WiFi News

Music labels getting happy go lucky

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:25:00 GMT

Earlier this year, the Digital Economy Bill (DEB) was forced through causing many a sleepless night in the Internet community. And now it would seem that the record labels have been having a blast, throwing fines here there and everywhere. They've been given the power to threaten fines but have rarely asked to produce any evidence.

The Ministry of Sound have been caught up recently for sending out 2,000+ letters to people asking for compensation. Most of the people claim they didn't do it. Whether they did or didn't is another story.

More rich lawyers at the ISPs cost.

All these letters are costing the industry a lot of money. At the same time, they've made a lot of lawyers a lot richer. Until now, there's been nothing to stop them from being sent either - no proof was particularly needed. But at last, it looks like the record labels will have to pay the ISPs to send them out.

However even this proposal is turning into a massive fiasco: "The new Act requires the evidential standards to be defined - but Ofcom are leaving this up the rights holders and ISPs to decide in the future".

What's more, it looks like the record labels are going to have to predict how many letters they're going to send out over the next 12 months, and pay in advance. Ridiculous.

You cannot give companies the power to fine the consumer without some control. Likewise, you cannot insist they pay so many months in advance for something that hasn't happened yet.

General Theft

The DEB was introduced to reduce online copyright theft and who'd disagree. Downloading illegal movies and music is wrong and it's damaging the economy. However, the main issue with the bill was the hastiness of it's introduction which happened overnight.

We need some balance brought to the equation again. As it turns out, most lawyers actually agree that the Bill is unenforceable - the only way to actually fine someone is to prove they downloaded the file by seizing their computer and examining the hard disk.

Scoundrels

An acquaintance (hello Russell) was telling me that the movie companies are actaully seeding their movies onto the Internet so they have someone to target. Isn't that called entrapment?

What's the next turn the DEB will take? I would hope, with time, that it settles down and we can all get on with providing Internet service to people around the UK. In essence, it's a good ideas. But until then, we're just going to have to cope with the endless roller coaster.

The PolkaSpots Community

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:31:00 GMT

Our recent popularity online has even managed to surprise ourselves. As you may already know, outside the PolkaSpots Factory, I assist numerous businesses with their online strategies, marketing plans and social media campaigns. It's these skills that have pushed us to the top of the online ladder. Who cares though?

No-one, it's not just about the number of people who follow us on Twitter and Facebook. It's about the network of real people we've built ourselves over the last 5 years.

Thanks to all of you who have supported our bold and brave ideas. We're looking forward to working with you all in the future. We're especially looking forward to making new friends around the world :)

Content Filtering That You Control

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:00:00 GMT

At the start of September, we're introducing a new content filtering service that gives the control of your connection back to you. Or we can continue to manage it all for you...

Why would you want this? Because you can control what your customers are looking at and when they're looking at certain sites. You can even define peak and off peak times.

For example, you run a hotel that's full every evening with business customers. You can now block video streaming sites at peak times and prioritise the email / web traffic. Significantly improving the speed of your Internet connection.

For more information, please sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Almost 1,000 Twitter Followers

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:28:00 GMT

It's flattering to know how many people are interested in the things we talk about at PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi.

This week, we're due to hit the 1,000 Twitter followers mark!

You should follow us on Twitter too here.

It's a great way to stay updated with PolkaSpots and other interesting tech news. It's also a simple way to get in touch if and when you need something.

No-Fi the next best thing?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:35:00 GMT

A San Francisco cafe has just scrapped their Wi-Fi connection after years of Internet leachers nearly sent them bust. The cafe has now thrown their Wi-Fi router in the bin and rightly so...after all they've got a business to run. If a single person's there all day taking up an entire sofa / table, they're losing money.

According to the LA Times, "They're finding that Wi-Fi freeloaders who camp out all day nursing a single cup of coffee are a drain on the bottom line".

We agree wholeheartedly with this but the solution isn't to scrap Wi-Fi completely. The solution is to control the connection so people can't just use the Internet all day without purchasing something.

For example, the average session time at a PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots is 43 minutes (which includes hotel usage). Just enough time for a coffee and a cake.

Controlling the Internet connection with a Wi-Fi service like PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi is simpler than you think. Maybe we should ship a box over to LA for this cafe to try.

There are numerous ways to control your Wi-Fi connection - you should call us for more details (020 7183 1471).

Back on the Wagon (Update)

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:25:00 GMT

It's been a quiet few weeks on the PS blog and we hope you've not been too neglected. You've probably been enjoying the silence...

To our competitors, we're sorry that you've had nothing to plagiarise. You'll have some more copy soon. Looking forward to reading your blogs ;)

Everyone's on holiday

Typically the summer's our busiest period because everyone's on holiday enjoying our Wi-Fi Hotspots.

Spring Cleaning

During the summer, we usually do some 'spring' cleaning and you should start noticing some improvements to the PolkaSpots Network soon. In particular, we've been concentrating on mobile device compatibility. Sounds boring but it's great for those of you with iPhones, Blackberry's etc.

Sin Us a Song

Our new office manager, Sin Ang, started a couple of weeks ago and we're pleased to welcome her to PolkaSpots. You can meet the whole family here...

Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi recently launched with a bang - PW is an unsupported alternative to the premium Wi-Fi service PolkaSpots provide. Public Wi-Fi shipped more boxes than us in July. Find out more about Public Wi-Fi here.

Get a Life

It's the summer, we're trying to enjoy the sun and are worrying a lot less about Wi-Fi.

I'm trying to train for my triathlons whilst fitting in a social life and business(es). Filipe's mum and sister are over from Portugal for a month. Sin went to Venice and is enjoying late night summer shopping. Lydia's catching up with friends before they head off to new Universities this September. We have no idea what Nick gets up to...

Whatever you're doing, we hope you're enjoying it.

Advert Free WiFi Hotspot Service

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:39:00 GMT

Most people think we're nuts because we don't put adverts on our Wi-Fi Hotspot login screens. We probably are.

When we asked our customers what they wanted they said: "Please can we have unlimited free Wi-Fi that's fast, safe and supported".

And that's what you get with PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi.

Our login screens are free from adverts; we won't make you sit through hours of terrible videos; we won't log you out and make you watch another.

If you give your customers what they want, they'll come. Simple

Wear purple trousers and get noticed

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:15:00 GMT

Getting noticed ain't easy these days. But PolkaSpots Wi-Fi are here to help! A helping hand for the web design freaks out there.

Design us a beautiful Wi-Fi Hotspot login screen and if we like it, we'll put it up on our worldwide Wi-Fi Hotspot network.

That's thousands and thousands of page views per day. You never know who might see your design...

Here's what you need to do:

Head over to polkaspots.com/branding to see what we've done before
Email your designs to getnoticed@polkaspots.com
Keep your fingers crossed!

Email us if you have any questions. Entries close at the end of July 2010. There are no particular conditions.

Tweet for free everywhere you go

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:56:00 GMT

Now you can use twitter for free at every PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot! No need to login, register or look at adverts. Just use it. Even at our paid ones.

Why have we done this? Because people love twitter and people love PolkaSpots too.

Because it's free, you'll get loads of new customers using your Wi-Fi Hotspot too!

Free Wi-Fi Access at US Starbucks

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:58:00 GMT

It's proven that cafes that offer free Wi-Fi attract more customers and generate extra revenue. If you needed more proof, Starbucks are in the process of rolling out a completely free Wi-Fi network in the USA.

Would one of the world's largest organisations invest in this if it had no purpose or didn't attract customers?

Thanks to re-ality for the great snap...

9% Love, 80% Service. The rest is a mystery.

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:03:00 GMT

It's not easy to explain what you receive when you join the PolkaSpots family. It's a bit like trying to explain what love is. You can't define it with words: you have to experience it.

Our customers know it's about all about the PolkaSpots Service but new ones often don't understand. So we decided the best way to let you know was with a pie chart. It is the exam season after all.

With PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots, it's about the service you receive and not just the box that arrives. Obviously we care a lot about the hardware, we just don't think this is the most important bit.

Sob Story for Public Wi-Fi Hotspots

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:53:00 GMT

After a day of meetings in central London, I'm exhausted by the lack of public Wi-Fi Hotspots (that actually work).

Scanning the airwaves revealed dozens of networks. 99% were private and protected by passwords. The rest were commercial Wi-Fi hotspots - shame none of them actually worked; other than the one in The British Library.

We have lots of Wi-Fi Hotspots around the UK but none in the areas I was in today. Turns out you need a million or more like BT to actually provide nationwide Wi-Fi coverage. Shame hardly any of those work either!

If you have a cafe, bar or hotel in King's Cross why not give us a call?

New PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot boxes

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:27:00 GMT

Great news! We've got some new Wi-Fi Hotspot boxes in stock. To order yours, call 0800 321 3106.

Perfect for your cafe's Wi-Fi Hotspot. Or hotel, bar, restaurant or other public space for that matter.

Beware of Cheap Imitations

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:17:00 GMT

When it comes to choosing a supplier, you want the best for your business - something you can rely on. You wouldn't buy a kettle if you're trying to serve 500 coffees a day.

This is why hundreds of other businesses choose PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi - because they want the very best Wi-Fi Service for their business.

There are a lot of other Wi-Fi companies out there copying the PolkaSpots model. This is fine by us - after all, imitation is the highest form of flattery. But watch out - they don't all get it right. You might end up with homemade window stickers or a cheap home router. First impressions count - how do you think this makes your business look?

