Kyle Pierce, a youth pastor at Vista Community Church, said he comes here about twice a week.
“This is sort of our second office. It’s just easier to talk with someone over a cup of coffee,” the 24-year-old Pierce said, looking up from his Mac. “This location is central to our ministry.”
Like the smoothie machine behind the counter, Pierce and fellow church members Matt Smith and Charlie McRae like to mix things up. They use the wireless capability to keep up with e-mail, access social networking sites like Facebook, and sometimes watch videos.
Texas Java Coffee House is one of many local businesses that offer free wireless Internet service. Even if you’re not tech savvy, these guys make it easy. Workers are happy to show you how to enter an access code, click on an icon, or modify security settings.
When Richie Crowell opened CowLaBunga Ice Cream & Coffee Hut in the summer of 2005, along with the beach mural, wooden deck chairs and bamboo counter, he included free wireless service.
“Not everybody has the Internet,” said Crowell, mixing a java-chip frappucino, his latest experiment. “I had a young guy going to UT to be a lawyer … studying three to four hours a night. He passed the bar and is a lawyer in Killeen.”
Crowell said customers with military spouses deployed overseas sometimes drop by and e-mail their loved ones. Young doctors who work at Scott & White Memorial Hospital often come in to his eatery on West Adams Avenue, laptops in hand.
For those who don’t understand wireless Internet service - often called Wi-Fi - the concept is simple.
The laptop picks up the signal from an electronic device called a router, which at CowLaBunga is stashed in a supply closet. Like a cable TV box, the router is connected by wire to the Internet service provider. The router then emits radio waves that carry all the information the World Wide Web has to offer. Like a walkie-talkie, or cell phone, any laptop with either a built-in, or external antenna, called a wireless card, can pick up the signal.
Crowell said it also works outdoors. Sales people parked nearby sometimes log on and catch up on e-mail and orders. But that can be a problem. Most free Internet providers post a warning box on the log-on screen that explains information sent over their network might be visible to others.
Driving down North Third Street in Temple, it’s hard to miss the big red and white banner that announces French Quarter Burgers is a Wi-Fi hot spot. They went wireless about a year ago. With non-stop oldies playing in the background, this is a casual place where you can surf the Net while munching French fries. Just keep the ketchup away from the keyboard.
Speaking of ketchup, Jack in the Box on the corner of North Third Street and Adams Avenue in Temple offers free Wi-Fi. A large screen on the wall displays an access code. Manager Paul Bellard said it was installed sometime last year to boost sales.
“It was a corporate marketing decision to get more guests to come to the restaurant,” Bellard said.
If you’re looking for tranquility while online, rather than food or coffee, the Temple Public Library has free Wi-Fi. And for those who want to try the wireless experience before buying a computer, no problem. The library offers laptops for use inside the building.
Although Bell County may not be as technologically sophisticated as other parts of the country, there is ample free wireless capability. And if you’re worried about getting run over on the information highway, relax. There’s plenty of friendly computer nerds to keep you out of the ditch.
Bell County may not be on a technological par with Silicon Valley or Austin, but reporter Fred Afflerbach scoured Belton and Temple for free wireless Internet hot spots. He wrote this story from a few of the various wireless coffee shops and cafes in the Temple-Belton area and e-mailed it to the Telegram via wireless laptop.
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