Wi fi : newbie here - whats the best way to connect?

The best way to connect is to add a wireless router to your existing Internet connection. That will get you a wireless network, and you pay nothing except about $50 for the router.

You see, WiFi isn't really a service as such. It's simply a way to connect your computer to an existing local network, and so is conceptually more similar to an Ethernet cable than to an ISP. There are ISPs that operate WiFi hotspots that they charge for, but you don't need to subscribe to these to use WiFi.

Fon is one i've come across. Their customer service is almost non existent, but if you leave their router on at your house you can connect for free to anyone else who has it, check their website if there is a hotspot near where you need access.