see an "internet required" attribute as more of a warning - you'll need a specific ability if you're going to attempt the cache.

 

"Internet access nearby" is more akin to "parking nearby" or "toilets nearby" or similar.

[+cerberus1]

Since a (very) large percentage are now using phones only, I like this idea.

Much better than the outdated (at least around here) "Telephone nearby" attribute. I haven't seen a pay phone in some time.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Since a (very) large percentage are now using phones only, I like this idea.

Much better than the outdated (at least around here) "Telephone nearby" attribute. I haven't seen a pay phone in some time.

 

And if you do there's almost certainly a cache in it. Even though I travel to other countries and won't turn on data, finding wi-fi hot spots, to me, is just part of the planning that I'd do before leaving home. I would actually prefer to contact the owners of a few caches I might be interested in finding and asking about wifi hotspots. Of course, I also bring along a handheld GPS and the only time I'd use a wifi hotspot would be to log my finds in country.

[+Walts Hunting]

I can't speak for other countries but here in the US if you are in an urban environment they are everywhere: fast food places, book stores, Lowes, Home Depot, coffee shop, grocery stores and pharmacies to just mention a few.

 

Then you have to define "neat by". Do you mean a few hundred feet or a couple of miles. Do you expect the hider to research the wifi in the area for each cache?

 

While it sounds good in the abstract I am not sure implementation would be all that beneficial.

[+cerberus1]

I can't speak for other countries but here in the US if you are in an urban environment they are everywhere: fast food places, book stores, Lowes, Home Depot, coffee shop, grocery stores and pharmacies to just mention a few.

 

Then you have to define "neat by". Do you mean a few hundred feet or a couple of miles. Do you expect the hider to research the wifi in the area for each cache?

 

While it sounds good in the abstract I am not sure implementation would be all that beneficial.

Yeah, my other 2/3rds (an IT/IS technonerd) said pretty-much the same thing.

Urban cachers here in the States, it'd be just about every other store and fast food joint and most include their parking lots.

She said it's kinda like saving with the lizard critter insurance..."Everybody knows that".

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I can't speak for other countries

 

I can. There are a couple of places where you'll find wifi, no matter where you go. Hotels and Libraries. Although you don't see them as much in the U.S., Internet cafe's are very common in other places in the world. In Africa, where most of the internet use is via a cell phone, Internet cafes provide higher bandwidth connectivity, data transfer, and access to printers. The http://www.world66.com/ site is a good resource for finding Internet cafes where ever you might go.

 

By comparison, according to that site, there are 25 Internet cafe's in San Jose, Costa Rica and only 2 in San Jose, California.

Edited July 18, 2014 by NYPaddleCacher

[team tisri]

I can't speak for other countries but here in the US if you are in an urban environment they are everywhere: fast food places, book stores, Lowes, Home Depot, coffee shop, grocery stores and pharmacies to just mention a few.

 

Then you have to define "neat by". Do you mean a few hundred feet or a couple of miles. Do you expect the hider to research the wifi in the area for each cache?

 

While it sounds good in the abstract I am not sure implementation would be all that beneficial.

Yeah, my other 2/3rds (an IT/IS technonerd) said pretty-much the same thing.

Urban cachers here in the States, it'd be just about every other store and fast food joint and most include their parking lots.

She said it's kinda like saving with the lizard critter insurance..."Everybody knows that".

 

In an urban environment you're probably right, but in an urban environment attributes like "snowmobiles allowed" or "long hike" aren't relevant.

 

If you're not in an urban environment and there just happens to be a wifi point that's available it might be useful to know. I wouldn't expect the hider to research it - if the "wifi nearby" attribute is present then it should be safe to assume wifi is available; if the attribute is missing it doesn't mean there is no wifi, just that the hider hasn't made a specific statement that there is. If you find wifi in a place you weren't expecting it then it's a bonus, just like if you're hiking and need water and find water near a cache that doesn't have the "drinking water nearby" attribute.

[+Walts Hunting]

I can't speak for other countries

 

I can. There are a couple of places where you'll find wifi, no matter where you go. Hotels and Libraries. Although you don't see them as much in the U.S., Internet cafe's are very common in other places in the world. In Africa, where most of the internet use is via a cell phone, Internet cafes provide higher bandwidth connectivity, data transfer, and access to printers. The http://www.world66.com/ site is a good resource for finding Internet cafes where ever you might go.

 

By comparison, according to that site, there are 25 Internet cafe's in San Jose, Costa Rica and only 2 in San Jose, California.

San Jose may only have two "Internet cafes" since that designation is pretty unnecessary and mostly extinct in the US. With extremely rare exception EVERY coffee shop has wifi. The concept of Internet Cafe as a place where you can use their computers to access the internet has pretty much been made obsolete by the ubiquitous wifi world.

[team tisri]

Since the OP started out with "when looking for caches in Central and South America" it's clear that they are talking about areas that aren't entirely like western cities where there's an identikit coffee/burger/whatever chain on every street corner and you'd struggle more to find an area that isn't served with wifi than an area that is.

 

In an urban area it's probably safe to assume that there's water available nearby, that there are toilets available nearby, there's probably parking available nearby, and so on. In more remote areas it's useful to know if there's a water source nearby, or if you can park closer than an hour's walk away. In remote areas, especially wooded areas, men can find a ready supply of toilets but many women may like to know if there's a facility more dignified than squatting behind a bush. It's much the same with this proposed attribute.

[+niraD]

San Jose may only have two "Internet cafes" since that designation is pretty unnecessary and mostly extinct in the US. With extremely rare exception EVERY coffee shop has wifi. The concept of Internet Cafe as a place where you can use their computers to access the internet has pretty much been made obsolete by the ubiquitous wifi world.

Yeah, I've seen free wifi available even at restaurants that post "No Cell Phones" signs.

 

("It isn't a cell phone. It's a pocket-sized tablet computer...")

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I can't speak for other countries

 

I can. There are a couple of places where you'll find wifi, no matter where you go. Hotels and Libraries. Although you don't see them as much in the U.S., Internet cafe's are very common in other places in the world. In Africa, where most of the internet use is via a cell phone, Internet cafes provide higher bandwidth connectivity, data transfer, and access to printers. The http://www.world66.com/ site is a good resource for finding Internet cafes where ever you might go.

 

By comparison, according to that site, there are 25 Internet cafe's in San Jose, Costa Rica and only 2 in San Jose, California.

San Jose may only have two "Internet cafes" since that designation is pretty unnecessary and mostly extinct in the US. With extremely rare exception EVERY coffee shop has wifi. The concept of Internet Cafe as a place where you can use their computers to access the internet has pretty much been made obsolete by the ubiquitous wifi world.

 

As I said, I was talking about wifi access, and in general, access to the internet (so one can download cache data to a GPS) in *other* countries. Internet cafe's are not common in the US because we don't need them. Most people have a computer at home with a relatively high speed connection and those that don't can go a public library and use a computer for free (or the cost of a library card) or bring a laptop into most libraries, coffee shops, and even most fast food stores. That's not the case in many countries, especially in the developing world. There's a need for internet cafe's in many countries because few have wired access at home. In Africa, far more people use mobile phones for access to the internet than using a computer on a wired connection. It's part my job to keep up to date on the use of internet in developing countries. I spent the last 10 months or so developing a product which provides access to agriculture research in places which have no internet access.