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You may be
asking "Can WiFi be truly free?" Well... this depends on what "free"
means to you. You may end up having to drive to a place that offers
free WiFi or you may need to purchase some WiFi getting equipment. This
article explains how to get WiFi internet without paying an internet
provider for it, but does not take into account your time spent,
equipment cost, gas mileage, etc.
Things
you can do at a free WiFi hotspot
This internet
will function much like your regular internet with the exception that
it may be "locked down" for your protection. Some free WiFi hotspots
will disable your ability to use email or view offensive or secure web
sites. These restrictions are determined at the discretion of the owner
of the site. Restrictions aside, you should be able to listen to
internet radio, browse or surf the web, download files, and chat with
friends.
The best
places to check for free WiFi are locations where the general public is
welcome. Plazas, convention centers, sports centers, bookstores,
supermarkets, cafes, coffee shops, libraries, colleges, universities
& surrounding areas, hotels, motels resorts, RV parks, town
hall, vacation rentals, and restaurants are some good places to check
for free WiFi internet.
-
Local Library
-
Unlike most other WiFi hotspots, libraries exist to further
your
education and communications abilities, whereas most businesses are
trying to lure you into buying something by offering free WiFi.
Remember, it is not truly free if you have to buy something first.
-
City Parks
and Plazas
- In an effort to attract more people to parks, many cities are
offering free wifi in the park. Parks host many events such as
concerts, carnivals, other special events where Wifi internet access is
becoming a necessity. Easy to access and open to all, the park a great
place to get connected.
-
Starbuck
Coffee Stores (company-owned) - There
are no sign-up agreements to accept or time usage limitations to worry
about. With cozy couches and chairs, along with plug-in outlets for
your laptop, Starbucks Coffee is one of our top choices for free Wifi..
-
McDonalds
- is now offering free WiFi to their customers at more than
11,500 participating restaurants. To get connected, you must use the
network called "Wayport_Access" from the available networks list on
your device. After opening your internet browser you must agree to
McDonalds terms before connecting. Devices that do not have an Internet
browser, like a WiFi
Internet Radio, will not be able
to connect for this reason. Find a
participating McDonald’s Wi-Fi Hotspot near you by
clicking here.
Other Notable
locations
are:
- Ben
& Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream
- FedEx
Shipping
Offices (more
info)
- Barnes-and-Noble
(more
info)
- Almost any
nearby hotel or RV park
The Internet
provides a rich field of useful free programs and sites that help you
locate your nearest free WiFi hotspot. You can try entering the key
words "free + local + wifi + hotspots" into Google for the best
results. Adding the key word "software" to the search will give you
results on programs that you can use without an Internet connection.
Listed
below
are some helpful tools from the internet for finding free
Wifi.
Free
hotspot guidelines
and tips
-
Choose
sites that are using "Infrastructure" mode. Beware of sites that use
"Ad hoc" or "person to person" mode, as they might be a trap setup by
someone nearby with a laptop. This person may be attempting to access
your private files such as pictures and credit card information.
-
If you
are using the free hotspot to do banking or private credit card
transactions, then we recommend that you setup a VPN network. This will
give you a layer of protection. There is also special hotspot software
on the internet that you can use for added protection. Basically a good
rule of thumb is to not do anything on the internet that you would not
mind doing with a stranger looking over your shoulder. It is
possible, with enough effort, for the owner of the hotspot to view all
information that is sent and received over their network.
-
Some free
WiFi hotspots will block email and
various web sites. The
owner of the hotspot will determine its parameters. Most every hotspot
will be setup a little different.
-
Unfortunately,
most free WiFi hotspots do not offer tech support if you have trouble
connecting. This is why it is free. Free WiFi is usually just another
way to attract people and is not a real priority to most businesses
that offer it. If you need help, it is unlikely that common workers
will know how to answer your question. Consider the free WiFi "As-Is"
and nothing more. It is hard to get your money back when the
service is free.
-
Be
courteous. If you are taking up limited table space and not purchasing
anything then it is best to limit your usage. It is best to buy a
coffee or fulfill the minimum requirements for being customer. Some
business will give you the "boot" for repeat loitering while using
their free WiFi.
-
Come
prepared. Charge you laptop fully before venturing to a public free
WiFi hotspot. Most hotspots don't have wall outlets for plugging into
power. This helps businesses avoid customers that loiter too
long.
Connecting
to a free WiFi hotspot from your home
If there is a
free WiFi hotspot down the street from your home then it may be
possible that you can get connected; depending on far "down the street"
really is. You will need a high power WiFi antenna that should be
placed in the window or outside facing the hotspot. Obstructions,
traffic, and weather conditions will affect your signal strength and
thus affect your internet browsing speed.
Be aware that
some free WiFi hotspot owners will reduce their WiFi signal strength so
that it only covers the inside of their business. It will be very
difficult to connect to these hotspots and you may need a very big
outdoor antenna to acquire even a faint signal.
Also be aware
that the owner of the hotspot will be able to see stats on how many
people are connecting to their hotspot. They will be able to see your
hardware address (MAC address) and computer name and determine how long
you've been connected. It is possible that the owner can block someone
from connecting in the future if they determine that the person is
using too much bandwidth (or for any reason).
If you have a
friend or a neighbor who has broadband internet within line
of sight
from your home, then you may be able to get free WiFi Internet access.
You will need to ask permission to use their internet before
proceeding. If all is ok, then your task will be to make a WiFi
connection to their router.
The easiest
way might be to simply sit outside your house with your laptop and see
if you can pick-up their WiFi. I recommend using your laptop outside
because your reception will be much stronger if you don't have to
receive it through your home walls. You will need to be positioned with
line of sight to their house. WiFi is not like AM and FM whereas it
doesn't pass through objects well.
If you still
aren't able to receive the WiFi signal, have your neighbor position
their
router in a window that faces the direction of your house. This
will eliminate one or more walls on their end and increase your WiFi
signal several fold. Be sure that the routers antennas are facing
straight up. If this still does not work for you then you will need to
consider upgrading your WiFi signal with a more powerful antenna. You
can add a more powerful antenna to their router or to your computer for
better reception, or to both for best reception. I suggest using a USB antenna
at first to see if you can boost your laptop reception. If this does
not work then you may need to go for a WiFi bridge
setup.
If you are
connecting to someone's home WiFi connection without asking (otherwise
called "piggybacking" or "mooching"), then it may be considered illegal
in some states. Even though unencrypted home WiFi networks have the
same "look and feel" of a real WiFi hotspot network, they usually are
not intended for public access. Always ask for permission
before connecting to these types of networks.
Some may say
that if the owner of the unencrypted home WiFi network does not encrypt
their network, then they probably don't care who uses it. This is not
always the case. When a new WiFi router or access point is purchased
from the store, it comes unencrypted by factory settings and usually
carries a network name like "Linksys" or "Netgear". Because
the owner of the newly purchased router is able to access the internet
before setting up the router, they may not realize their unconfigured
WiFi networks vulnerability. Basically, it is still trespassing to go
into someone's yard, even if they forgot to shut the
gate.
Some cities
like Mt. View, CA (the home of Google) offers free WiFi to all their
residents. Other cities have setup free WiFi in densely populated
commercial zones only. For a list of cities that offer free municipal
WiFi click here.
Umm, this may
happen in the future, but for now check out what Google is working on here.
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