TANSTAAFL, the acronym for There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, could be familiar to those of you who have taken a college economics class or two. Whenever you hear the word Free in association with a item or service its a nice idea to keep it in mind because, in truth, nothing is free of cost. Someone, somewhere, somehow, is bearing an economic cost; and so it is with costless Wi-Fi hotspots. For the most part any of the free Wi-Fi hotspots youll come across will have some sort of quid pro quo associated with them.

If you go to a McDonalds, for example, you might get a bit of free Wi-Fi with the purchase of a meal, if you go to Panera Bread or Port City Java, although not explicitly stated, its implied that youre expected, as you should be, to buy something for the privilege of taking up table space while surfing the net.

Along with businesses several Municipal and International Airport Authorities, as well as a growing number of airline club lounges, are providing free of cost Wi-Fi in an effort to sway travellers, who can have a choice between several carriers or nearby airports, to choose them. Similarly, more and more hotels are offering free Wi-Fi for their guests so, while the Wi-Fi hotspot can be advertised as costless, its cost is rolled into the room rate or expensed to branding.

There are a few venues in which, although funding can come through taxation of some sort, no direct user cost is associated. An increasing number of public libraries, for example, are offering costless Wi-Fi and, amid increasing controversy, several towns and cities have either set up free of cost Wi-Fi Hotzones or theyre exploring the possibilities.

Finding these costless Wi-Fi hotspots is not that difficult. JiWire.com sponsors the Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory and some Wi-Fi aggregators, like GoRemote, are start to add the listings of free of cost hotspots in their directories.

When youre accessing a free of price wifi hotspot there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Do not expect much technology help. The waiters, waitresses or baristas can have some working understanding but, do not count on it, thats not why theyre there.
• Do not overstay your welcome. If theres a line of people trying to find a seat and youve been nursing a latte for two hours you, and others like you, might be contributing to the venue owners growing target to beginning charging a hefty fee for the Wi-Fi access they provide.
• Make sure you follow grand Wi-Fi Hotspot Security practices.

So, while free can not be entirely costless, its definitely reasonable. With a bit of planning you should be able to save yourself a few dollars a month while enjoying the ambiance of your most adored free of cost Wi-Fi hotspot.