Hi,
I will be travelling with my laptop to London and wanted to know how widely available free wifi access is there? Do any of the public parks have access? What about public squares/cafes in the Bayswater area? Any information will be helpful as the hotel I will be staying in does not offer wifi service...
Thanks

Free wifi in London is not common (at least it wasn't when I was there a couple of years ago). You'll be able to find plenty of hotspots but there will be a charge.

http://www.hotspotted.com/

Many Starbucks in London have wifi. It was free when first introduced - but not sure if that was just for the roll out/introduction or a permanent policy.

There are Starbucks not far from anywhere in London

here is the store locator http://starbucks.co.uk/en-GB/_Our+Stores/

I have also found several unsecured sites. Check in your hotel room - you might get lucky (and pick up an secured sites that is!)

Just don't get your hopes up if your hotel advertises WiFi. On our last visit, admittedly at a posh hotel, they wanted 20pounds for 24 hours of internet!

i'm having the same problem right now in London. starbucks charges, as do most places. there is a free wifi zone just established:

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communicatio...9195421,00.htm

but otherwise a hassle.

Starbucks have wifi via T-Mobile network, accessible on pre-pay or pay as you go base.
http://t-mobile.starbucks.com/pc/tmobile.htm

There are occasional spots with free wifi, but connections are not reliable and I hear people are concerned about data security. I know other people who use The Cloud pay as you go wifi, though not sure if they cover Bayswater.

I hear the whole London is supposed to go wifi, though it looks like it would take several years.