Call me an old git, but when I was a backpacker and first traveled to Thailand the most hi-tech device I toted in my rucksack was a Sony Walkman and a bunch of tangled cassettes. That was 1994, and how times have changed! The motley crew still buses into Chiang Mai and is still, as Sir Cliff would say "wired for sound". Sporting white ipod ear-buds they bob their recently-dreaded heads, but there is something else stuffed between their beach towel and socks - a laptop computer.

In this day and age a laptop computer is pretty useless without an Internet connection but the inclusion of wireless network technology in the newest models has convinced the 'connected generation' to drag theirs halfway round the world.

WiFi - also known by the geeks as IEEE 802.11 allows a Wi-Fi enabled device to connect to a wireless access point if it's close enough. This area or 'hotspot' allows your computer to access the Internet without the need for wires.

WiFi hotspots have been popping up throughout the world over the last few years in cafes, airports, fast-food outlets and even covering whole cities in Europe. So how does Chiang Mai measure up to this global phenomenon?

I thought I'd go and find out, so I assembled a posse; a fellow lecturer and two final year computer students from Payap's International College CIS programme. Dr Ken, Rob and James were keen to do some extra research on a Saturday night. Armed with laptop computers that were rigged to scan the airwaves we set off on a wardriving mission. No, we weren't about to do an LA style drive-by shooting, you see 'wardriving' is yet another geek word meaning to search for WiFi wireless networks from a moving vehicle.

One of the clues we were looking for were the tale-tell WiFi signs that I've noticed in some of the trendier joints around town. Just to make the evening more exciting we decided that if we found a bar or restaurant with an open WiFi signal we would have a drink, checkout the speed of the connection and write a short review.

As expected from the Computer Information Systems department we had more than the average assortment of computer gadgetry. I felt underdressed with my wife's Windows XP Toshiba compared to Rob's Linux and the white sleek shell that was James' Mac notebook. He also carried a PSP - a handheld games console that turned out to be one of the most useful WiFi hunting gadgets. Dr Ken was content to oversee the proceedings and put his educated palate to use as the official taster.

We hadn't even got near any restaurants before our scanning software was logging open WiFi access points. These were private hotspots; wireless gear that someone had set up in their own homes, and they were wide open! No security, no encryption. We could, if we wanted, just park up and start surfing the net. This was going to make things that much harder, trying to find the 'public' hotspots amongst all these private, but nonetheless, open ones.

Dr Ken, James and Rob settled into the routine without a problem; we all piled into the car, drove at 15mph, scanned, found the next restaurant or bar and stumbled out dragging our computers with us. The staff and customers gave us the occasional weird glance as we muttered about ambiance, noted down the connection speed and had a cold beer - then back into the car. We realised early on that if we were going to cover the whole of Chiang Mai in one evening we would have to narrow our criteria down. We crossed hotels and cafes off the list, while still jotting down their presence, and zeroed in on bars and restaurants.

1. Mad Dog Bar
Location: Moon Muang Rd.
Hotspot name: mad dog wifi
Speed test: 870 kbps
Security/encryption: No
Power sockets: Yes
With no obvious WiFi sign, the Mad Dog Bar was a surprise find. As we rounded the corner of the moat we picked up 'mad dog wifi' and stumbled in to find blindingly fast WiFi access, purpose placed power sockets under one side of the bar, a large TV, a pool table and pizza. Huzza! By majority vote - No. 1 WiFi bar in Chiang Mai.

2. Chiang Mai Saloon (2 locations)
Location: Loi Kroh and Ratwithi Roads
Hotspot name: chiang mai saloon
Speed test: 215 kbps
Security/encryption: No
Power sockets: No
A comfortable place to have a drink and check your email in two of the main tourist areas in town. Average drink prices and good burgers. You too can surf the Internet and listen to Bob Dylan while watching English football on a giant screen in an American style saloon with bamboo walls - "Now that's cognitive dissonance!" commented Rob.

