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How To Get Free
Wi-Fi Almost Anywhere
I recently stumbled into a coffee shop in a nearby town
following a meeting, looking forward to a nice mug of hot chocolate and
marshmallows (it was winter). As I was paying for my order, I noticed a small
promotional card informing me of the presence of free Wi-Fi. As you can
imagine, this proved a hit with me. My mobile Internet service was
particularly poor in the town I was visiting, so the chance to catch-up with
emails and news was too good to miss.
Public wireless networks are becoming more and more popular as a
means of attracting people to a particular business or service, and this is
just one of the many ways in which free (or almost free) Wi-Fi can be
accessed. It seems, in fact, that there are many ways in which you can
connect wirelessly to the Internet, almost anywhere...
Note: please observe the title and the use of the word
"almost". We're really looking at built up areas, conurbations and
city centres. If you're expecting to get free Wi-Fi in Death Valley, we've
got news for you...
Shop In The Right
Towns, Visit the Right Businesses & Malls
A visit to any large city should reveal many places with free
Wi-Fi. For instance a trip to London will yield great results from chains
such as Starbucks, Pret a Manger, McDonalds and at many
railway stations. Hotels, too are a great place to get free WiFi anywhere
in the world you might be.
Hotels and airports are also good places to find free Wi-Fi.
Airport shops might display a card advising you how to get online (a purchase
may be required) and the same is often true of exhibition centres and
museums. As for hotels, it seems that the lower the price you pay for the
room, the more free Internet you can get.
In September 2012, Boingo partnered with Google Play to offer a
free month of wireless hotspot access in 4,000
locations across the USA. While this offer has long since ended, you
should look out for similar offers in the future.
Such a provision was rolled out across the UK in 2012 - free
Wi-Fi in coffee shops thanks to the o2 mobile company. It was in a branch of
Costa Coffee that I discovered free Wi-Fi, and its provision has proved
useful to millions of people.
Hotspot Databases
& Hidden Networks
Using your smartphone or tablet you should be able to find
wireless hotspots using a service such as WeFi, which offers apps for Android
and iPhone. With this you will be able to find the free hotspots and
avoid the locked ones.
There are alternatives to this app, of course, and you might
prefer to make a search of the web before you head out to find somewhere that
definitely offers free Wi-Fi before travelling.
Failing this, there is the dark side approach. I personally
wouldn't advocate borrowing/stealing someone's wireless connection, but let's
be realistic - people do this, using sniffer software to detect hidden
networks and other tools to break passwords. If you're really lucky, you
might even find hidden networks with no password.
Loyalty Programs &
Coupon Codes
If you are aware of a business (perhaps a shop, supermarket,
coffee chain or hotel) that offers a loyalty card, it might be the case that
they also offer free Internet as part of their rewards for your subscription.
You'll need to carry out some research into this in order to find out which
businesses you regularly visit offer such a service.
Furthermore, you might be lucky enough to find coupon codes for
a free Wi-Fi when visiting a particular business. Again, this will require
some planning ahead, either running a search on their website or following
the company concerned on Twitter.
Cable/Telephone
Companies Offer Free Hotspots
Depending where in the world you are, you may be able to connect
to free hotspots provided by national telephone and cable companies. Note,
however, that these hotspots are usually provided for existing customers. For
instance, if you use "Network X" at home, you might be able to
connect to one of their wireless hotspots next time you're out in the city.
To check if your domestic cable or telephone company provides
this service, check their website or call their customer support line for
further details.
Don't Forget You Can
Tether Your Phone!
If none of the above work for you but a mobile phone is in easy
reach, then there is always the tethering option. This means that you use
your smartphone's mobile Internet connection to provide online access to a
laptop or tablet.
Two types of tethering are available - cabled and wireless. The
first typically uses a USB sync cable, whereas the other requires your mobile
phone to have Wi-Fi broadcast capability, and a suitable app to provide
access to the required settings (some phones have Bluetooth tethering, but
this is rare and draining on your batteries).
All new smartphones have wireless tethering built in, while
older devices will have support for cabled tethering, although
a fee may be involved.
Conclusion: Wi-Fi Is
Free & It's (Almost) Everywhere
You don't have to have an expensive 3G or 4G contract with your
mobile phone or tablet to get Internet access outdoors. There are an
increasing number of wireless networks provided for your benefit across North
America and Europe, offered as an incentive by businesses keen on your
patronage.
It might be a hotel offering free Internet or a café, it might
even be a supermarket, but if you need an Internet connection and you don't
want to pay for it, these places and methods described here will get you
online, for at least 30 minutes.
Do you know of any other methods to get free WiFi anywhere?
If so, let us know in the comments.
Image Credits: Laptop
On The Beach via Shutterstock, Free
Wifi Yellow Diamond Button via Shutterstock, People
Use Free Wifi via Shutterstock, Tablet
Computer At An Airport via Shutterstock
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