Happy Days for Wi-Fi Hotspots!

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:51:00 GMT

A month after we closed the first ever PolkaSpots customer survey, Filipe realised we'd made a mistake. We hadn't taken it offline...

And when he opened it this morning accidentally, he was pleased to see we'd gained another percentage point. That means that 95% of our customers would be happy to recommend us to a friend!

Because we still provide the best Wi-Fi Hotspot service out there.

Photo courtesy of scaredykat

Do it like the pro's - put your Wi-Fi Hotspot Window stickers up

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:53:00 GMT

You're busy, I'm busy, everyone's busy. Save time and energy - do it like the pro's.

You've received your PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot, what do you do next? Go on - put your window stickers up!

Here's how to avoid bubbles and other troublesome issues. Brought to you from the PolkaSpots Production Team with no expenses spent:

Meet the family

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:47:00 GMT

For a long time we've hidden our faces - there wasn't a reason for this, we just didn't have the chance to look for any nice photos.

There's good news if you want to see who you're talking to on a day-to-day basis. Meet the family here...

World Cup Wi-Fi Special

Tue, 25 May 2010 09:12:00 GMT

England are third favourite to win this year's world cup...

Join the PolkaSpots Family between now and June 12th and get 3 months service free or £50 cash if England Win the Cup!!

Quote "Gary Lineker" when you order to be entered in the draw.

New Free Wi-Fi Registration Process Available

Mon, 24 May 2010 07:53:00 GMT

The most common method of access at a PolkaSpots Free Wi-Fi Hotspot is via secure access code. This code ensures that only your customers can use your Internet connection - you can change it as often as you like and you can check your usage history too.

Now we've introduced a new registration system that means your customers will have to register a few details before they use your Internet connection. It means you don't have to give out the code every time someone wants to use your free Wi-Fi connection.

It also means that your customers get no more than 2 hours of Internet access per day at your location(s). Access is discreet - ie. if they log out after 60 minutes, they'll have 60 minutes remaining that day.

If you want to swap to this method, give us a call on 020 7183 1471.

New Business Broadband Packages Launched

Sat, 22 May 2010 12:09:00 GMT

Optimised for Public Wi-Fi Hotspots, we've just launched a new range of business broadband packages with prices starting from £19.99 per month.

What's so great about PolkaSpots Business Broadband?

No download limits.
Up to 24meg down and 2.5meg upload speeds.
Same great service from PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi.
Optimised for Public Wi-Fi Hotspots.
No activation or migration costs.

We're offering a Wi-Fi Hotspot bundle including our 24meg max service plus a PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot box for just £39.99 per month with no set up costs.

Offer your customers unlimited free Wi-Fi from PolkaSpots and you could attract an extra 15 people to your business per day.

The Digital Economy Bill and Your Business

Thu, 20 May 2010 21:51:00 GMT

What effect will the Digital Economy Bill (DEB) have on Wi-Fi hotspots and other public locations.

You can download a guide to the DEB here:

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The Digital Economy Bill and Your Business

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:49:00 GMT

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More International Wi-Fi Hotspots for PolkaSpots

Sat, 15 May 2010 14:04:00 GMT

There's a reasonably high chance that you're not too far away from a PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot. We're still small in comparison to the big boys but then again, we're not trying to compete with them at all.

We pride ourselves in the service we provide - we don't always get it right but we do our best to sort the problems out. This is why 94% of our customers would recommend us to a friend or fellow business.

And now there are a few white-label Wi-Fi Hotspots being deployed in Bermuda! In 2009, we helped Linknet with their rural African network and are pleased to have grown the family even further.

Still chance to win your iPod Nano

Sat, 15 May 2010 13:54:00 GMT

If you haven't already introduced us to your favourite location, you should do so soon. We're looking for more great PolkaSpots Hotspot Locations!

It's the middle of May now and you're running out of time quickly. You have approximately 1 in 25 chance of winning one each week and the more places you recommend, the more likely you are to win.

All you need to do is introduce PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi to your favorite cafe, bar, hotel, launderette, restaurant, pub or garage and we'll do the rest.

We've put together a list of the best Wi-Fi Hotspot locations here and you can find out some sales tips here.

How to avoid interference in your Wi-Fi Hotspots

Fri, 14 May 2010 10:53:00 GMT

Despite the clever system that runs your Wi-Fi Hotspots, sometimes we can't always tell if things aren't quite right.

We can see if your PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot box is connected to the Internet, how many people are connected and can even tweak the settings remotely.

The biggest issue we face is interference and this is nigh on impossible to pick up remotely. Here are a few tips to help chose the best location for your PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot box:

Install your Wi-Fi Hotspot as far away from cordless phones and microwaves as possible.
Position the Wi-Fi Hotspot in a central point in your location, not under some stairs or in the basement.
If you can, scan for other networks and tell us which channels are congested. You might need to use a WiFi Hotspot scanner like netstumber.

And, we've put a handy link on the login screens for your customers to let us know if and when things aren't going so well.

Wi-Fi Hotspot Window Stickers

Sun, 09 May 2010 12:51:00 GMT

Our first ever customer feedback survey went out a couple of weeks ago. We were nervous about the results but more than pleased about the responses - over 9 out of 10 would recommend our Wi-Fi Service to a friend. You can't please everyone but let's try for 100% next time!

We asked for comments and that's what we got. Lots of them, mostly good ones and one of the most interesting points made was the need to bigger and brighter window stickers to advertise our customers' Wi-Fi Hotspot Service.

As a result, we've had our talented designer David, rework our existing colourful stickers. These are at the printers right now and will be with you soon.

We've also been asked for posters for the walls - if you want to get your hands on a framed PolkaSpots Poster, give us a call.

Every cloud of ash has a silver lining

Sun, 09 May 2010 13:08:00 GMT

Up at 6am on a Sunday morning to collect Greg who's visiting us from Zambia to learn the wicked ways of the west.

He's already had to postpone his trip after the cloud of ash interfered with his flights. With the closure of some airports in Europe, as the cloud spilled over again, he's lucky to have made it!

Landing in Zambia last year, I felt as though I'd been dropped in a bath of cold water (metaphorically not physically - it was quite hot over there). The change of culture and environment will be nothing but challenging for Greg but that's the whole point of his trip. He's here to learn how we work so he can help advance parts of rural Africa.

First PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots in Heathrow Airport

Thu, 06 May 2010 23:50:00 GMT

Our Wi-Fi Hotspot Service has been installed in pretty much every Wi-Fi Hotspot location that you could ever imagine. Until recently, we've not had one in an airport!

There are now two PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots installed in London Heathrow - all very exciting news.

What's more, they've been installed by one of our Authorised Wi-Fi Hotspot resellers! Look out for the Free Wi-Fi Hotspot Service - look carefully though as you won't notice any PolkaSpots, it's a completely white label Wi-Fi Hotspot Service ;)

New PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Website

Thu, 06 May 2010 07:31:00 GMT

There was nothing wrong with the previous PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot website, however we felt it was time for a revamp. The summer's almost here, although you wouldn't believe it this week, and we'll be launching some new Supafast broadband products to complement our prepaid and free Wi-Fi Hotspots Services.

Through new partnerships, we'll be bringing you a slightly different selection of broadband packages that are designed just for public Wi-Fi Hotspots where usage can get high and speed is an issue.

Check back soon for more information or sign up for the newsletter!

94% of our customers still love us!

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:13:00 GMT

No-one's perfect but our customers seem to think we're pretty close!!

Our first customer feedback survey went out a week ago. As a small company the happiness of our customers is massively important to us. But as an IT company, we often only speak to them when there's something wrong. Because of this, we wanted to find out what everyone thought about us so we could make sure we're still delivering, 5 years later!

The results will be published next week but for now, 94% would recommend us to a friend or local business. We only got one review that wasn't glowing and we've already address that problem so she's happy now too.

Oh, and The Hempel Hotel won the iPod shuffle!!

Selling the PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot Successfully

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:06:00 GMT

If you didn't already know, we're giving away an iPod Nano every week until the end of May 2010 whenever you introduce a friend or local business to PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots.

We've complied a list of the best Wi-Fi Hotspot locations here...

To make sure you know what you're selling, here are a few sales points about the PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot Service. For even more information, you can visit our main Wi-Fi Hotspot section.

PolkaSpots provide pre-paid or free Wi-Fi Hotspots.
The basic Wi-Fi Hotspot Service costs £19.99 per month.
There's content filtering to block illegal sites.
Telephone and email support for the Hotspot and customers is provided.
We can personalise the login screens to match the location's business.
We can also provide business broadband too.

If you want more information about our Wi-Fi Hotspot services, visit the downloads section here...

The Best Wi-Fi Hotspot Locations

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:59:00 GMT

You're trying to find suitable places for a PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot because you want to win an iPod Nano. Not sure where to look? Simple, pretty much anywhere is a target. Here's our A-Z list:

Airports

Bowling lanes, bars, business centres
Cafes, campsites, caravan parks
Dentists, doctors surgeries
Estate agents
Farm shops, fancy restaurants
Garden centres, garages, gallery's
Hotels, holiday cottages
Igloos, information centres
J - open to suggestions
K - open to suggestions
Lodges, launderettes, leisure centres
Museums
Nursery
Opticians
Pool halls, pubs
Queen's club
Restaurants (not so fancy ones)
Swimming pools
Town centres
Underground tube stations (what a great idea)
Victoria and Albert Museum, vineyards
W - open to suggestions
X - open to suggestions
Yacht clubs
Zoo's

Obviously, there may be other places but we ran out of inspiraton!

