SCIENCE

Dirk Gates, CEO and founder of Xirrus, a Wi-Fi technology company, attributes poor Wi-Fi experiences to “companies that have left first generation Wi-Fi systems in operation far too long, yet still treat it as a ‘paid-for convenience’ instead of the ‘necessary utility’ it has become.”

While many hotels and conference venues are updating and improving their Wi-Fi infrastructure, Gates said his company is increasingly being asked about setting up tiered services, like those currently being tested at some InterContinental Hotels. “We have seen this sort of implementation at several Starwood properties, primarily at a franchisee level; not as a corporate directive,” he said. “And we’ve seen it advertised as 24 hours of basic service at price range of free to $15 or a high performance service for $10 to $25.”

But now that free Wi-Fi is being offered in more places and there are more options for accessing the Internet with smartphones and other devices, business travelers may find they really don’t need to pay.