Coffeehouses are increasingly finding themselves host to the technology known as WiFi (wireless fidelity) network technology, which is winding its way through the ranks of the digitally minded faster than the latest computer virus.

These days, those networks, which are known as hot spots, can be found anywhere from college campuses to coin-operated laundries to your local McDonald's. But coffeehouses are seeing some of the highest concentrations of computer users plopping down laptops to surf the Internet and check their email while they have their lattes and scones. This access is transforming the coffeehouses into makeshift offices and entirely new kinds of meeting places.

Just ask a modern-day Paul. Paul Tuttle is a former Hewlett-Packard employee who keeps a group of his fellow HP alumni communicating despite new careers and early retirement. Local members meet the first Thursday of every month at Roasted Coffee Bean at the corner of Stevens Creek Boulevard and Tantau Avenue in Cupertino to drink coffee, catch up on each other's lives and play around on the Internet.

The engineering camaraderie and sense of humor lives on, but with buddies scattered across the U.S. from Idaho to South Carolina, wireless Internet became the best way to stay in contact.

"We're going to put these meetings online, eventually," says Tuttle. The group plans to use a webcam to snap group pictures and place them on a website to keep the far-flung members up-to-date via their computer screens. Tuttle was the one who convinced Jared Carlson, owner of the Roasted Coffee Bean, to offer wireless Internet access. "We've become a phenomenon!" laughs John McBain, one member of the group, who currently works as an engineering consultant.

He's not too far from the truth. The ability for complete computing freedom coupled with the fluctuating economy has turned the coffeehouse into a home away from home for much of the computer-savvy population. Carlson just installed his wireless equipment this summer, but has already seen workers of various persuasions come through his doors. "A lot of companies give workers laptops and say goodbye," he says, explaining that many employers are trying to save costs by eliminating and consolidating office space. "Here's an opportunity for those people."

He's had workers come in and use his cafe as a temporary conference room to give presentations and hold meetings, and he hopes that the availability of wireless Internet will give them one more reason to come back.

"We're oriented to our customers' needs as much as possible," Carlson says. Recently, two different women were traveling through Cupertino on business, and once they discovered Roasted Coffee Bean offered wireless Internet, they were back three times in the same day.

Carlson hasn't had WiFi up long enough to see improvements in his profits, but there is one market yet to tap. Once the school year gets into full swing, he hopes younger customers will take advantage of the service. "On Saturdays during the school year, this place turns into Study Hall 101," he says, with high school students mixing with their counterparts from De Anza and San Jose State. However, one middle-aged customer did tell him that his mother is always looking for a hot spot.

Late on a Friday afternoon, Yongwon Lee was fiddling around on his computer while waiting for a meeting at the Hewlett-Packard offices across the street. The chief technology officer of Commendo Software Inc. in Fremont has a wireless router at home. He wasn't surfing on the Internet, but likes the atmosphere in the Roasted Coffee Bean. "We have lots of business meetings in here, but honestly, if we need to use the Internet, we go to Coffee Society," he says, citing the cost of wireless access at the Roasted Coffee Bean.

Like the ongoing controversy over online file sharing, the costs of wireless Internet can cause difficulties as the implications of the new technology shake themselves out. When he decided to implement a WiFi network, Carlson turned to Toshiba, the same provider that supplies McDonald's. Toshiba took care of all installation, and Carlson doesn't pay for the service, but his customers shell out $4.95 for one hour of Internet access and nearly $40 for a 30-day pass.

That kind of cost is often too much for tech buffs like Arthur Henrick of Sunnyvale, who regularly uses the free service at Coffee & More on S. Murphy Street. He participates in a practice known as "war driving," which involves searching out unprotected wireless networks and tapping into them for free. On a recent drive through one Sunnyvale neighborhood, his computer detected 45 signals. "A lot of people don't put up firewalls," which protect networks from unauthorized users, he says. "I just have dial-up at home." Dial-up Internet access goes through slower telephone wires, and wireless Internet goes much faster.

His Compaq laptop detects signals within 50 feet, but many Apple iBooks can see networks up to 300 feet away, making it easier for people to tap into an unencrypted network and utilize its Internet access for free. He's also seen a few WiFi networks that have yet to work out the kinks, including signals that are disrupted by things as simple as metal window frames. Henrick comes to Coffee & More for its more stable, high-speed signal as well as the occasional coffee beverage.

Jian Azad, the owner of Coffee & More, has had WiFi available for three years, but decided to stick his own wireless router on his DSL connection after experiencing the difficulties of dealing with access vendors. While most businesses find their profits rising with the addition of wireless access (and the customers that stick around longer because of it), Azad doesn't see much financial benefit from the setup. "If I'm lucky, it'll break even," he says. "But to me, it's just like having fresh flowers or soothing music. It creates a nice atmosphere, and that's my way of competing with the big chains."

Azad doesn't even advertise his service beyond a small sticker in his front window. But after three years with WiFi, word has already spread. Coffee & More hosts a smattering of computer users on any given day. Websites that catalog hot spots have the location listed, and that attracts visitors and newcomers alongside the regulars. Henrick, a robotics engineer who's been unemployed for five months, uses the wireless access to look for jobs, download games and check news sites.

"It's a sign of the times. Some people called this their boardroom because quite a few companies were conceived here," Azad says. "In the boom times, I used to personally know venture capitalists. Now, they just come by for coffee." While he sees groups bringing in computers for the purpose of networking for jobs, he also sees customers conducting business with laptops and cellphones in hand.

Chris Simpson is one such customer. Like Carlson says, he's one of those employees given a laptop and told to do their business elsewhere. Simpson is an Internet developer for a real estate company and only has to go into his office once every few weeks. "At home, it's hard to get focused, and there's always the temptation of the TV," he says. "I like to be out and about. I need that change of atmosphere."

The atmosphere available at WiFi hot spots has become increasingly popular over the last year, but they're mostly used by knowledgeable folks like Simpson. In an attempt to demystify the process without charge, Intel has made Sept. 25 One Unwired Day, where locations compatible with Intel's Centrino wireless technology will offer WiFi access for free. Simpson says a wireless card in a machine using Windows XP is perfect for beginners—the operating system will automatically locate any nearby wireless signal.

Two workers who one might see during their experimentation are Mark Johnston and Geoff Annesley. They are two-thirds of Optimal Planning Science, a startup company that's developing an advanced project management software system. Working in wireless coffeehouses like Coffee & More is routine for them. "Wireless access is great because our source code is online. We can access it over the Internet from anywhere," Johnston says. "Our entire company is virtual, so this is basically our office."

The company is in such an early stage that there isn't any money to spend on office space and equipment quite yet. But they're not complaining. "It's free, you don't have to leave and you can get something to eat," Annesley says. "It's much better than a library."

Oddly enough, one of the other mainstays of Coffee & More is the fact that it is a neighborhood library. In his five years as owner, Azad has instituted a book-sharing policy out of the bookshelf in his shop. Much in the spirit of his offering free WiFi access, people can bring and take books at will, further facilitating the flow of information that characterized coffeehouses of old. "We are all one community," he says. "The books and computers, they're all just ways of communicating."

For more information on One Wireless Day and participating locations, visit http://www.intel.com.