Wired Coffee

"The switch from dial-up to high-speed broadband has made a huge difference in convenience and speed," says Henry. "And the wireless network has given increased accessibility to our customers, so that even those who are sitting outside enjoying our beautiful California weather, soak in some rays, and surf the Web at the same time."

Wired for Coffee owner Henry Golden opened his hip and inviting coffee shop in the "Silicon Coast" located in Irvine, California in 2001, determined to create a welcoming retreat offering the finest quality coffee and baked goods to his high-tech customers. Golden's Cyber cafe provides the finest quality coffee drinks using specialty grade green coffee beans custom roasted in small batches and ground immediately prior to brewing. The cafe also has a wide selection of the finest quality baked goods.

The atmosphere and décor of this high-tech coffee shop was created by Golden in post modern high tech style with a television lined wall, and a touch of artist Paul Klee type designs threaded from the walls and throughout the soft cushy furniture. From the audio visual electronic projection wall to the intense character of warm colors and designs, Wired for Coffee extends an inviting ambiance for the tech-age generation to take a creative break from the binary ones and zeros. The Cyber café also has a large adjoining patio that seat up to 40 people to relax and socialize outside.

"I really make it a point to get to know my customers here," says Golden, "Once they come in, I like to let them know that this is a place where they are welcome. It's a nice break from the intensity of the workday, with a mix of everything you want during a break from work: a refreshing drink, a glance at the TV or PC to find out what's going on in the outside world, and a bit of conversation, that's how I met the folks over at D-Link."

Golden initially offered free access to the Internet through several telephone lines that provided dial-up Internet access for the many laptop computers that made their way into the café day-to-day, however the access was slow and the multiple lines were costly. So, Henry began looking for a way to upgrade to a better solution.

When Alex Levee, a D-Link representative, happened to stop by to get a cup of coffee, Henry reached out to him and instantly began to dialog about Internet connections. Alex talked to Henry about the idea of providing faster access at virtually the same price after installation, while turning Wired for Coffee into a complete hot spot with high-speed access to the Internet table to table within the coffee shop to solve the slow bottleneck issues. The high-speed solution was to get a business class cable connection and D-Link cable modems, D-Link wired Ethernet and D-Link wireless networking, thus turning Wired for Coffee into a powerful "hot spot" for Henry's customers.

To facilitate the high-speed access to the Internet, D-Link installed RJ-45 jacks with 10/100 Ethernet outlets and D-Link Express Ethernet Cable Modem and D-Link Express 10/100 Ethernet Switches to provide high-speed wired connectivity throughout the café.

To enable a wireless network, D-Link's Air Wireless Networking products were installed to deliver a high quality, secure, inexpensive product line for providing fast, interoperable wireless connectivity throughout the store and surrounding area. The high speed cable connection is connected directly to the D-Link cable modem located in the store's back office, which is in turn connected to a D-Link Air router, and D-Link Air Access Points. The wireless network extends outward to an approximate 300-foot radius of coverage outside the store so that Wired for Coffee customers seated at outside tables can share the high-speed Internet hot spot. D-Link's Air line of wireless networking products are standards compliant and are completely interoperable with other brands that are also compliant with the IEEE standards.

The popular Cyber cafe unleashed Irvine's first FREE combination wired and wireless hot spot in December of 2002 featuring D-Link connectivity products. The new Wired for Coffee hot spot is a true neighborhood innovation; with connectivity from Irvine-based D-Link, Wired for Coffee customers can access the Internet through D-Link connectivity networking and communications devices. Wired for Coffee now offers standards-based D-Link networking through a wide array of technologies including a Ethernet wired and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, which is delivered by D-Link's Express Ethernet cable modem, high-speed Express 10/100 Ethernet switches, and D-Link AirPlus wireless routers and wireless access points.

Wired for Coffee visitors can either connect to the Internet by plugging directly into one of several D-Link Ethernet connections located throughout the store in wall plates or they can wirelessly connect using radio waves to the hotspot both inside and outside the coffee shop using an adapter in a laptop.

The Wired for Coffee hot spot has helped profits too - improving business and increasing the store's popularity amongst its tech-savvy neighbors. Within a week of the hot spot introduction, Wired for Coffee had increased its customer base by 20% without increasing costs of operation, as a result increasing profits. Prior to the hot spot installation, the café would service an average of 160 customers daily. Now, Wired for Coffee caters to upwards of 200 customers daily and the number continues to grow. Henry says that "he has already benefited monetarily from the technology upgrade - and has learned a lot about Cyber Surfing and Internet connectivity as well."

Wired for Coffee is open Monday-Friday 6AM to 6PM and Saturday 7AM to 2PM. The popular cyber cafe is a conveniently located between the 5 and 405 at the corner of Irvine Center Drive and Sand Canyon Drive. The address is 6630 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA, and the telephone number is (949) 789-9119. Wired for Coffee was established in 2001.

Inside Wired for Coffee

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