Internet service provider EarthLink has partnered with Boingo Wireless to offer customers high-speed wireless access to the Internet from locations such as airports, cafes, and hotels. EarthLink Wireless High Speed is a commercial 802.11b-based wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) service designed to give consumers and business travelers with laptops and PDAs high-speed access though both public and private networks.

The service is powered by Boingo Wireless, which provides wireless high-speed Internet services. (Boingo Wireless and EarthLink were both founded by Sky Dayton.) To use it, you need a Wi-Fi card installed on your machine or device; these are typically available for under US$100.

Analysts say the fact that a major ISP is offering Wi-Fi service is a strong indication of consumer demand and the technology's viability.

The EarthLink Wireless High Speed service includes software that "sniffs" locations for available Wi-Fi signals, a quick-reference database that lets subscribers search and find the nearest available Wi-Fi hot spot either locally or when they're on the road, and Internet access at speeds of up to 11Mb per second. EarthLink says the service provides data up to 200 times faster than 56K dial-up access.

The service includes a built-in personal virtual private network (VPN) to protect the wireless connection from hackers. In addition, EarthLink Wireless High Speed software provides signal settings where users can store network profiles to make it easy to move between Wi-Fi locations, such as home and work.

EarthLink says it's already offering the service through more than 500 "hot spot" locations. There is coverage in airports such as Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin-Bergstrom, San Jose, and Seattle-Tacoma, as well as in the lobbies of numerous Four Seasons, Hilton, Marriott, and Wyndham hotels. The company plans to include other locations soon, including Atlanta-Hartsfield, Chicago-Midway, Philadelphia, Baltimore-Washington, Washington-Dulles, and Boston Logan airports, and what it calls "free community" hot spots, where users can get access at no charge.

You can search for hot spots in your area using the directory at http://earthlink.boingo.com/search.html.

The service is available through a three-tiered pricing plan:

• "As You Go" access at $7.95 per connect day
• "Pro" access at $24.95 for 10 connect days per month
• "Unlimited" access at $74.95 per month