San Francisco, San Jose combine their Wi-Fi networks using Hotspot 2.0

The cities of San Francisco and San Jose are merging their two municipal Wi-Fi networks; at least on the virtual level. The two cities are using a new technology -- Hotspot 2.0 -- to let smartphones automatically connect and roam between their two networks as well as provide a layer of security on what wouldn’t normally be available in wide-open public hotspots.

SF wants its public hotspot network -- which now covers Market Street, the city’s main commercial corridor, but will soon expand to public parks -- to become a key component of its municipal infrastructure, useful for businesses, consumers and city workers. That demands encrypted connections, he said.

San Francisco Department of Technology CTO Flavio Aggio said he certainly isn’t blind to Hotspot 2.0’s potential for forming intercity networks. San Francisco and San Jose are connecting their networks, but Aggio said he is already in talks with other cities to include their municipal Wi-Fi grids in broader roaming agreements.