I’ve never had any problems at Logan “Wolverine” International Airport in Boston. The wifi is usually strong and there are power outlets a plenty.
On the flipside, Atlanta and Chicago have some of the worst that I have experienced. Not only is the wifi crap but finding an outlet to plug into is impossible.
Integrate it with maps from the various airports, quantity, ease of reach and whether you have to unplug a sign or something to use one. That would be very useful. Although I have not had any problems finding them at terminals in Pittsburgh, Rochester, DFW, Ohare, JFK (at the JetBlue terminal) and several others. I normally just look for one on the wall behind a sign.
Amen to that. The last time I was in the Denver airport, I had to ask a gate agent. Turns out that they’re on every other pillar. We need a SeatGuru for airports.
And there’s always EVDO if the WiFi stinks or if you want some extra security. Power is definitely the problem for me.
I need to remember to bring a power strip when I travel. That’d make up for the poor availability of power outlets (just nicely ask if you can share an outlet with someone who is already using one… it doesn’t inconvenience them).
SFO has new workstations (basically tables with chairs and several outlets) appearing here and there. O’hare has SAP-sponsored banks of small stations (the size of a payphone) with stools and four plugs.
It’s not a hub airport, but Sarasota-Bradenton (SRQ) in SW Florida has free WiFi, though the signal is weak the farther out one gets toward the higher-numbered boarding gates.
Haven’t looked for power outlets, but will pay note next time through.
No kidding. I’d also like to know where the outlets are, too.
I always put a lightweight power strip in my carry-on so when I do find a power outlet I can share it with others (people, water coolers, maintenance staff with vacuums, etc.). 🙂
I’ve found that it’s not so much finding a power outlet as it is finding an available power outlet that’s the hard part.
Easy solution: carry a multi-outlet laptop surge protector. When you find that coveted outlet, ask one of the guys if you could share his/her outlet. Most people don’t have a problem with sharing it, but do have an issue with giving it up altogether.
As a further incentive their equipment gets surge protected, too!
You’d think with all the cost saving measures and increasing prices you could at least get free WiFi at all airports… but no, far from the case. It’s actually pretty expensive.
Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in SC also has free WiFi after the security checkpoints, although the full-height windows on the east and west sides of the concourses does make glare a problem. Still, the signal was one of the best I’ve gotten in an airport, free or paid.
O’Hare is an absolute nightmare – there’s a McDonalds every 10 feet, but no power. And the last time I flew through there (admittedly, it’s been a while, since I stopped flying AA), I couldn’t even find PAID WiFi in the AA terminal.
Agree with Elaine’s comment about MSY (Louis Armstrong in New Orleans) having terrible coverage. The airport’s website touts free wifi near the restaurants in the sterile area on concourse D (the Continental gates), but all I found was a shared “Free Public WiFi” SID which…well, no thank you.
I spent 4 hours waiting in the Pittsburgh airport today and while there were very few plug outlets in the main concourse the WiFi was free and great… > 1mbit upload! I was able to upload 650MB of pics to flickr during my wait.
I find that sharing power outlets is a problem as well. I don’t want to lug around a bulky power strip, so I carry a Ziotek Power Strip Liberator Plus ($2.59 each at X-Tremegeek.com). It is also handy in hotel rooms and when dealing with large “brick” power supplies.
I can see the same thing being developed for coffeeshops (best rated for Wifi and plugs). The coffee shop that i work at only has three outlets available and they are always in use by the regulars who nurse their lattes for two hours.
Matt, I apologize for the shameless plugging of our company in your comments, but we (AnchorFree) do have a free wi-fi directory. Most are categorized properly, including airports!
We even allow users of the hotspots to leave comments on our site about the quality of the connection and so forth. http://anchorfree.com/
On a related note: Saturday I had a layover at the Phoenix airport, and they had *free* WiFi. That was great!
I’ve never had any problems at Logan “Wolverine” International Airport in Boston. The wifi is usually strong and there are power outlets a plenty.
On the flipside, Atlanta and Chicago have some of the worst that I have experienced. Not only is the wifi crap but finding an outlet to plug into is impossible.
Integrate it with maps from the various airports, quantity, ease of reach and whether you have to unplug a sign or something to use one. That would be very useful. Although I have not had any problems finding them at terminals in Pittsburgh, Rochester, DFW, Ohare, JFK (at the JetBlue terminal) and several others. I normally just look for one on the wall behind a sign.
Amen to that. The last time I was in the Denver airport, I had to ask a gate agent. Turns out that they’re on every other pillar. We need a SeatGuru for airports.
Agreed—although what I really want to see is free wifi being a given.
Well I can tell you the worst: New Orleans. Surprisingly, though, they have a couple wifi spots before security but none after.
I’d like to see this too.
