Weekend Wi-Fi — The Warren Store

Welcome to a new feature on 802 Online. Each week or so — or whenever I'm able — I'll travel to and post from public wi-fi (wireless internet) hotspots across the state. I'll let you know who's got hotspots, who's using them, and how much they're charging (if at all). I hope this will increase awareness of wi-fi availability, both among business owners and their customers. I'm also planning a comprehensive Vermont wi-fi guide (coming soon). No one else has one that's 100% reliable, and "where can I get online?" is a question that everybody with a wi-fi enabled laptop wants answered.

Today I'm posting from Warren, VT. This Mad River Valley town of 1,681 is home to both Sugarbush Ski Resort and Mad River Glen. You'll find the hotspot in the center of town. Both the Pitcher Inn and The Warren Store offer access. The photo is from the Warren Store, a quirky bakery/coffeeshop/general store, where you can get everything from fresh apple strudel to pink silk women's shirts, to large handcrafted wooden monkeys.

The folks behind the counter say they've had wi-fi for a year, though not too many of their customers take advantage of it. They get some tourists, but the users are mostly locals who come in for meetings. The connection is a little fuzzy — sometimes I lose the signal for no apparent reason — but it's free. If I had a photoblog, or was, say, a member of the 251 Club, I would definitely stop here to update my adventures.