Introduce a friend to PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots and win!

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:13:00 GMT

Want an iPod Nano? Like using free Wi-Fi Hotspots?

Introduce someone to PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi and you could win one. You don't even have to do anything.

Find a location that needs a PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot.
Have them call us on 0800 321 3106 and sign-up. We'll give them £20 off their first order. They'll need to mention you too.
Send me an email with your details and who you're recommending.
We'll put your name in the draw. We're giving away one Nano per week for the next month!

The more places you recommend, the higher your chances are of winning! Send an email to Burt now. His address is: burt@polkaspots.com

St. Nicholas Hotel Raise Money for CLIC Sargent

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:26:00 GMT

Last week, one of our newest pre-paid Wi-Fi Hotspot Customers from the St. Nicholas Hotel helped raise £100,000 for the CLIC Sargent charity! They took part in the Scumrun 2010 rally around Europe in a battered old Jaguar...

CLIC Sargent raise money for kids with cancer. Good job Chris and the rest of the Goldfathers team!

Icelandic Volcano Hits Zambia

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:57:00 GMT

Not in a million years did we expect a cloud of ash from an Icelandic Volcano to have a direct effect on a Zambian man called Greg.

Monday afternoon was supposed to bring with it the exciting addition of another member of the PolkaSpots family. As part of our continued support of Macha Works and their rural African initiatives, we've sponsored Greg to come to the UK to learn a little more about the way we work over here so he can take his knowledge back to rural Africa.

Greg's from Macha, where our first rural African Wi-Fi Hotspot was deployed. His dream is to start a web design business in Zambia and we thought it would be a great idea for him to join PolkaSpots Web Solutions to learn how we do it over here.

Sadly, because of a cloud of volcanic ash, he's had to delay his departure until May :( We're all very glad that he's still coming, despite a small delay!!

Digital Economy Bill - What's the future for Wi-Fi Hotspots?

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:00:00 GMT

A big thanks goes out to the MP's who didn't turn up to vote in the crucial third round of the Digital Economy Bill.

As a result, the bill was passed in a rushed, late night affair - meaning a possible end to all private Wi-Fi Hotspots and your future web freedom.

But how does this affect you:

You won't be able to install your own Wi-Fi Hotspot for your customers.
Websites will be censored - much like the Chinese system.
You'll be totally liable for any activity on your Internet connection.

What's more, the bill introduces phrases including 'is likely to be used for'. Thus, Google (for example) could be penalised because it is 'likely to be used' to search for illegal content.

You might be thinking this is good thing for PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi? From now on, cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels etc. will be forced to use a company like us if they require Wi-Fi in their business. We're avid fans of freedom of choice and we don't think it's fair that you can't do it yourself.

Surely this is just another one of the UK government's non-nonsensical policies that won't go very far? We don't think so. It would seem that most of the bill is set out to combat illegal downloading of copyrighted materials - we do not condone such activity but we think it's utterly ridiculous that the music industry and a bunch of non-technical politicians have the power to shutdown a website if it's 'likely to be used for illegal purposes'.

If you care about your web freedom, please send an email to your local MP using the following site:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/extremeinternetl

What is an Internet Voucher

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:13:00 GMT

Our pre-paid Wi-Fi Hotspots rely on Internet Vouchers to allow access to your Wireless Internet. Every Internet Voucher has a unique 5 digit card and pin number on the rear under a secure scratch-off strip.

Our clever Wi-Fi Hotspot Software knows how long each Internet Voucher is valid for depending on the code they type in to the captive portal. When their time’s up, they get logged out of the Wi-Fi Hotspot. Simple. Internet Vouchers come in the following varieties at the moment:

£3 – 60 multi-use minutes
£6 -180 multi-use minutes
£15 – 7 consecutive days
£20 – 30 consecutive days

A multi-use Internet Voucher does not run out until all the minutes have been used. For example, if your customer buys a £3 Internet voucher and logs in to your Wi-Fi Hotspot on Friday. He uses only 10 minutes and has up to 20 years to finish it up!

Wi-Fi Hotspot Window Stickers

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:14:00 GMT

With every PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot comes great joy and happiness. However, we also send you some bright and beautiful Wi-Fi Hotspot stickers to advertise you’ve got a PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot in your business.

You’ll also get some table tents and user guides to help you along. We’ll add you to a list of Wi-Fi Hotspot locations on qype.co.uk and finally, you’ll get a bright and bold PolkaSpots Rosette for your website!

What is an access code

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:13:00 GMT

A access code is a simple code that you give to your customers when they want to get online at a PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot.

When you get your PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot, your default password will be something short and sweet, like “blue”. Your customers will need to enter this access code in the box on the captive portal or login screens. You can read about Wi-Fi Hotspot login screens here.

You can login and change this password as often as you require – just make sure you tell your staff. You should also make sure you keep it as short as possible.

What is a captive portal or Wi-Fi Login screen

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:47:00 GMT

We know this sounds like more patronising IT jargon that’s confusing and misleading. Don't panic! A captive portal or Wi-Fi Hotspot Login screen is a simple page that appears when a customer tries to access to the Internet at a public Wi-Fi Hotspot.

Most professional Wi-Fi Service Providers, like PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi, use these to control access to the Internet. Instead of your customers entering a password to sign on to the Wireless Network, they need to enter valid login credentials. This gives the you more control over who is using your service.

The design of these depends on the Wi-Fi Hotspot and Wi-Fi Hotspot company. In some free Wi-Fi Hotspots, the user just has to agree to some terms and conditions by clicking a check box. Others require registration and or some form of payment to be made. Some PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots use Internet Vouchers and others use a simple access code.

The PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot login screens can be personalised to match your business.

The End for Wi-Fi Service Providers?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:30:00 GMT

You might assume that we've got it in for the UK government at the moment and you'd probably be right. With all the news about the recent digital economy bill, there's a lot to be upset about.

Talk of banning websites - since when did we enter the great wall of China? Super-fast broadband across the entire UK - a hasty and badly planned idea by Brown. Worst of all, banning public Wi-Fi hotspots - the end for Wi-Fi Service providers like PolkaSpots?

Well no, but if the plans are implemented, it will be the end to the DIY Wi-Fi Hotspots that are cropping up. It would mean only companies with the ability to track and record users would be able to operate.

As a Wi-Fi Service Provider, we've been able to do this for more than 100 years :) We appreciate not everyone wants to pay for their service, but a PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot only costs £14.99 per month and if it's going to add value and protect your business, what more do you want? Is it worth risking it and trying to do it yourself?

Superfast Broadband Causes Problems

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:21:00 GMT

I wrote this morning about the problems caused by Gordon Brown's recent announcements regarding 'Super-fast Broadband'. You can read my comments here.

Less than a day later, it seems the announcement has caused more than just a stir...

The general consensus seems to be that it's a good plan - of course it's a good idea to give everyone Internet Access! However, there are mixed opinions about the cost, deployment, time scale and ownership.

We particularly agree with the required speed - it is not essential that we're all connected at 50mbps. We need to decide on a base level that's acceptable and build from there. Surely, putting in good infrastructure is key to this?

Preventing abuse of your WiFi Hotspot

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:16:00 GMT

As you know, PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots all come with bandwidth management as standard. But what does this actually mean?

Most free WiFi Hotspots restrict the amount of time you can surf the Internet - this is great in some businesses however there's nothing more annoying than being disconnected half-way through an email.

At PolkaSpots WiFI Hotspots, we decided to allow unlimited time on our WiFi Hotspots but slow things down a little bit. This means your customers won't get cut of mid-email - nor do they get to use / abuse your Internet connection. For example, if you had an 8meg broadband line, they only get a percentage of this and more people can use your connection happily.

What about abuse?

We go to great lengths to prevent abuse. Here's how it works:

Login screens - your customers need an access code to get online. A login screen prevents passersby from using your WiFi connection.
Bandwidth management - we went over this above. Because we slice your Internet connection up, abuse of your Internet connection is actually quite hard.
Content filtering - this blocks illegal file downloading and preserves your Internet connection.
Quarantine queue - if we do detect abuse or someone trying to stream too much data, we put them in a slow queue. Handy. All this means you can get on running your business and not your WiFi Hotspot Service.

I want to restrict time. Can I do this?

Sure thing - if you don't like the idea of your customers having unlimited access to the Internet you can restrict their connection time with voucher codes. You give your customer a unique number each time they want to use the Internet.

Lots of things for you to do with your Wi-Fi hotspot then!

14 day money back gaurantee

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:34:00 GMT

We've been doing this Wi-Fi Hotspot lark now for over 76 years - since 1911 in fact. Because of this we know that you'll be so happy with your Wi-Fi Hotspot system when it arrives, you'll want to lick it.

Here are the steps we go through to make sure every Wi-Fi Hotspot is happy:

Massage each Wi-Fi Hotspot before it goes out for three weeks (like kobe beef).
A team of 38 engineers puts each one though a set of extreme tests, including environmental challenges.
See whether they can complete a sudoku puzzle in less than 14 minutes.
See what they're like on general web activity, browsing, email, facebook etc.
Polka - they must be able to dance the Polka.

Only after we're completely happy they've got 10/10 in all these challenges will we send them out.

