Free Wifi Access - Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal (cont.)

I have been to Albufeira again to check the availability of the free wifi algarvedigital signal around the Camara building.

At the Camara, as one enters the atrium, there is a prominent notice outside advertising the free algarvedigital wifi service. There is also a map indicating that most places within 50/75 metres radius should be able to pick it up.

I then asked the security guard on duty if I could sit in the Atrium to connect to the Internet. He said no. He then explained that the service has now been equipped with a directional antenna that blasts the signal out of the Camara Building only in the direction of the gardens and Bombeiros. There are no cafes in this direction.

He said to use it I would have to sit in the gardens. Luckily it was not raining and again I tested it and again connected to algarvedigital with no problems. I tested it again over the road at the Bombeiros. There was still a signal but it had dropped to 9%.

I reckon that the whole world was using the system and someone (the Camara) was receiving a huge broadband bill. So instead of saying that the service was uneconomic, it was more politically correct to install a directional antenna and blast the signal into an area where there are no cafes etc. Consequently, it can only be used in fair weather when there is no glare, or in a car parked in the car park, I mentioned previously.

However, the Camara can continue to say they are part of the AlgarveDigital free wifi Project!

So to use it, one has to sit in the gardens or in a car in the car park P5.

Free Wifi Access - Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal

OK. Finally made it to Albufeira.

I am sitting in the car in Car Park P5 in front of the Camara Municipal at 14:23.

I fired up my Acer 4310 with Ubuntu 8.10 installed and it immediately found the public wifi signal for the algarve digital project - signal strength 35% on the internal broadcom wifi card.

The machine automatically found the algarvedigital signal and access was immediate and free as in the Lagos Cultural Centre. (Centro Cultural).

I am writing this from the car in the Car Park.

However, there is free broadband wifi here!