Last week I went to the Sunnyvale library to get a book that was not available at the libraries near my house. On my way into the library, I noticed a woman sitting on the lawn in the shade with her laptop, also in front of the library was another woman with her laptop. Seeing them with their laptops reminded me that Sunnyvale was one of a few Bay Area cities with free Wi-Fi.

I got my book and decided to try the free Wi-Fi. I opened my laptop and looked for available wireless networks finding “MetroFi-Free.” I connected to MetroFi, started my browser, and was presented with a login screen. You need to enter your email address only once to access the service.

The sites I visited rendered quickly (more about this in a moment). MetroFi displays small banner ads at the top of the screen. However, most page views did not have the ads. Every few pages you are presented with a full-page ad; this is easy to navigate away from by clicking a “continue” link.

A few days later, I was at a shopping center in Santa Clara and noticed an access point device on one of the streetlights (see photo above). I connected and this time ran the CNET Bandwidth Meter Speed Test that indicated my connection speed was 1391.1 kbps. I moved to about a block away from the access point device, ran the test again, and this time the speed returned was 359.2 kbps. Page access was at a crawl.

According to MetroFi’s web site, you more than likely would need a Wi-Fi modem to access the service indoors. From their registration email, “Laptop wireless cards have a limited range and work best within 300 feet from a MetroFi access point, with minimal obstructions.”

I think this service would be good for iPhone and iPod touch users outdoors when there is a need to check email or check Google Maps.

The MetroFi service is currently available in Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Foster City, Concord, and downtown San Jose.

For more information, including maps of access point device locations, check here.