3. Queen Victoria Inn
Location: Praprokklao Rd.
Hotspot name: victoria inn
Speed test: 200 kbps
Security/encryption: Yes
Power sockets: Yes
A traditional English pub with draught Irish and English beers on tap. A quiet and cozy location with encryption. That means you can email and chat online knowing that someone else isn't snooping in on your signal - and added security for Internet banking and online shopping. The Queen Vic rated No.1 for taste sensation but the drinks price pushed it down. Overall it's expensive but justified.

4. Pirates' Cove
Location: Ratchamankha Rd. opposite Anodard Hotel
Hotspot name: linksys
Speed test: 186 kbps
Security/encryption: No
Power sockets: Yes
Once you get over the fact that it looks like it's been decorated for a Halloween party, the Pirates Cove is a great little bar. Happy hour from 4-7 at 65 baht a jug is a bargain. Not a typical hangout, with a stuffed parrot, fishing net and treasure map on the wall, but there was another punter surfing away on his laptop.

5. Sunshine Bar and Restaurant
Location: Tha Pae Soi 2 below Cityview Condo
Hotspot name: sunshine bar
Speed test: 136 kbps
Security/encryption: No
Power sockets: Yes
Another surprise find. We picked up the wireless signal along Chang Moi Road and had to hunt down where it came from. This simple, family run bar isn't somewhere you would travel across town to visit, but if you're in the area and need to check email and grab a drink - then it fits the bill.

6. Warm-up
Location: Nimmanhaemin Rd.
Hotspot name: warmup
Speed test: n/a
Security/encryption: Yes
Power sockets: No
To be fair, we rolled into Warm-up just after 11 p.m. on Saturday night. The place was heaving and really not conducive to finding a place to sit. It proved difficult to find a space between the bottles of 100 Pipers and Singha beers to put our laptops. You need a password to access the WiFi but it was too much effort to fight our way to the bar and speak to the right person. Earlier in the evening it might have been a different story. We didn't really get a chance to give our hard drives the warm-up treatment.

7. The Library
Location: Ratchadamnoen Rd.
Hotspot name: rubicom
Speed test: 317 kbps
Security/encryption: Yes
Power sockets: Yes
Although technically not a bar, this cafe slips onto the page because the owner has purposefully placed the WiFi to share with the neighbouring bars. These include the Writers' Club, La Villa and Ratchadamnoen Kitchen. The signal strength is strongest in The Library, and if you get bored of reading from your computer you can always go upstairs and browse through the book collection.



Our evening trip only managed to sample a few bars with WiFi, however, just take a look at the map to see how many cafes and hotels we picked up that have free WiFi for their customers. We didn't have time to drive down every soi, even so, Chiang Mai is awash with public hotspots and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The real secret is the many private WiFi access points dotted around the city. We logged 250 hotspots in just one evening, more than a hundred were private and wide open. While we were at Warm-up I spoke to Nok who told me about her friend who has a choice of no less than four different WiFi access points from his condo!

So to answer my original question; how does Chiang Mai measure up to the rest of the world? Well, compared to similar sized cities in the US or Europe we have approximately a similar coverage but with one major difference. In those cities you'd find most private hotspots secure, encrypted and totally unusable to all accept the owners. Is it ignorance, laziness or altruism that Chiang Mai is so wirelessly free and easy?

My guess is it's probably due to enforcement of copyright and obscenity laws. Overseas you could find yourself in court for child pornography or pirated music downloaded over your WiFi by someone else - Thailand is way behind on these issues and the thought of the RIAA or the Vice Squad is far from most people's minds. So whereas in Europe it takes massive investment by telecoms companies, local government and ISP's to cover a city with a WiFi network, we have a grassroots one growing right here in our backyard. This confirms what most residents already know; Chiang Mai truly is a hot spot!

Toby Daniel is the Language Resource Centre coordinator at Payap University International College and also lectures for the Computer Information Systems undergraduate International programme. Toby is a Microsoft certified trainer and systems engineer, and a certified Internet webmaster instructor.