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Clark Howard's Tips

January 23, 2008

Do you get frustrated when you have to pay an outrageous price for Internet access on the road?

Some spots like Panera Bread and Starbucks adopted free wifi early on, and now you'll see salespeople working there in the mornings. The initial cost of setting up free wifi may have been expensive, but now the stores are able to sell a lot more coffee, bagels and pastries to recoup their investment.

But what if you're a small business and can't afford the costs of free wifi?

Companies like AnchorFree.com now offer ad-supported free wifi to businesses for nothing. Owners that can afford to pay up front have the option of doing so. They can then share in the Internet ad revenue down the road.

Those that can't afford to pay up front still get to offer their customers free wifi as an amenity. They just don't get any share of the ad revenue. Talk about a truly free lunch!

AnchorFree users see ads at the top of every page when they surf. You actually have to scroll down to get to the content. Advertisers can target people by knowing whether they're serving ads at a Panera vs. a McDonald's or a high-end hotel vs. an econobox motel.

Meanwhile, Clark has hooked up his FON service, which allows travelers to tap into his Internet for free. In return, he gets to use other FON customers' Internet for nada when he travels abroad. The idea of having to pay to surf as you travel will start going away.

Consumer advice courtesy of