As a result, we offer a 14 day money back guarantee! If you're not happy with your little PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot box - just send it back and we'll send your money back.

The reason we limit this to 14 days is because our little Wireless Hotspot boxes are very sensitive and get very attached to their new owners (you). We don't want sad Hotspots back - they love you.

Welcome to PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:52:00 GMT

It's been an exciting week at PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots. We're sorry that followers of the PolkaSpots News have been left out. We have a long list of blogs to write - prepare yourself for a barrage soon ;)

We've welcomed two new recruits to PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi this week - Anthony and Filipe. Exciting times at PolkaSpots and a whole new office dynamic.

Anthony and Filipe have joined our close knit team to help with design and support projects that are keeping us busy right now.

Most importantly, they'll be helping out when you need help with your Wi-Fi Hotspot Service.

Tuesday is the busiest day at a PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:19:00 GMT

Since the beginning of time, Tuesday has always been the busiest day at our Wi-Fi Hotspots.

For a short time earlier this year, it looked like Thursday was going be our busiest Wi-Fi Hotspot usage day. We're pleased that Tuesday's up there again.

What's everyone actually doing on Tuesday's? We're still not sure but suspect it's the early week blues that's forcing people out of their homes and offices into the cafes around the UK to use their PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot Service.

According to various sources on the Internet, Tuesday's is the busiest day for e-newsletters and Monday is supposed to be the busiest day. Not according to our statistics!

The Internet is a fundamental right

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:48:00 GMT

Four in five people around the world believe that the Internet is a fundamental right - a poll for the BBC world service suggests.

The survey which consisted of more than 27,000 adults in 26 countries found strong support for Internet access.

Dr. Hamadoun Toure, the secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) told the BBC that "The Internet is the most powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created". He goes on to say that governments must "regard the internet as basic infrastructure - just like roads, waste and water".

It is for such reasons that we support Linknet, an African Co-operative with their Wireless Hotspot installations in rural Zambia.

Most people ask us why we're bothering to install a Wi-Fi Hotspot Service over there when surely food and running water are more important. We don't disagree that these services are important, we just feel that without access to the world wide web through Wi-Fi Hotspot deployments, a whole nation stands to get left behind. Can you imagine your children being brought up in a world with no computers, no internet, no Wi-Fi?

You can read more about the story on the BBC website here.

If you want to help connect Africa - recommend a friend for a Wi-Fi Hotspot today and we'll donate £10 towards the cost of a Wi-Fi Hotspot Controller for Linknet. Alternatively, donate directly to Linknet here.

Authorised PolkaSpots WiFi Hotspot Resellers

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:56:00 GMT

The benefits of being an Authorised PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot are many: our reselllers get fantastic discounts on Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots plus their customers love them just a little bit more for providing or recommending the best Wi-Fi service!
Reseller

And now, we're proudly presenting all resellers with the official Authorised PolkaSpots Reseller rosette for their website :)

What a treat I hear you saying! We know that rosettes might seem 20 years out of date, but we're bringing them back with style!

Enjoy!

Busy Week for UK Wireless Internet Services

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:25:00 GMT

It's been an interesting and worrying week for Wireless Hotspots and the UK Internet Service Industry.

There's been talk of banning public WiFi hotspots completely; news that the UK government's trying to take control over what sites we look at and finally copyright infringement policies on video sharing sites such as vimeo and youtube.com

Banning our access to the Internet via Wi-Fi Hotspots is not the answer - instead we need strong controls over how they're operated. At PolkaSpots we have so many discreet controls in place, it's pretty hard to abuse our network. And, our customers never notice unless they're doing something illegal.

But is it just the fault of public Wi-Fi hotspot companies? Probably not, what about the ISPs - shouldn't they be trying a little harder.

If you're thinking about setting up a free or pre-paid Wi-Fi Hotspot in your cafe, restaurant, hotel or bar; think twice before you do it yourself as your business may be at risk.

Pre-paid Wi-Fi with no monthly costs

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:59:00 GMT

Don't fancy paying £14.99 per month for your pre-paid Wi-Fi Hotspot service, or don't want to sign-up for a 12 month contract? If not, you can now buy our PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot box outright and pay nothing monthly.

You can get our smallest Wi-Fi Hotspot controller, which is suitable for small locations, for just £179.99 plus VAT. And, we'll throw in some Internet Vouchers to get you started.

And, dont forget - it only takes 60 seconds to set your PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot up! Watch the Wi-Fi Hotspot setup guide here.

Buy your Wi-Fi Hotspot online here or call freephone 0800 321 3106

Protect yourself at a Public Wi-Fi Hotspot

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:55:00 GMT

Follow these simple steps to keep yourself safe online.

Rule 1 - Never use a Wi-Fi Hotspot that’s unprotected. We’ve discovered numerous networks that claim to be a commercial hotspot but are simply someone’s laptop set up to hijack your login details (bank, email etc). They even look legitimate with fancy login screens.

Rule 2 – Make sure you're not on a rogue network - ask your cafe what their network name is.

Rule 3 – Any website where you have to enter confidential information should be protected using SSL – to check this you should see a little padlock. If it’s not there, don’t login! Always check this before buying online or logging in to your bank.

Rule 4 – Don’t use your email client (outlook, mac mail, entourage etc.) unless you know your mail provider uses a secure connection. Most email providers now use webmail protected by SSL as above.

Rule 5 – Turn your firewall on and sharing off. Modern operating systems all have a firewall built in. These are great at stopping some threats but can’t protect against everything. Turn off file share and other such services in your control panel. Finally, using Virtual Private Network (VPN) software may help further but it’s important to get the right kind.

Rule 6 – Keep updated – always ensure your laptop’s software is up to date. Ideally do this before you visit a Wi-Fi Hotspot.

Did you know? A more detailed version on this can be found in Cafe Culture Magazine this month!

Minga Zambia Wi-Fi Connection Comes Alive

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:38:00 GMT

This morning, we've all arrived in the PolkaSpots offices soaked through to the skin. There are clothes strewn everywhere and barely one person is smiling.

And while we sit here, it's hard to imagine that Linknet are setting another Supafly Wireless Hotspot that will help connect the people of rural Africa to the world.

Almost 8,000km away from our office (as the crow flies), a small village called Minga in the Eastern Province of Zambia has just received a satellite connection and PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot to help distribute and control their Internet Access.

You can help connect Africa too! We're donating £10 towards the cost of a Wireless Hotspot for Linknet every time someone signs up for a PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot! Recommend a friend or sign-up now. Read more here...

Price your pre-paid Wi-Fi right...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Or risk losing customers...

On a recent stay in a well known road side hotel, I was shocked to see that their Wi-Fi prices were stuck in 2001. One hour cost £5; 24 hours was an extreme £10 - I didn't even look at the cost for a week although I was there for a few days.

Next door I discovered a Little Chef and although they don't have PolkaSpots Wi-Fi installed, they were offering a free Wi-Fi service. On the first morning I popped in, bought a coffee and breakfast and tried to use the Internet. Registration was required and I filled the form in using a fake email address to avoid being spammed by the company in question. Happily, I used the connection for an hour.

False economy? Maybe, I'd spent more on the coffee and food than the £5 but at least I was content and full. Little Chef 1, Hotel 0.

The next day I dropped in again but this time sat down and didn't buy anything. Out came the laptop and there I was online again.

This is the point, if you're going to offer a paid Wi-Fi service, price it right otherwise you'll lose customers to your neighbours. And if you're giving it away for free, make sure you use an access code to prevent people coming in and using your connection without making a purchase.

DIY Wi-Fi Hotspot Login Screens

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:32:00 GMT

Alongside the magificent news from the PolkaSpots factory about being able to check who's using your PolkaSpots Free Wi-Fi Hotspot, we have some more for you...

You've been able to re-brand your own login pages with PolkaSpots since time began. Now you can host them yourself and change them as often as you want. A good plan.

Integrating the Wi-Fi Hotspot login screens with your own website means you have even more control over your Wi-Fi Hotspot Service.

For more information, call 020 7183 1471 or email us!

Check your free Wi-Fi Hotspot Usage

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:01:00 GMT

We were so excited about the new reporting facility, we forgot to write about it!

You've been asking for it, now we've done it. You can now all see who's doing what and when at your PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot!

If you're already a customer, please contact us for your login details. If you're not, sign up soon.

Earn £16k with a Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:02:00 GMT

£16,857 is quite a lot of money to generate from a £179 investment. If you could pull that off in the stock market, you'd be a lot richer.

It costs just £179 to install a PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot for a year, not a lot of cash to fork out when it could generate you an extra £16,857 is it...

We didn't even make this up! Here's how it works:

On average 15 people will use your Supafly Wireless Hotspot everyday
Your average spend per customer is £3.76
Your business is open 300 days a year

Do the sums, and you'll be amazed. The average increase to your turnover on a monthly basis is a whopping £1,410!

Call today on 020 7183 1471 to get your hands on a Supafly Wireless Hotspot.

Change your own Wi-Fi Hotspot Password

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:06:00 GMT

We were the first to offer Unlimited Free Wi-Fi to the UK public. At the start of 2009, we decided that it would be better if your customers could use the Internet for as long as they needed. Instead of restricting time, we controlled the connection speed per user. Simple but clever.

You were giving out the access code to stop the casual passerby from using the Wi-Fi Hotspot Network. Simple. To change the password, you needed to invest in branded Wi-Fi Hotspot login pages or become a partner. Not a big problem, but we thought you should be able to do this.

