Back in October of 2006 there was much ado about Miami Beach city manager Jorge Gonzalez’s announcement that complimentary Wi-Fi would be rolled out throughout the entire city. It was a forward thinking decision considering how connected people tend to be nowadays and how technologically advanced some Miami Beach condos have become since then.

Unfortunately the rollout has not been quite the smooth process Gonzalez may have been expecting.

Despite pushing more than $4 million towards the effort, Wi-Fi throughout the city remains spotty. In fact, it’s been almost futile trying to connect from Miami Beach condos or from the beach itself. Instead the signals appear to be stronger in more popular areas like Lincoln Road.

Connection issues aside, the free Wi-Fi may be a case of too little too late. Back when it was first announced five years ago Wi-Fi was not as prolific, especially not within Miami Beach condos. Now that smartphones and netbooks are capable of being constantly connected to the internet at 3G speeds, complimentary Wi-Fi is nice but not all that necessary. Have you tried using the city’s free Wi-Fi and if so, how has your experience been?