Surf Into Barnes & Noble
Your local Barnes & Noble bookstore has mind-boggling amounts of information in the hardbound and paperback books that line its aisles. Now the popular stores are offering even more information and entertainment, this time via wireless high-speed Internet access points. Barnes & Noble operates nearly 900 bookstores in the United States and more than 600 of those stores have wireless Internet access. To take advantage of the high-speed Internet hotspots at these stores, all you need is your notebook PC, a wireless Internet adapter, and an account that lets you pay for the time you spend online.
Prologue
In the stores that do have Internet access, you’ll find connection speeds that are anywhere from 50 to 100 times faster than the dial-up access you’re still fighting with at home. What is more, in most cases you won’t have to hang out in just one area because the access signal should reach most parts of the store. The access works thanks to Barnes & Noble’s partnership with SBC, a company that’s setting up Internet hotspots all over the country; SBC has more than 5,000 FreedomLink hotspots already in place, including its bookstore access points.
Most, but not all, Barnes & Noble stores now have wireless access points, but it’s a drag to haul your PC gear all the way there only to find out that your store is still disconnected. To avoid this kind of disappointment you can simply check the SBC site to locate stores that are online. Click the Hot Spots link and enter the state and city where you want to search for access points. Be advised that if you enter a ZIP code, you’ll see only the hotspots in that specific ZIP code area and not those spots that might appear elsewhere in the same city.
It’s also disappointing to arrive at your Barnes & Noble, only to find that the Wi-Fi hotspot don’t work with your operating system. Windows NT is the only major OS tha’s not supported by FreedomLink, so if you’re a WinNT user you’ll have to find access elsewhere.
The Plot Thickens
| The process for connecting to a Barnes & Noble hotspot is straightforward, and provided you have a working wireless adapter and valid credit card, you’ll be up and running in just a few minutes. You don’t need to visit the bookstore’s customer service desk or checkout line in order to get started. Instead, head for a comfortable spot where you can settle in for the duration of your visit. |
Start your computer and wait for it to finish loading all of your startup programs. Most wireless adapters load an icon into the System Tray, which is the area next to the clock on the Windows taskbar. If you aren’t sure which icon is which, Windows should offer a description of each icon as you hover the mouse pointer over an icon. Once you find the icon for your wireless card, double-click the icon to see a list of options.
On the menu that appears, you’ll see an option called View Available Wireless Networks or something similar. Select this option and after a few moments you will see a list of available networks, including one or more named FreedomLink. Connect to one of the FreedomLink signals and then launch your Web browser.
Your browser software will immediately load the Barnes & Noble wireless Internet access information page. You have to pay to play or you can’t access any other site on the Web until you enter your preferred payment option. You’ll pay $3.95 for a two-hour session. If you’d like unlimited access to all of SBC’s FreedomLink hotspots, you can pay $19.95 per month; however, this option requires a one-year commitment. That might sound like a lot, but it can be a steal if you love Barnes & Noble, are frequently on the road, and don’t want to pay for pricey local broadband Internet access at home.
SBC also offers prepaid connection options. You can pay $25 for three sessions of unlimited use, $50 for eight sessions, or $100 for 20 sessions. Prepaid sessions expire 180 days after the day you buy them.
After you pay for access, you’ll see a receipt that displays the amount charged to your credit card. If you want to save a copy of this receipt to your computer, right-click the receipt and save it as an image to a folder on your hard drive.
With the preliminary connection complete, you can surf the Web as you please. If you chose a two-hour pass for your hotspot access, you’ll see a tiny FreedomLink window that displays a timer counting the time remaining in your session, however, if you use pop-up blocking software, you might not see this window, which is why it’s a good idea to check your watch after you submit your credit card information.
It’s worth noting that you don’t have to buy a Wi-Fi plan in order to connect to the Barnes & Noble Web site. When you first connect to the FreedomLink signal and load your browser, you’ll see a link on the right side of page to that takes you to the Barnes & Noble site. You can use the site to look up information on books, authors, and the bookstore itself.
Plot Twists
It’s important to remember that the Wi-Fi access at Barnes & Noble isn’t secure. In fact, if you check the company’s information brochure regarding each store’s wireless access, you’ll see a fine-print disclaimer indicating that data security is your responsibility, not the company’s. Be sure to take the proper precautions when you use these hotspots. If you aren’t familiar with the techniques you can use to protect your computer and your data in a public wireless environment, SBC recommends that you check out some security tips on its Web site.
At the very least, you’ll want to use a basic firewall program to protect your PC. If you’re using the company notebook, you should be all set. If you’re using your own computer and aren’t ready to spend money on a firewall program, you can download a fully functional version of ZoneAlarm, which is free and will protect your PC from many threats.
You can also shield your computer by turning off the file sharing option. In Windows 98/Me, open the Control Panel by clicking Start, Settings, and Control Panel. Double-click the Network icon, click File And Printer Sharing, and then clear both checkboxes. In Windows 2000/XP, open the Control Panel, right-click the Network Neighborhood icon, and click Properties. Right-click the Local Area Connection icon and click Properties, and in the list of options, clear the checkbox for File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks.
Epilogue
The beauty of Barnes & Noble’s Wi-Fi access is that you can avoid paying hefty fees for a high speed home connection and use your FreedomLink account at thousands of spots all over the country. The drawbacks are that you can typically only use these access points when the businesses are open and that you have to be very diligent about securing your computer. Take the proper cautions, though, and you’ll quickly see why public access at stores like Barnes &
Noble is so convenient.
