Wi-Fi or not?

We've become a bit concerned about the wi-fi in our apartment - will it work, how do we sign on, etc., etc?  A query to the rental company resulted in the advice to bring an ethernet cable...just in case.  So now Cathy has 4 feet of cable to add to her electronics packing.  And I, who had forgotten all about the ethernet cable, just checked out free wi-fi hotspots.  About.com Paris Travel has a list of the city's free wi-fi hot spots by arondissement.  But apparently these only broadcast during the day ?!
And here is a Spotted by Locals site with a goggle map even more populated than ours showing free wi-fi - and that's from 2009 so it should be even more crowded now. "In every part of Paris, there are many free wifi-access points via “Paris Wi-Fi”. In many public spaces, such as parks, gardens, city halls, librairies and museums you can go online wireless for free.
Jessica has been so kind to provide a short tutorial on how to connect to the Free Paris network (source: Paris.fr)
1. Find a point on the map above. Go to it. It will tell you it’s WiFi by the symbol you see in the picture, which looks like purple blobs with the words “wifi” written in it.
2. Select the “Wifi ORANGE” network on your computer. This is the reason no one was having success before with this!!! “Free” is actually the brand name of an internet provider, NOT a description of what it is; hence why it wasn’t working for people. ORANGE is what you’re looking for.
3. Open your browser, type in an internet address, and you will be redirected to the access portal. You can switch to English in the orange box. From there, it’s easy! You just type in your name and email address, and there you go. Two hours of free surfing!"
But let's really hope the wi-fi works 'cause it's a little cold to sit on the grass with our laptops