Free Ethernet Spot

First published on (and last modified on ) about installation, networking, r&d, rotterdam, worm with dennis de bel version 793a914

Ethernet spot in portrait mode, the CAT5 cables sticking out make it look like an octopus
Ethernet spot in portrait mode, the CAT5 cables sticking out make it look like an octopus

GIF animation showing a rotating model of the ethernet spot
GIF animation showing a rotating model of the ethernet spot

The Free Ethernet spot is a site specific public internet service located in Wunderbar Rotterdam. It mirrors the recognizable Free Wi-fi hotspots that provide internet access for customers in bars and cafes. It provides connectivity to an increasing number of devices that can’t connect to it. People on phones, and increasingly laptops, find themselves wondering what the point is of the Free Ethernet spot.

Ethernet Spot
Ethernet Spot

Interestingly some newspapers wrote about the work and presented it as an antidote against insecure Wi-fi hotspots in public space. So the Free Ethernet Spot was then described and legitimized as a more secure public hotspot. The only ‘security’ it offers however, is the knowledge that the person spying on your internet traffic is at the other end of the cable!

Sticker on bar window indicating the prescense of Ethernetspot on the premises
Sticker on bar window indicating the prescense of Ethernetspot on the premises