Schlotzsky’s free wireless access good up to a mile away

Austin, Texas-area Mac users are able to check MacCentral’s headlines from their own iBooks and PowerBooks while they’re eating their All American Angus sandwiches, according to a new report in the Austin American-Statesman . Lori Hawkins writes that Austin-area Schlotzsky’s Deli sandwich shops now offer free wireless Internet access, in some cases, up to miles away. The report comes in a new article entitled Free wireless at Schlotzsky’s.

Austin-area Schlotzsky’s Delis already offer Internet access via PCs and iMacs. While it isn’t unique for coffee shops and other eateries in areas with high concentrations of technically minded users — like Austin — to offer wireless Internet access for their patrons, most businesses keep the service as local to their establishment as possible as a way of enticing customers. Schlotzsky’s is bumping that concept up a notch by installing four-foot antennas on the roofs of its Austin-area establishments that will enable users to access the Internet up to a mile — in some cases, the company hopes, up to four miles away.

Users of Schlotzsky’s wireless network are greeted with a Schlotzsky’s Web site home page when they first fire up their Web browsers, but it’s free to use, according to Hawkins. The service is Wi-Fi compatible, the same type of networking that Macs use courtesy of Apple’s AirPort cards and base stations.

An extension of Schlotzsky’s “Cool Cloud” free Internet access, the company hopes to expand the free service from ten Austin locations to more than 600 stores nationwide. Schlotzsky’s CEO John Wooley told Hawkins that his company hopes to eventually offer the service to schools, libraries and community centers as well.