So, we're proud to announce you can now change your passwords! As often as you like to whatever you want! If you haven't already received your username, please send us an email.

What's more, you can even get live usage statistics from your Wireless Hotspots. Login to the same portal and you can see exactly who's using it. Wowowowow!

All the best,

Simon

Video guide. Setting up your PolkaSpots Hotspot in 60 seconds.

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:29:00 GMT

Once you've received your Wireless Hotspot by courier, it only takes 60 seconds to get started. All you need to do is plug it in - it only takes 60 seconds.

Watch how simple it is to get started. No messing around, just plug it in and go...

Help the people of Haiti

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:51:00 GMT

It's possible that up to 200,000 people may die as a result of the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Forget Wi-Fi Hotspots and Websites for a moment and donate some money to some people that need it. Right now.

Visit Oxfam's website to donate directly:

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/haiti-earthquake/index.php

Practise what you preach - we have. So should you - it doesn't matter how much you give.

Brand spanking new Wi-Fi Hotspot Login Screens

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:28:00 GMT

The PolkaSpots Web Team have just finished the brand spanking new Wi-Fi Hotspot Login screens for our PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot customers.

Take a look here or pop down to one of our Wireless Hotspots!

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We're keen to hear your feedback and if you have comments, please send them to carrots@polkaspots.com or put one in below.

Free advertising for your business on Qype

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:54:00 GMT

If you haven't heard of Qype, you need to get out a bit more. Qype is the largest user-generated local review site in Europe and if you have a PolkaSpots Hotspot, your business will now be listed on it!

Qype is a fantasitc way to find great places to go when you're out and about. From January, you'll be able to find all our London Hotspots too. Being on Qype is a super way to drive traffic to your business.

New Wi-Fi Hotspot Packages and Prices!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:27:00 GMT

It's now even more affordable to get a PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot for your business! Attract customers to your business for just £14.99 per month*. And, from January 2010, there's no set-up cost.

What's more, you can now take advantage of a partnership between PolkaSpots and XLN telecom, an award winning business telecom provider. Get a phone line plus broadband for just £24.99 per month!

What else does your business need:

Cheap telephone calls
Affordable business broadband
A PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot to attract customers
Customers!

A phone line, broadband Internet connection and a secure wireless hotspot for your customers, costs this costs just £39.97 per month!

Read more about our Wi-Fi Hotspot packages here.

* £14.99 per month plus VAT when you sign up for a two year contract

Will Wi-Fi Hotspots have a place in 50 years...

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:27:00 GMT

You may have already seen this amazing video but it's more than worth watching it again...

PolkaSpots New Year Wi-Fi Offer

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:25:00 GMT

Happy New Year and all that to you all!

To celebrate the arrival of a brand new year (and decade) we have a recession busting special offer for customers new and old:

Buy 1 PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot and Get 1 (in the post)!

So far more than 3 people have signed up for their Wireless Hotspot by phone and online. A day later, they've received it in the post. If you want to order yours call 0800 321 3106 now or order online here.

PS. This offer is only available in January 2010 and is on a strictly first come first served basis. It is however available in conjunction with all other offers we have running.

Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:24:00 GMT

We hope you've all had a wonderful year. For those of your that didn't make it through, we're sorry to see you go. No doubt you'll be back with a vengeance soon; make sure you get in touch when you do.

It would be foolish to say that the year's been easy, plain sailing, a walk in the park. Lots of our customers have gone out of business or moved on. We've had to completely restructure our business, drop our prices and introduce a series of new Free Wi-Fi Packages. This time last year, 90% of our Wireless Hotspots were selling Internet Vouchers - now 90% are offering free Wi-Fi to their customers.

This has made us focus - it was time to shake things up a little. Converting lots of WiFi Hotspots to free ones had a massive impact on our business but now we have even more hotspots than ever. For every one we lost, we've added 5 more, mainly because of the popularity of our low cost, Free Wi-Fi Packages. We know we got it right because half the competition have borrow our prices (but not the service).

A few months ago we started PolkaSpots Web Solutions - your one stop shop for your online business needs. Online shop, blog, forum, website, CRM, booking and more. In the New Year, we'll be introducing some new bundles to make it even more worth your while to sign-up. Like everything we do, PolkaSpots Web is about service. We have so much experience and knowledge within the company, it's great to be finally offering it out to help other businesses grow. Keep your eyes peeled to see what we're doing in 2010.

Visiting Linknet / Macha Works in Zambia has changed my life completely. What a wonderful experience it was to put our skills and experience to work in one of the toughest environments on the planet. Despite the short trip, I've come away with many friends and everyone at PolkaSpots looks forward to helping you all achieve a truly connected Africa in years to come.

Despite the economy, we've doubled in size over the last few months. A very warm welcome to all of your that have started working with PolkaSpots - Nick, Liz, Lydia and Luis. A special thanks goes out to Michael Speechley for all his hard-work, commitment and genuine dedication to the company and cause.

ne last thanks has to go out to everyone at Pronto Networks - we couldn't have done it without your understanding, support and patience.

Hopefully 2010 will be a prosperous year for you all. Enjoy the Christmas Holidays!

Simon (the big scary boss).

PS. I didn't actually write this on Christmas Day; we have a clever little system thanks to PolkaSpots Web

Virtual Server Upgrade

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:21:00 GMT

A busy day for us as we prepare for 2010. We were up with the techies at 430 this morning to finalise our migration to a completely virtual server environment.

You may have noticed that we like to have a bit of fun in the office, what's the point in being bored all day. Although having said that, we all stare at computer screens a bit too much. Apart from Nick that is, who still uses HB pencils.

It's not all fun and we do spend a lot of time caressing our servers to make sure they're functioning 100% of the time. Unlike our Wireless Hotspots, we don't massage them in beer - that would just be foolish. Instead they are cuddled by a bunch of bearded men (and women) 24/7 to make sure they're happy. This week we've completed a long standing upgrade to migrate our service from dedicated hardware to a virtual set-up. This has increased our redundancy and is saving us a lot of electricity! So, good all round.

Now, tired we're closing the office until the New Year. If you need help and support drop us a line or call the office!

BT's Fibre Network to Complete Early.

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:32:00 GMT

Well would you believe it... BT have announced that their monster UK wide fibre optic network is going to be ready for the Olympics in 2012. Turns out that only 40% of the country will be covered though by this time.

The network is due to bring rocket fast broadband to our homes. While Virgin already deliver a fibre network to much of the country, BT's network is still dependant on the old fashioned copper cables. The network should run at up to 100 Megabits per second.

You should be excited, we are. The biggest problem we have at the moment is broadband lines failing before they've ever worked. It's an embarrassment and while it's not our fault, we're the ones that have to spend our time troubleshooting.

Hopefully they'll fulfil their promises and actually deliver their network...

Related Articles:

Investing in ICT in Emerging Markets

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:04:00 GMT

I've been back in the UK now for just about 2 weeks, it's been next to impossible to write on the PolkaSpots Blog. Sorry if you've missed it, we've had more than a couple of complaints! I think I managed to use all my creative juices up writing from under my mosquito net in a wooden hut.

Much of our attention is currently is focused on Linknet's project to deploy a network of Wireless Hotspots across Zambia. It's great to see our system being used to it's full potential and Macha is currently seeing around more than 1Gb of data downloaded everyday. That's more than the average hotel and considering that's using a 128kbit/s satellite service, quite impressive.

Last week enjoyed the company of Mr. van Stam in the PolkaSpots office. He was staying with me for a week having been asked to talk at the CTO's conference on 'Investing in ICT in Emerging Markets'. Sadly we couldn't make it down but were able to read his presentation on the LinkNet site here.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next week for ways that you can help bring the Internet to rural Africa.

Culture Shock

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:03:00 GMT

About 2 weeks ago, I was sitting in a small IT room in the middle of Zambia. It was a shock arriving and more of one getting back to the friendly faces and sunny weather of London town. What was I doing there? We were asked to go over and help save their precious bandwidth.

In the Southern Province of Zambia, there's a small village called Macha; it's home to the National Malaria Institute and Linknet. For a few years, Linknet have been providing an Internet connection to the local community via an expensive satellite connection. On a daily basis over 100 user share this 128kbit/s connection - that's quite a lot of people. Access has been slow to say the least.

The have recently introduced a single PolkaSpots Wireless Hotspot box to help control the connection. Each user receives a username and password and their bandwidth is carefully monitored. Nicely done!

While providing Wireless Internet isn't necessarily superficial over here, working with the Linknet team has opened my eyes. You'll notice that our blog has been a little sparse recently - in truth, it's hard to find something interesting to write when everyone around you is only focusing on seemingly insignificant problems. Perhaps from time to time we should open our eyes and look what's actually going on around us.

Much of next year will be spent focusing on helping Linknet achieve their dream of connecting Africa. Don't worry, we won't forget about you!

BBC Watchdog - Wi-Fi's Not Secure?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:56:00 GMT

If you watched BBC Watchdog last week, you will have seen their article about Wi-Fi Hotspots being unsafe. This has caused a bit of a stir in the industry and our comments have just been banned from their site...

Whilst most of the article contained well researched information, there were some glaring mistakes.

Firstly, you can protect yourself by visiting secure websites, i.e. those where you see a padlock in your browser.

Secondly, their focus on public Wi-Fi providers was irresponsible. In fact, DIY hotspots pose even more problems because they don't tend to be set up correctly and also because there are rarely any user controls.

