Skip to content

Smoothie shop goes Wi-Fi

Euphoria employee Steve Mayall uses a laptop computer in the smoothie shop, which has gone Wi-Fi. Photo by Bill Tremblay, Special to BayToday.ca Local smoothie shop Euphoria is now offering North Bay’s first Wi-Fi internet connection.

Euphoria employee Steve Mayall uses a laptop computer in the smoothie shop, which has gone Wi-Fi. Photo by Bill Tremblay, Special to BayToday.ca

Local smoothie shop Euphoria is now offering North Bay’s first Wi-Fi internet connection.

Wi-fi, which stands for wireless fidelity, is a wireless internet connection that allows anyone with a laptop, or other internet ready device, to surf the net.

Euphoria will act as a “hotspot” where people can connect to the internet using their own systems.

“This is a chance for economic development,” explained Sam Haider who owns both Euphoria shops in North Bay.

“Travelling business people will be able to use their own laptops,” Haider said.

Haider explained that by offering this service, people in need of a Wi-Fi connection can use a hotspot locator and will see that North Bay is able to provide what they are looking for.

“This is important since more and more businesses run off the internet,” Haider said.

“It gives the perception of a connected city to outside businesses and is beneficial to North Bay."

Wi-Fi uses a broadband connection similar to DSL but a little bit faster, Haider said.

The connection is provided to Euphoria by airpath.com.

“We use airpath because they allow us our own branding, background and more control,” Haider said.

Other providers offer no control over how much customers are charged for the service, Haider said.

The cost for using Euphoria’s connection is two dollars for every 15 minutes and ten cents for every additional minute, or ten dollars for a day pass.

“We will also provide users with a walled garden, where users can visit five or six Web sites for free,” Haider said.

The free sites will include Northbay.ca, northbaysearchengine.com and BayToday.ca.

Currently only the Euphoria shop on Main street East is offering the Wi-Fi connection. The second shop on Trout Lake Road will be become a hotspot in two to four weeks.

Euphoria will also provide two in-store computers within the next two weeks.