Over the past four weeks, the City of Sydney Council has been trialling the provision of free Wi-Fi services in its libraries.

Dave Heck, CIO for the city of Tempe, Ariz., remembers when municipal Wi-Fi advocates talked four years ago about wireless networks as shining beacons that would bring the Internet to the masses.

Netgear isn’t pinning its hopes on the 802.11n wireless technology, which has been stuck in a pre-standard state for years.

Public Wi-Fi hot spots have been popular for about eight years. During that time, companies providing the service have been groping about, trying to figure out how to monetize it.