Finally, while it is our responsibility to keep people safe, surely the companies asking for this sensitive data should make more of an effort?

Why are PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots Safe?

Firstly, if you use our broadband service, your office machines will be totally separate from the public Wi-Fi Hotspot. You get your own Wireless Modem with a WPA2 encrypted network.

Unlike the other providers, you can rest assured that only your customers are using the connection. You give your customers an access code when they want to get online. If they don't have one, they can't use it. Other providers have roaming agreements, so anyone with an iPhone (for example) can use them.

Obviously, your customers need to have a firewall on their machine and they should alway practise safe browsing ;)

Don't Panic - Practice Safe Wi-Fi Hotspots with PolkaSpots

PolkaSpots Web - Site of the Month

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:47:00 GMT

You may already know about our little sister, PolkaSpots Web. PSWeb provide a complete online business solution to lots of UK companies. You might be interested to see their latest concoction for one of our oldest Wireless Hotspots, Kitchen and Pantry in Notting Hill, West London.

A fantastically busy cafe, Kitchen and Pantry were one of the first local businesses to sign-up for the PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot Service (yes, we were Supafly in 2005)!

PolkaSpots was the obvious choice for their online business needs. We already looked after the broadband for both shops, as well as their Wi-Fi Hotspot Service - it was logical to have all online services looked after by one company. Only PolkaSpots can do that.

No where else can you find a company for all your digital needs. Broadband for your office; Wi-Fi for your customers; a website to advertise your business and products; ecommerce to sell your goods; blogs, forums, newsletters and more.

Have a look at their smashing new site. An online shop's on it's way too. Visit them and check out their Wi-Fi Hotspot login screens too (and enjoy a coffee or two while browsing the Internet):

www.kitchenandpantry.co.uk

For more information about PolkaSpots Web, visit their site here.

The Coffee Plant Notting Hill Loves PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:22:00 GMT

Another one bites the dust. The Coffee Plant, a much loved cafe on the Portobello Road, has decided to use PolkaSpots for their Free Wi-Fi Hotspot Service.

As a local, London based Wireless Hotspot company, we're proud to support our fellow local businesses. You'll find a Wireless service, provided by our goodselves, all around Notting Hill.

Giraffes Don't Need Wi-Fi

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:22:00 GMT

That's what a friend of mine said last night when I told him I was off to Zambia to sort out a Wi-Fi Mesh Network for Linknet. The truth is, Linknet are bringing the Internet to 25 rural African villages. They've asked that I come and help them with their mission.

In Western countries, the Internet is taken for granted. We use it all the time for business and pleasure. In Rural Africa, things are vastly different. The Internet will be such a massively essential part of people lives, we're proud to be helping out.

I'll be off on November 11th 2009 for ten days. During my time there, I'll be helping the Linknet team with their existing network and adding 5 more villages. What a great opportunity - I can't wait to get them going.

Update: you can download the press release here.

Where did it all begin

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:23:00 GMT

It all started with a server, sitting on the floor in a small basement flat in Ladbroke Grove, West London...

In the summer of 2005, Simon Morley was fresh from a Mechanical Engineering degree, and considering his career options. Just by chance, his local café asked if he could provide affordable, timed Internet access. Digging around, it seemed that only large companies were providing this kind of service...but they were expensive and inflexible (and boring).

And so PolkaSpots was born. Simon gained a new flatmate - a single server in a massive box, humming relentlessly away 24/7...no sleep without earplugs, no room in the kitchen, and electricity bills going through the roof.

The first mail-shot saw lots of companies sign-up, and PolkaSpots' customer-focused, personal service continued to attract new business. A year later, Simon was joined by Web Ninja, Michael Speechley who's helped grow the company from just 30 Wireless Hotspots to about a million.

There are now 5 of us - we still work in Ladbroke Grove (albeit in a slightly different office) and we're still listening to our customers.

Call 020 7183 1471 to find out more...

Wi-Fi Direct coming next year

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:24:00 GMT

Announced earlier this week by the Wi-Fi Alliance, by 2010 Wi-Fi devices will be able to talk directly to each other. At the moment unless you set up an ad-hoc network, when communicating with another machines, all traffic is passed through your router. The future extension will allow all sorts of connections to your machine including printers, mobile phones, mice and keyboards.

As Mac users, we've sort of been able to do this for ages, but it's not really been implemented widely. The new specification will bring greater speed and ultimately kill bluetooth (?).

We think this is a great way to reduce the load on large networks and are glad that Wi-Fi's looking like a technology that's going to be around for a little longer!

Mutton dressed as lamb

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:24:00 GMT

Like you, we've spent a good few hours faffing around with trendy social networking tools. Some we could figure out and others, like Booboo, caused a few more issues.

You agree that there's some merit to be found in most of them. Twitter's got a certain handiness for those that need to let the masses know what they're up to. We use it and we love it.

Newsletters are another tool that you may write from time to time but don't think do anything. You'd be wrong. Perhaps you don't even think they're a tool. Weblogs are the same; this month we were shocked to find a customer writing nonsense on his, just because someone said it was a good idea. If you're going to write them, keep them relevant please.

But Facebook's where we draw the line. Who in their right mind wants to be friends with an estate agent? We found one today, actively promoting their facebook profile. They had 74 'friends'. Having 74 friends does not make you cool. Do you care what an estate agent is up to on a daily basis? Certainly, we'll never buy a house from this man. The truth is, there are very few businesses that truly have a tribe following them...

Before you start using these tools, get some advise before you go live. If perhaps you run a surf shack in Newquay, you'll find few people interested in what you do. However, if you're in the business of mending the bearings on computer fans, perhaps your best route is to pick your marketing tools a little more carefully.

We can help you define your business tools. Just call before you start.

New PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Login pages with iPhone recognition

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Our Supafly Wireless Hotspot login pages have now been revamped to make it easier for mobile users to login.

On small devices, such as iPhones or Blackberry's you will see the following shrunk down pages:

Users with laptops and other devices will see a larger screen with a little more information as below.

If you want to see them in their full glory, why not head down to one of our Wireless Hotspots or install one in your own business. You can sign up online here or call the team on 0800 321 3106.

Save Money Lose Customers Buy a Kettle Instead.

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:01:00 GMT

Mum, do you want a cup of tea or coffee? Yes please, I'd love a tea please. You head over to the kettle, fill it up with water, turn it on, wait a minute or so for it to boil, pour it into a cup with a tea bag. To be honest with you, I'm bored writing this and I'm sure you are too. Little old mum gets her cuppa so she's happy.

Anyway, this is fine when you're making drinks at home you wouldn't buy a buy a kettle if you owned a cafe would you? You'll agree that it would be totally ridiculous to try and make 500 coffees a day with one! Services you rely on to operate as a business shouldn't be done on the cheap. You wouldn't want to jeopardise your business for the sake of a couple of quid would you?

Out of all the calls we get everyday, I bet about 60% of the callers ask at some point why our Wi-Fi hotspots are more expensive that a router from PC World. Or why there is a monthly service charge? The answer's always the same. "You're not buying an off-the-shelf product when you choose a PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot. You're choosing a service; something to rely on; someone to call when things go wrong; something to attract customers and generate an income for your business."

We know there are cheaper companies out there doing Wi-Fi Hotspots but we don't really care. PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots are about quality not price. We're not competing in the budget Wi-Fi arena, nor do we give things away. Having said that, £14.99 per months's not a lot is it? You can buy your PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot here...

Simon started planning PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi in 1984

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:42:00 GMT

Back by popular demand, the first photo of Simon setting up PolkaSpots aged 3.

He was working on a Wren personal computer which he still has in his house! Sadly it doesn't have a wireless card installed and we doubt there's much chance of getting one for it... {module_photogallery,6049,12,,12,50000,300}

You can click to see a larger version and admire the trousers he's wearing.

If you don't see PolkaSpots Supafly WiFi on the box...

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:51:00 GMT

Then there's a good chance that there's a PolkaSpots Supafly Wireless Hotspot in the box.

Everyone knows that we've made our name over the last 4 years by giving our customers an honest and well supported system. We have a couple of hundred nationwide Wireless Hotspots to prove this. A couple of hundred is enough for us - too many more and all we're doing is providing a generic service. By keeping it small, we can provide all our customers with the best possible service. Simon (the big scary boss) still knows the first name of every single customer...

Very few people know however that there are lots of other companies around the UK (and outside the UK) that use our system to set up their own wireless hotspots. We have a staggering Hotspot Management system from a company called Pronto Networks. We've used it for years and know it inside out. All our customers can reap the benefits of such a system without the worry of hosting it themselves. That's what we do.

We might only have a couple of hundred PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots, but soon there will be a lot more out there for you to use! And, just like our ones, they'll be reliable, simple to use and probably free.

Burt

Burt's discovered Burt's Chips

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:57:00 GMT

Burt was sitting in his favourite West London pub last night, enjoying a beer with a friend. They were watching a YouTube video of a horse jumping competition on his fancy iPhone (we didn't know he was into it either until this morning). He was apparently testing out one of newest Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots.

Hungry, he headed to the bar for some crisps, only to discover Burt's Chips! Never before has he been so happy - beer, friends, iPhone, horse jumping, Supafly Wi-Fi and his own chips...

