How To Get Free Wi-Fi Almost Anywhere

February 7, 2013 By Christian Cawley

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 ! "s I was paying for my order, I noticed a small promotional card informing me of the presence of free #i$Fi! "s you can imagine, this pro%ed a hit with me! &y mobile Internet ser%ice was particularly poor in the town I was %isiting, so the chance to catch$up with emails and news was too good to miss! 'ublic wireless networks are becoming more and more popular as a means of attracting people to a particular business or ser%ice, and this is (ust one of the many ways in which free (or almost free #i$Fi can be accessed! It seems, in fact, that there are many ways in which you can connect wirelessly to the Internet, almost anywhere) *ote+ please obser%e the title and the use of the word ,almost-! #e.re really looking at built up areas, conurbations and city centres! If you.re e/pecting to get free #i$Fi in 0eath 1alley, we.%e got news for you)

Shop In The Right Towns, Visit the Right Businesses & Malls
" %isit to any large city should re%eal many places with free #i$Fi! For instance a trip to 2ondon will yield great results from chains such as 3tarbucks, 'ret a &anger, &c0onalds and at many railway stations! 4otels, too are a great place to get free #iFi anywhere in the world you might be!

4otels and airports are also good places to find free #i$Fi! "irport shops might display a card ad%ising you how to get online (a purchase may be re5uired and the same is often true of e/hibition centres and museums! "s for hotels, it seems that the lower the price you pay for the room, the more free Internet you can get! In 3eptember 2012, 6oingo partnered with 7oogle 'lay to offer a free month of wireless hotspot access in 8,000 locations across the 93"! #hile this offer has long since ended, you should look out for similar offers in the future! 3uch a pro%ision was rolled out across the 9: in 2012 ; free #i$Fi in coffee shops thanks to the o2 mobile company! It was in a branch of <osta <offee that I disco%ered free #i$Fi, and its pro%ision has pro%ed useful to millions of people!

Hotspot Databases & Hidden Networks

9sing your smartphone or tablet you should be able to find wireless hotspots using a ser%ice such as #eFi, which offers apps for "ndroid and i'hone! #ith this you will be able to find the free hotspots and a%oid the locked ones!

=here are alternati%es 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 #i$Fi before tra%elling! Failing this, there is the dark side approach! I personally wouldn.t ad%ocate 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 e%en find hidden networks with no password!

Lo alt !rogra"s & #oupon #odes

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! ?ou.ll need to carry out some research into this in order to find out which businesses you regularly %isit offer such a ser%ice! Furthermore, you might be lucky enough to find coupon codes for a free #i$Fi when %isiting a particular business! "gain, this will re5uire some planning ahead, either running a search on their website or following the company concerned on =witter!

#able$Telephone #o"panies %&&er 'ree Hotspots

0epending where in the world you are, you may be able to connect to free hotspots pro%ided by national telephone and cable companies! *ote, howe%er, that these hotspots are usually pro%ided for e/isting customers! For instance, if you use ,*etwork @- at home, you might be able to connect to one of their wireless hotspots ne/t time you.re out in the city! =o check if your domestic cable or telephone company pro%ides this ser%ice, check their website or call their customer support line for further details!

Don(t 'orget )ou #an Tether )our !hone*

If none of the abo%e work for you but a mobile phone is in easy reach, then there is always the tethering option! =his means that you use your smartphone.s mobile Internet connection to pro%ide online access to a laptop or tablet!

=wo types of tethering are a%ailable ; cabled and wireless! =he first typically uses a 936 sync cable, whereas the other re5uires your mobile phone to ha%e #i$Fi broadcast capability, and a suitable app to pro%ide access to the re5uired settings (some phones ha%e 6luetooth tethering, but this is rare and draining on your batteries ! "ll new smartphones ha%e wireless tethering built in, while older de%ices will ha%e support for cabled tethering, although a fee may be in%ol%ed!

#on+lusion, -i.'i Is 'ree & It(s /0l"ost1 23er where

?ou don.t ha%e to ha%e an e/pensi%e 37 or 87 contract with your mobile phone or tablet to get Internet access outdoors! =here are an increasing number of wireless networks pro%ided for your benefit across *orth "merica and Aurope, offered as an incenti%e by businesses keen on your patronage! It might be a hotel offering free Internet or a cafB, it might e%en 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! 0o you know of any other methods to get free #iFi anywhereC If so, let us know in the comments!
Image <redits+ 2aptop Dn =he 6each %ia 3hutterstock, Free #ifi ?ellow 0iamond 6utton %ia 3hutterstock, 'eople 9se Free #ifi %ia 3hutterstock, =ablet <omputer "t "n "irport %ia 3hutterstock