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Wi-Fi: You Can Take it With You

This could be the newest Happy Meal, if only it weren't so darn expensive.

NY Times' David Pogue writes on a portable Wi-Fi hot spots (or mobile routers) so that if you are staying overnight in a hotel that charges crazy amounts for internet access,  you would just turn on your little box and you're connectd to the internet.

The pros: you get Wi-Fi all the time without driving like a maniac looking for a Starbucks or Panera. You can also even plug into  your car's cigarette lighter. It works up to 200 feet so you may not even have to buy it, just hope that other peeps do.

The cons: It's expensive--$200 to $600 (The Junxion model above costs $600.) So only worth it if you do a ton of traveling or just need internet access all the time.  They also require "insertion of a PC laptop card provided by a cellular carrier like Verizon, Sprint or Cingular." And it's not guaranteed that wherever you are the speed will be fast.

Pogue lists your options and some techie advice, but we still think that hotels should be offering free Wi-Fi.

Related Stories:
· The Wi-Fi to Go [NY Times]
· Best WiFi Hotels 2004 [HotelChatter]