Panera Bread Review

Contributed by Tim Williston

May 19, 2005

Hotspot Vitals:
SSID: PANERA
Free Spot: Yes
Network Type: G
Power: Yes
Speed Test dn/up (kbps): 1253/323
Location: 71st and Lewis
Website: www.panerabread.com

Today, I ventured over to one of my favorite spots, Panera Bread. They have some of the best free wifi in Tulsa. They also have some pretty good food and a relaxing atmosphere.

At the 71st and Lewis store, there are plenty of tables and booths to choose from. They can be quite busy sometimes, so you might want to go at a non peak time. Almost all of the booths have an outlet at the base of the seats. You might have to look carefully to find them, but they are there. Some of the booths along the wall, I've noticed, have very worn seats, and you feel like you are sitting in a hole.

I was actually there in the evening, so my speed tests may be a little on the low side. I ordered my dinner and a drink, and then found a comfy spot at one of the booths. After booting up, I was connected to their network very quickly. You do, however, have to go through a doorway web page and "login", although they don't require you to give any personal information.

The speed tests prove that Panera has a pretty good network. I always had an "excellent" connection, and 5 bars as well. Most of the time the connection showed 54 Mbps, but a few times, it dipped to 48 Mbps. This shouldn't be a big deal, because you will only use a fraction of that bandwidth while surfing or working. I haven't tested the network at their outside seating area, but I imagine it's pretty good

Overall, Panera is a great place to work or play. Everytime I visit I almost always see a fellow wifier at work. They have excellent breakfast choices and great coffee, but their lunch and dinner menu is not my favorite. They have a nice enclosed seating area that is great for meetings or groups. Can someone say WLAN party!!!