Free goat or coffee

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:21:00 GMT

No kidding (excuse the pun), one of our favourite Wireless Hotspots, Progreso on the Portobello Road in Notting Hill, is offering you a goat if you fill in 24 of their loyalty cards!

You don't even need to complete them yourself, you can chose a chunk of a goat, pin it on, then watch the number tot up on the Kidometer.

Of course, you can collect ten stamps to get a coffee for your greedy self. Or, why not donate your loyalty card to Oxfam Unwrapped and help them buy a goat for a family in Africa that actually needs one.

We can't promise any goats in the shop, but you could check some goats in trees using our Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot Service.

PolkaSpots is Open 24/7

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:47:00 GMT

From 8am until about 7pm (or when Simon leaves for the day).

Just like ASDA:

ADSA have clearly not understood the concept of plain English here. It strikes me that they're open from 8:00am until 10:00pm however I don't think that's what they mean.

We tend to leave the Internet on all day just in case you were wondering (apart from when it's sunny).

PolkaSpots Community Wi-Fi is Dead

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:01:00 GMT

If any of you remember Community Wi-Fi, a project we started about six months ago, you'll notice that it no longer exists on our website or as part of the things we do. We were wrong, it didn't work.

Community Wi-Fi was there to fill a gap between our enterprise Wi-Fi Hotspot offerings and the budget boxes you buy from Dixons that sit under so many shop counters.

We used off-the-shelf kit and an open source captive portal to block access. It was a DIY solution for those that understood how to fiddle with Wi-Fi boxes. In fact, it's the same system that many of our competitors use for their commercial hotspots.

Why did we stop the project? No-one wanted it, it was as simple as that. We're not unhappy though, we didn't want to sell cheap plastic boxes or a service that wasn't supported or easy to manage. We also learned a lot about Wi-Fi and our competition. There's a reason in this world of free internet and open source software that commercial companies exist. They might cost a little more, but do you care about a few pounds if it means you have lots of cheerful customers banging on your door?

You should be pleased therefore that we now only do our Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspots and don't sell any cheap and nasty plastic boxes! And we massage them before sending them out to make sure they're happy.

If you want a cheap and nasty box in your business, google "WiFi Hotspot Company". Ignore the PolkaSpots Supafly Website and call one of the other companies. There's tonnes of them out there.

All the best,

Burt

PolkaSpots WiFi Goes Virtual

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:46:00 GMT

Four years ago, PolkaSpots was powered by a single server. Over the years we've added lots of machines to cope with the demand and make sure you don't suffer any downtime.

We've now replaced all of our machines with something that doesn't technically exist by embracing Virtualisation. This move has increased our redundancy (so your hotspots are always on) and we're saving electricity (and therefore the world's resources).

A system virtual machine provides a complete platform which supports the execution of an operating system (OS). In our case, Redhat Linux. The virtual machine runs on another machine and is completely independent from it's parent, i.e. it cannot break out of its virtual world.

We've upgraded to such a system for a number of reasons:

Redundancy - our single machine sits in a cluster of 8 servers and the data is spread over multiple data centres.
Energy saving - our virtual machine sits on a host with other (secure) virtual machines. Just like a bus, it's more economical to have lots of people on one bus a person per car!
Space saving - data centres are getting full and the same analogy above applies.

Good news we think! A service that's more reliable for you (although we have had no downtime over the last 12 months) and also something that's better for our little planet.

All the best,

Simon

Original Kobe Hotspots

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:57:00 GMT

At the PolkaSpots Factory, every Wireless Hotspot is lovingly massaged before it is sent out. We came upon the idea after eating a kobe burger at one of our Wireless Hotspots (The Prince Edward in W2).

"Kobe beef, according to wikipedia, refers to beef that comes from a special breed of cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Japan. The beef is renowned for its flavour, tenderness and well marbled texture and we certainly enjoyed our burger."

Fed up with mass produced tat from the other side of the world, we've decided that we no longer want to sell hundreds of boxes to thoughtless business owners. We're very protective of our little PolkaSpots. Having invested hours of time massaging and caring for them, we think this is fair enough. Please don't call us if you don't care about your business.

If you want to be part of the ever-growing crowd of people with a PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot, you can call and order one but be prepared for a bit of a wait while we massage it in to shape. We can't rush this process, but don't you want the best?

Burt

Get angry with your ISP

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:28:00 GMT

Picture the scene, it's the busiest part of the day and your broadband line goes down. Who you going to call? I'd like to say Ghostbusters but that's not funny and they're unavailable, so you settle on your ISP and their £800 per minute support number. Lucky you, you can even talk to an exotic person in a far away land where the sun's shinning brighter than it is here.

There's nothing worse than bad support. All you want is for someone to recognise you have a problem and not just tell you to power cycle the modem (what does that mean anyway)?

Over here in the PolkaSpots Factory, we don't have any call centres because they're useless. We don't have premium rate numbers either because we won't phone them and why should our customers. We might not be open at 532am but at least we're here when you need us. And, if you really want to reach us out of hours, you can always send us an email (that someone will pick up and action)!

If you're not convinced, pick up the phone and call us on 0800 321 3106 (that's a free number) or 020 7183 1471 (that's a London number if you don't have free calls to 0800 numbers).

Burt

Where have all the people gone this August?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:08:00 GMT

Summer's here but everyone seems to have gone away on holiday. Certainly we're down 50% on staff, you can drive across London without sitting in traffic. I was even an hour early for a meeting just outside of the M25 last Tuesday.

So, we've established that there are no Londoners in London (are there ever) and this weekend there will be even less.

Who's driven the usage of our Wireless Hotspots through the roof? Not only did we install more Wireless Hotspots last month than in the previous quarter combined, but our average daily online usage is up almost 100% this month over last year. That has to be a good sign doesn't it? Our Hotels are jammed full and the cafes we look after don't seem to be doing to badly either.

An article in the Metro this week suggested that online sales are up 16% despite everything else growing at a snail's pace. Are all the tourists here this summer enjoying the favourable Euro or do we have a significant number of desperate graduates looking for jobs and making the most out of our Free and Paid WiFi Hotspots.

Ok, so we certainly have more Wifi hotspots this year, but we're up on average daily use. We have more Free Wi-Fi Hotspots but these are still our minority locations. Pre-paid Wi-Fi usage is up too - looks like our prices are right after all!!

Enjoy the summer sun this weekend. If you're in London, it's unlikely that you'll see us at the carnival, but certainly our offices will be mobbed (not inside thankfully).

Internet Vouchers that fall apart

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:47:00 GMT

18 months ago, we decided that we were going to stop laminating our Supafly Wi-Fi Internet Vouchers. We print tens of thousands of these every year and it seemed very environmentally unfriendly to be covering each innocent piece of paper in plastic.

And there we stopped, making the plastic vouchers almost completely green! If you want to test out how degradable they are, get a cup of water, drop one in and watch it fall apart in front of you.

Perhaps don't do this too often as it'll work out to be an extremely wasteful and expensive habit. Also, make sure you store your Internet Vouchers in a dry and cool cupboard.

PolkaSpots Industries Launched

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:57:00 GMT

In 2005, Simon Morley started PolkaSpots Limited. Now in it's fourth year, PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi has changed a lot, grown in size, gained a number of good looking people and moved to the moon.

PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi is now part of PolkaSpots Industries and has just acquired a little sister; PolkaSpots Web.

PolkaSpots Web provides a complete Online Business Solution. Never before has creating your Online Business been easier. Your website, lead generation, customer management, forums, blogs, ecommerce and newsletters. And, there's analytics and reporting so you can watch your business grow...

We've completely integrated our Supafly Wi-Fi service with PolkaSpots Web. Now your Wi-Fi hotspot is a part of your Online Business too. You can now access your own reports, re-brand your login pages and even add newsletter sign-up form to your front page.

The PolkaSpots Factory

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:07:00 GMT

If you've been to our offices recently, you will have seen our factory churning out Wi-Fi with a vengeance. The picture you see above is only an artist's illustration, but the PolkaSpots coming out of the chimney are in fact real.

We have a very talented man called David to thank for his massive efforts in creating a sketch that identifies our business so well. Thanks David! If you want to reach David, you can email averytalentedman@polkaspots.com

PolkaSpots Enables Wi-Fi Access in Rural Zambia

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:36:00 GMT

Specialist Wi-Fi Hotspot company PolkaSpots has enabled rural African Co-operative Internet Service Provider LinkNet to realise their dream of rolling out telecommunications, technical support and training throughout the villages of Macha and Mukinge, bringing the 21st century to villagers in Zambia in a sunstainable manner. It does so by providing telecommunications carrier grade access and accounting application services to LinkNet.

With the introduction of the Internet in rural Africa, the potential for changing people’s lives in that part of the world is enormous.

Quality education can now be extended to more students.
Pupils boarding at school are now able to keep in contact with their parents.
Teachers can check that their salaries are in the bank before they make a round trip to the nearest town, 70 miles away.
Chiefs can now contact local villages via email and spend the time they’ve saved assisting others.

The following stories illustrate just how far-reaching these changes already are:

Local farmer Fred Mweetwa used the Internet to teach himself how to grow sunflower seeds and produce sunflower oil. He now has a flourishing business employing 10 people.

8-year-old Merel van Stam sits in front of her computer and music keyboard and waits for her music teacher’s instructions. More than 8,000 miles away in Lakeville, Minnesota Kristin Shoemaker boots up her computer and webcam and plugs in her keyboard. She uses video services to upload daily lessons. Ms. Shoemaker teaches Merel how to play basic piano chords and scales with the same clarity as if she were sitting next to her. They can even play the piano at the same time!

