|
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, collages, universities & surrounding areas,
hotels, motels resorts, RV parks, town hall, vacation rentals,
and restaurants are some good places to check for free WiFi
internet.
The best location to use WiFi is at the local library.
Libraries are unlike most other WiFi hotspots because they
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.
Starbuck Coffee is another great
location for free WiFi. You must first sign up for a free
Starbucks rewards card. Once activated, you can use the
internet for two hours per day. This is plenty enough time
since it is likely that your laptop battery will go dead
before your time is up. That is unless you can find a power
outlet or bring a spare battery or make multiple caffeine
trips in a day, giving you enough time to charge your battery
between. Starbucks only requires that you make one
purchase a month to keep your card activated. If you exceed
your given two hours in a day then you can purchase another
two hours for $3.99. If you have AT&T DSL at home or you
own an iPhone or iPod Touch, then you can get unlimited free
access at any Starbucks or any AT&T WiFi
hotspot.
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.
Easy WiFi Radar
WiFi
FreeSpot
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.
Be aware that some free WiFi hotspots
will block email and various 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 ask for 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 pluging 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 conneced. 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 stright 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.
| 
