Photo courtesy of when i was a bird on Flickr.
Ipsos Reid made the headlines last month when it reported that for the first time ever, Canadians are spending more time online than in front of the boob tube. Consequently, sitting in a coffee shop with a Macbook on display is no longer the preserve of wanna be writers or stressed out students, but has become an acceptable pastime for anyone with a taste for celebrity gossip or sassy cats with bad diction. I expect that sooner or later, access to wireless within city limits will become as ubiquitous and necessary as access to electricity or water. Until that date, anyone wanting to surf, tweet, google, troll or blog outside of the confines of their own room must find a second home at one of the many free WiFi hotspots across the city.
I know of at least four organizations trying to compile lists of free WiFi hotspots across the city: the Ottawa Canada Linex Users Group (pretty good list but may be out of date), Ottawa/Gatineau WiFi (a pretty short list but they also have a google map going), The Urban Spoon (longer list that also has a map) and WiFiHotspotList.com (short and focused on the Quebec side). Based on these lists, plus a little original research of our own, Apartment613 has come up with our list of WiFi hotspots in Centretown and the adjoining neighbourhoods.
As usual, please comment to let us know if we made a mistake or missed a particularly good spot! We’ll try to pass along what we learn to the great organizations trying to compile this information.
Citywide
If you need a quiet, studious atmosphere, all 33 branches of the public library have free access… and you don’t even need a library card.
A trick I picked up while traveling was to try hotel lobbies for free access to the net for short term or emergency situations. Most of the time they won’t ask questions, although asking for the code can be a bit awkward if they lock their systems. Les Suites Hotel, the Chateau Laurier and the Radisson all have hook-ups.
It may be cliche (and frankly quite obvious), but coffee shops are still one of the best place to get access to the world wide web: it’s free, you can stay for hours leisurely sipping your latte and, when you can tear your eyes away from the screen, its a great place to people watch. Bridgehead, Starbucks, Timothy’s and Second Cup locations across the city all have access.
Glebe
You won’t suffer from lack of choice for hooked-up coffee shops in this neighborhood: my choice is the Roast and Brew at the corner of Bank and Fifth, which often still has seats even if the Bridgehead and Starbucks is at full capacity (plus some good lookin’ eats).
If you feel the need to sip on something a bit stronger, the Clocktower Brew Pub (575 Bank) has internet access, although their atmosphere may be less conducive to any task that requires quiet reflection. According to the Urban Spoon The Arrow and Loon has access as well… I’m not sure if their WiFi reaches out to their patio off of Bank St., but if so the combo of beer and relative quiet would work well for interneting.
Olga’s Deli and Catering is allegedly connected, although only for morning and early afternoon browsing. They close early (and the coffee isn’t the best).
The Market and Parliament Hill
See and be seen with your brand new iPad at chichi spots in the Market: Social and Restaurant 18 both allow mixing highballs and high speed, as do pubs like Patty Boland’s and the Earle of Sussex (not sure about the Black Thorn, which has the same owners). For coffee shops, choose Xpresso cafe, which is always chalk-full of students and their Macbooks, or the cozier Tea Party.
If you’re wandering near the hill and have a sudden need to stream CPAC, Parliament Pub and Darcy McGee’s both have WiFi. I’ve heard that the Hill itself is wired, but I suspect that you need to be initiated in the ways of the political classes in order to plug in. We plebeians can possibly get access at the NCC InfoCenter (90 Wellington) which is open most days.
Elgin and Bank Streets
The core restaurant district of Centretown is buzzing with invisible waves. You could probably find a relatively quite spot to check you email at the cavernous 
Lieutenant’s Pump even with a Sens game in full swing, but if not try Big Daddy’s Crab Shack & Oyster Bar down the street. The Elgin Street Diner is probably one of the few places in town where you can indulge your 4am craving for both poutine and Lost spoilers, although forget trying to hog a seat during weekend brunch hours or after 2am bar closing (apparently their WiFi no longer works). The patio of the Elgin Second Cup (next to St. Louis Bar) deserves a special mention, especially given the small taste of patio season that we just enjoyed.
Moving West to Bank Street, the Atomic Rooster theoretically has WiFi, although in practice it tends to be a bit spotty. On this street you may have to resort to a Bridgehead or – ack! – an internet cafe.