I actually had to unplug a water fountain once at an airport to get a little power to charge my laptop.
I did plug it back in when I was done, so it would cool the water again 🙂
Google. It knows everything.
http://wiki.jeffsandquist.com/default.aspx/AirPower/AirPower%20Home.html
And there’s always EVDO if the WiFi stinks or if you want some extra security. Power is definitely the problem for me.
I need to remember to bring a power strip when I travel. That’d make up for the poor availability of power outlets (just nicely ask if you can share an outlet with someone who is already using one… it doesn’t inconvenience them).
http://airpower.pbwiki.com/
or
http://wiki.jeffsandquist.com/default.aspx/AirPower/HomePage.html
(the second one seems to be down at the moment…)
Matt,
Such a site already exists, actually:
Jeff Sandquist’s AirPower Wiki is a somewhat rudimentary, somewhat disorganized, but nonetheless useful site for finding power outlets at airports.
http://wiki.jeffsandquist.com/default.aspx/AirPower/AirPower%20Home.html
— Mark Ashley
Upgrade: Travel Better
http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/
SFO has new workstations (basically tables with chairs and several outlets) appearing here and there. O’hare has SAP-sponsored banks of small stations (the size of a payphone) with stools and four plugs.
Vancouver International has free and paid WIFI and clearly marked AC power pods.
Seems the right side of each pod is for something other than the US 3-prong standard, but the left side works perfectly.
They are on posts, mostly on the window sides of the terminal waiting areas.
Cheers,
steve
It’s not a hub airport, but Sarasota-Bradenton (SRQ) in SW Florida has free WiFi, though the signal is weak the farther out one gets toward the higher-numbered boarding gates.
Haven’t looked for power outlets, but will pay note next time through.
Always have problems finding airports where you can recharge the laptop/phone. WIFI is almost everywhere. Free would be fine though.
No kidding. I’d also like to know where the outlets are, too.
I always put a lightweight power strip in my carry-on so when I do find a power outlet I can share it with others (people, water coolers, maintenance staff with vacuums, etc.). 🙂
I’ve found that it’s not so much finding a power outlet as it is finding an available power outlet that’s the hard part.
Easy solution: carry a multi-outlet laptop surge protector. When you find that coveted outlet, ask one of the guys if you could share his/her outlet. Most people don’t have a problem with sharing it, but do have an issue with giving it up altogether.
As a further incentive their equipment gets surge protected, too!
http://www.atlarge.com/ is heading the right direction.
FYI, Reno (RNO) has free WiFI and reasonable power near B1 (Southwest).
You’d think with all the cost saving measures and increasing prices you could at least get free WiFi at all airports… but no, far from the case. It’s actually pretty expensive.
Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in SC also has free WiFi after the security checkpoints, although the full-height windows on the east and west sides of the concourses does make glare a problem. Still, the signal was one of the best I’ve gotten in an airport, free or paid.
O’Hare is an absolute nightmare – there’s a McDonalds every 10 feet, but no power. And the last time I flew through there (admittedly, it’s been a while, since I stopped flying AA), I couldn’t even find PAID WiFi in the AA terminal.
Agree with Elaine’s comment about MSY (Louis Armstrong in New Orleans) having terrible coverage. The airport’s website touts free wifi near the restaurants in the sterile area on concourse D (the Continental gates), but all I found was a shared “Free Public WiFi” SID which…well, no thank you.
I spent 4 hours waiting in the Pittsburgh airport today and while there were very few plug outlets in the main concourse the WiFi was free and great… > 1mbit upload! I was able to upload 650MB of pics to flickr during my wait.
Grand Rapids Michigan has grreat coverage (GRR), also Burbank CA (BUR)
haven’t updated it in eons, but i threw a ton of pictures of power outlets (with airport and gate info) up into this Flickr group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/wired_travel/
I find that sharing power outlets is a problem as well. I don’t want to lug around a bulky power strip, so I carry a Ziotek Power Strip Liberator Plus ($2.59 each at X-Tremegeek.com). It is also handy in hotel rooms and when dealing with large “brick” power supplies.
I have used good free WiFi at Portland (OR), Las Vegas (NV), Tucson (AZ), and Phoenix (AZ) international airports.
No freebies (in my experience) at San Fransisco (CA) and Hermosillo (MX) international airports.
I can see the same thing being developed for coffeeshops (best rated for Wifi and plugs). The coffee shop that i work at only has three outlets available and they are always in use by the regulars who nurse their lattes for two hours.
Matt, I apologize for the shameless plugging of our company in your comments, but we (AnchorFree) do have a free wi-fi directory. Most are categorized properly, including airports!
We even allow users of the hotspots to leave comments on our site about the quality of the connection and so forth.
http://anchorfree.com/