LinkNet and PolkaSpots aim to continue rolling out this technology across the region in order to benefit as many as possible.

Closer to home, PolkaSpots is working to broaden access to the Net across the UK and Europe. Alongside their successful pre-paid service, they have just launched a new low cost, fully managed, free WiFi package designed for small businesses.

About PolkaSpots

Started in 2005, PolkaSpots Limited is a small, privately owned Wireless Internet Service Provider based in West London. They provide businesses in the UK with fully managed Wi-Fi Hotspot solutions allowing customers to get online wirelessly at a very low cost. They also provide third party companies around Europe and rural Africa with a fully-hosted, white label billing and authentication system that enables them to roll out their own Hotspot Network with low capital outlay.

PolkaSpots – Small But Perfectly Formed.

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:27:00 GMT

We’re not far off 4 years old and we’ll be starting Primary School in September. Things are getting pretty serious.

Because we’ve reached this grand old age, we thought it would be nice to share the brief history of PolkaSpots Limited.

Business as usual for the Internet.

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:32:00 GMT

Good to know that some shops in central London reported that the Internet was open over the Easter weekend.

We still have to confirm whether the Internet was available elsewhere. Certainly we’re pretty sure most of our Wireless Hotspots were up and running and people were able to get on with their strange browsing activities.

Free WiFi Hotspot Service

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:40:00 GMT

Free Wi-Fi has always been a popular choice for café lovers who also wish to surf the net or do a bit of work alongside their caffeine. But, hey! Now it’s even easier for both café owners and customers to enjoy this freedom – without the privilege of paying through the nose for it!

PolkaSpots have just introduced a new free Wi-Fi service which allows a small location to provide their customers with unlimited free Wi-Fi for a fixed monthly fee of only £14.99 plus a one-off cost of £99.99 for the Wi-Fi Hotspot Box. It’s better, faster, cheaper, easier, simpler, more handsome and generally a little more interesting than all the other companies that do Wi-Fi Hotspots Why? Well, there’s……

A fixed monthly cost.
No blasted voucher codes to buy and then lose.
It’s fully supported and maintained.
It’s cheap – really cheap in fact.
It’s monitored!
There are no hidden charges.

With no Internet Vouchers required it’s a single click to get online. Here’s the scenario…..

Customer arrives
Customer buys coffee
Customer goes online
Customer leaves with a big smile on their face

The bottom line is that it’s the best and cheapest service on the market – and that’s as straight up as a double expresso doing a handstand!

Walled Gardens

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:58:00 GMT

Each of our Wi-Fi Hotspots has an exclusive list of walled garden sites that our customers get completely unrestricted access to.

For example, we’ll always allow access to PolkaSpots WiFi Hotspots site, so that our customers can get help and support. If the Wi-Fi Hotspot owner has a company website, we’ll also allow access to this. In some locations we’ll also added information about the local area, shops, restaurants, travel guides etc.

Our walled garden sites are an excellent way to keep your Wi-Fi Hotspots dynamic and interesting. We can even link to a section on your site that contains up-to-date information about your promotions and offers, such as menus of the day, so your customers remain informed.

Green WiFi Hotspots

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:58:00 GMT

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we’ve now introduced the PolkaSpots Green Card. Currently only available online, these prepaid WiFi Vouchers come with either 60 or 180 minutes of wireless internet access and either one or two trees!!!

60 Minutes + One Tree = £3
180 Minutes + Two Trees = £8

These are only £1 and £2 more than our standard packages – there’s no better and cheaper way to offset some of your carbon emissions.

We’re also offering to plant ten trees for each new Wi-Fi Hotspot owner that signs up in November and December 2007.

Read more about Carbon Clear (www.carbonclear.com), the company with whom we’ve partnered to achieve this.

You can read the more about our initiative about green wi-fi hotspots here.

Virtual Wireless Internet Service Provider Affiliates

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:59:00 GMT

A Virtual Wireless Internet Service Provider (vWISP) uses someone else’s billing and authentication system to setup their own Wireless Hotspot Network. PolkaSpots is a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) and allow external companies to set-up white label hotspots using their infrastructure.

The term Virtual ISP has been around for ages. In fact, you’ll probably find that your own Internet Service Provider doesn’t actually own any of their infrastructure, instead they ‘borrow’ someone else’s. This approach means that anyone can get setup quickly and easy. In the long term, the vWISP doesn’t have the worry or expense of maintaining a massive infrastructure allowing precious funds to be diverted in to marketing, advertising, customer care etc.

PolkaSpots run a White Label Virtual Wireless Internet affiliate scheme. We have many companies and individuals setting up their own WiFi hotspots around the UK. We manage the entire network, support the client 24/7, provide valuable marketing and advertising ideas. We’ve been setting up Wi-Fi hotspots since the beginning of Wi-Fi Hotspots so there aren’t too many people that have more experience.

Wireless Networking is the biggest thing around at the moment – make sure you’re involved in this exciting field. Call us on 0845 680 1471.

For more information, you can download our Virtual WISP PDF here or visit the Virtual WISP section of our site. Click here

Wikipedia have an interesting article on Virtual ISP’s in case you’re really keen. Click here.

PolkaSpots Use Paypal

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:56:00 GMT

Over the last few months, we’ve made it both simpler and more secure to buy time online at one of our Wireless Hotspots.

By choosing Paypal (www.paypal.com) for all our credit card processing, we’re sure we’re using the most secure payment processor on the planet.

There is a choice of processing payments through our online system or using the old-style Paypal account payment system.

To pay by credit card using our system, choose the price plan you require, and select “Credit Card” from the drop down box. When you hit continue you’ll be prompted to enter your card details. If you want to create an account with us, please tick the box towards the bottom of the page. This saves time when you want to top up your account. At the moment you can use your Visa, Master or American Express cards. For more card options, you can choose to pay by the standard paypal option. Instead of selecting the credit card option, choose “PayPal” from the list. You will be forwarded to their payment screens, where you can either enter your card details or login to your account.

On top of this, we’re fully compliant with the latest PCI standards. Please see here for more information.

WiFi News

Music labels getting happy go lucky

More rich lawyers at the ISPs cost.

General Theft

Scoundrels

The PolkaSpots Community

Content Filtering That You Control

Almost 1,000 Twitter Followers

No-Fi the next best thing?

Back on the Wagon (Update)

Everyone's on holiday

Spring Cleaning

Sin Us a Song

Public Wi-Fi

Get a Life

Advert Free WiFi Hotspot Service

Wear purple trousers and get noticed

Tweet for free everywhere you go

Free Wi-Fi Access at US Starbucks

9% Love, 80% Service. The rest is a mystery.

Sob Story for Public Wi-Fi Hotspots

New PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot boxes

Beware of Cheap Imitations

Happy Days for Wi-Fi Hotspots!

Do it like the pro's - put your Wi-Fi Hotspot Window stickers up

Meet the family

World Cup Wi-Fi Special

Join the PolkaSpots Family between now and June 12th and get 3 months service free or £50 cash if England Win the Cup!!

New Free Wi-Fi Registration Process Available

New Business Broadband Packages Launched

The Digital Economy Bill and Your Business

The Digital Economy Bill and Your Business

More International Wi-Fi Hotspots for PolkaSpots

Still chance to win your iPod Nano

How to avoid interference in your Wi-Fi Hotspots

Wi-Fi Hotspot Window Stickers

Every cloud of ash has a silver lining

First PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots in Heathrow Airport

Sponsored Zambian Joins us on Monday

New PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi Website

94% of our customers still love us!

Selling the PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot Successfully

The Best Wi-Fi Hotspot Locations

Introduce a friend to PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspots and win!

St. Nicholas Hotel Raise Money for CLIC Sargent

Icelandic Volcano Hits Zambia

Digital Economy Bill - What's the future for Wi-Fi Hotspots?

What is an Internet Voucher

Wi-Fi Hotspot Window Stickers

What is an access code

What is a captive portal or Wi-Fi Login screen

The End for Wi-Fi Service Providers?

Superfast Broadband Causes Problems

Preventing abuse of your WiFi Hotspot

14 day money back gaurantee

Welcome to PolkaSpots Supafly Wi-Fi

Tuesday is the busiest day at a PolkaSpots Wi-Fi Hotspot

The Internet is a fundamental right

Authorised PolkaSpots WiFi Hotspot Resellers

Busy Week for UK Wireless Internet Services

Pre-paid Wi-Fi with no monthly costs

Protect yourself at a Public Wi-Fi Hotspot

Minga Zambia Wi-Fi Connection Comes Alive

Price your pre-paid Wi-Fi right...

DIY Wi-Fi Hotspot Login Screens

Check your free Wi-Fi Hotspot Usage

Earn £16k with a Supafly Wi-Fi Hotspot

Change your own Wi-Fi Hotspot Password

Video guide. Setting up your PolkaSpots Hotspot in 60 seconds.

Help the people of Haiti

Brand spanking new Wi-Fi Hotspot Login Screens

Free advertising for your business on Qype

New Wi-Fi Hotspot Packages and Prices!

Will Wi-Fi Hotspots have a place in 50 years...

PolkaSpots New Year Wi-Fi Offer

Happy New Year and all that to you all!

Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year

Virtual Server Upgrade

BT's Fibre Network to Complete Early.

Investing in ICT in Emerging Markets