They are not the same.
For example, KPN in the Netherlands is not free, and xfinity wifi in the USA is not free.
For this to have any sort of credibility, there needs to be a discriminant filter mapping truly free vs open hotspots.
For me this current map is too noisy to be of value. Try using it for free internet, and you too may run into disillusionment and frustration.
Oftentimes, the operator will send you an SMS with a one-time password, but they require a local phone number to send it to. Or they use your phone number to de-anonymize you, so it must be a phone number from their local country.
When traveling, this makes these "open" access points effectively useless, unless you decide to spoof another person's MAC address.
For instance, how would you categorize a wifi in an airport which needs you to fill a random form/survey (not paying anything) to access the Internet? Same question if it is then limited to something like 10 minutes (and you then need to pay, or just trick on your macaddr/dhcpname/...)? In these case, you can actually access the Internet for free, but they are extremely annoying.
Note: these kind of wireless network are actually very common in some places
Some crucial filters:
1. Free vs Non-Free
2. Free time limit
Some nice-to-haves:
1. Average bandwidth
2. Cost per unit time
(Disclaimer: I work for the company who implemented that network.)
They come and go.
Also mark 'expired' and 'verified' hotspots as such. Most will be unverified, of course.
I don't care where I can find free WiFi. Nowadays, every damn coffee shop, hotel or mall has free Wifi—I care about fast and free WiFi with speedy up- & downloads and low latency. Well executed implementation though.
EDIT: Why the downvote?
I didn't downvote you, but your post did sound rude to me. Finding free wifi may be easy where you live, but it's not the "wrong question" for many others.
I live in an European country, and while the bigger cities are well served, smaller towns and rural areas often only have one place, if that. If I didn't have a Fonera account, I'd be spending a lot of time looking for hotspots.
This also explains why I'm so frustrated with WiFi abroad: I probably got spoiled here. Here we can find WiFi in the most unlikely of places (e.g. supermarkets, buses); in Germany you can find one in a coffee shop if you're lucky, but that one is probably paid as well, just like all the other ones.
All I can see if a hand for a cursor, and my right click button is disabled to even check on the source.
The website is light on details, but it's probably a commercial WiFi-sharing company, like a commercial version of Freifunk (a mostly german initiative where people openly share their WiFi, and meshing is used to extend coverage when a direct internet uplink isn't available), with the interesting twist that they're using an app instead of a custom WiFi access point firmware.
I wonder if they route traffic through open Wifis if any are in the vicinity and then charge for it.
Maybe just that the area is wealthier. So what if you adjust for wealth too?
We've built something similar at OpenSignal. Our WifiMapper [1] app on iOS and Android has a database of over 2 million networks, and we're also crowdsourcing a database of passwords and connection speeds.
I always find it fun to look over the edits I've made, and it helps point out where more detail would be useful for different use cases.
They basically provide the same thing but as a crowdsourced list of truly free hotspots and you can connect to them through the app. Only available as a native app though...
EDIT: Removed part about trailer court. I was wrong. That's actually a restaurant next to a trailer court. Nice place, too.
Show HN: 500,000 free places to get hacked plotted around the world