Chinatown, Hintonburg and Westboro
Umi Cafe will hook you up with both WiFi and fair trade coffee, although my big baby of a boyfriend still refuses to go because he thinks the chairs look uncomfortable. Further down on Wellington, the Elmdale Tavern offers you the chance to engage in social networking both online and off. The Westboro branch of The Works offers internet access, although I’m not sure if the other locations of the popular chain do as well.
Update: Other Wifi locals
Thanks to some tips from our readers, I got a couple more to add.
The Canadian Museum of Civilization (100 rue Laurier Street, Gatineau) apparently has free access… you can educate yourself in real time and online at the same time.
Cozy’s restaurant in Hintonburg has free Wifi, and they don’t mind if you hang around for most of the day as long as you get a coffee or two. It’s a quiet place that mostly caters to the geriatric Euchre-playing crowd, but the coffee is cheap and the breakfast is great.
This is a great list!
I am a member of ogWiFi, and yes our list is short, but I note that your blog list of favourite places are community hotspots created by ogWiFi. The Legion on Kent street is the latest addition. If you know of cafe’s that would like to have wifi, let us know as it would be great to expand that network.
Cheers
Tracey
ogwifi.ca
Don’t forget Irene’s pub in the Glebe; they have free wireless along with great local brews. If you go in the afternoon it’s not impossible to get work done in a quiet corner or on the patio – I wrote much of my master’s thesis that way!
The link to the Ottawa-Canada *LINUX* User’s Group (OCLUG) is to our old wiki.
(It’s not even a wiki anymore, it’s just old content)
As you can see it hasn’t been updated since 2005, so it’s really really old.
Best to mark it as a dud. (I’m one of the webmasters for OCLUG)
If you need help getting your Ubuntu or other Linux machine online, our meetings are the first Thursday of the month (except when they are the first Tuesday).
Almost all of the Boldstreet stuff is dead as far as I can tell.
That means that the Elgin Street Diner has no working WIFI. Yes, the Boldstreet
logo comes up, etc. but you can’t DO anything.
The Black Thorn does have free wifi for patrons. Ask at the bar for the code.
This is great!
My favorite place for food & wifi is Pho Bo Ga 3
The Carleton Tavern in Hintonburg (surprisingly) has free WiFi as well!
You need a library card to get access to the public libraries wifi.
Great list! Thanks for this!
It’s like a black hole on wifi maps. Surely, there’s wifi in this student-dominated neighbourhood. Sheesh!
Talking about Sandy Hill/uOttawa Campus (see above).
Hey ac,
You don’t need a library card! You just have to go to the front desk, and they will give you a log in for free. I’ve did it myself a few times when I first moved here, but here is some additional proof from the library’s site:
“Wireless service is available at all 33 branches.
* Out-of-town visitors may obtain a card from the Borrower Services desk.”
http://24369.vws.magma.ca/explore/virtual/wireless/wireless_e.html
Slightly off topic but re. Umi and the chairs (great name for a band btw) not only do they look uncomfortable but they are as well. Think medieval times iron maiden in a seated position. At least the food is good…
the place across the street from me has free and fast wifi, it’s Marshys in Centrepointe. Something for west-end folk
Cafe Caco 77A Montreal Rd Portuguese Cafe/Bar. They have yummy espresso & portuguese sandwiches as well as a liquor license.
The War Museum (Lebreton Flats) has free Wi-Fi
Thanks for great list.
Hooley’s pub on elgin is huge and has a solid wifi connection. I’ve also heard (from a staff member) that Woody’s is wired, but I haven’t tried it.
The Carleton Tavern, 227 Armstrong at Parkdale Market has wifi too.
D
we are working on an outdoor animation project – looking for list/source for outdoor wi-fi hot spots?.. doesn’t seem like the city of Ottawa has such? help! thanks!
FYI, I just called the ClockTower to try to make a reservation and they said that they do not have wifi access.
KS On Te Keys Restaurant in the South End now has free wi-fi. Please update your listing.
All McDonalds have free wifi. The Apple store in Rideau Centre has a very powerful signal.
We just launched free wi-fi here at The Cock’N Bull Pub & Eatery in Bells Corners (3791 Richmond Rd / Nepean / Ottawa West)
Always welcome new faces (and laptops!)
Cheers,
The Cock’N Bull Pub & Eatery
CockNBullPub.com
@TheCockNBull
Facebook.com/TheCockNBulPub