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Home > Wireless Internet > Free WiFi Hotspots

How To Find Free WiFi Hotspots

Wireless Internet is no longer the wave of the future; it's all over place -- from coffee shops to college campuses. Consumers everywhere are embracing the freedom this technology brings, and with sales of laptops outpacing desktop computers wireless Internet is sure to become more popular than ever. With the number of customers growing, companies are scrambling to make wireless Internet available in more markets. This costs money, but not necessarily to the consumer. So now many people want to know how to find free WiFi hotspots. Here we will cover various general locations you can login to a wireless connection and surf the web, as well as the possibility of free home use.

Coffee Shops

Everyone with a laptop probably knows that most coffee shops are also what some refer to as “Internet Cafe”. Just walk into one and you will see five people drinking coffee and reading a webpage. While some of these shops require a purchase to get a password to login to their network, most don't. Starbucks, the largest and most well know coffee shop in the world has truly free wireless Internet. As a test, I took my laptop to Starbucks, walked in sat down and started reading webpages. No one said anything to me, and I hung around for five minutes then got a coffee and left. Good Internet, great coffee.

Schools

Almost every college and many high schools now offer wireless Internet to those on its campus. While some are available to anyone wandering by, most college campuses require a login and password that only students have. This doesn't actually qualify as free as the student pays for it along with tuition. The campuses that do offer truly free wireless Internet often have horrible security holes in their networks and it will not stay free and open for long.

Public Libraries

Almost all public libraries offer free Internet access, and many today are upgrading to wireless Internet. There are various caveats in place at different libraries that may include:

• Library card required
• Must be 18 or older or have parents signed permission
• Must follow “Fair Use Policy” when copying protected material
• Adult and illegal sites are blocked

If you have to register a library card to get a login or password that would of course mean you would need to live in the city or county the library is in, otherwise the service is free and easy.

Hotels

Almost all hotels are advertising free Internet these days, and many offer wireless connections. In this case however the access is rarely free as you must be a guest of the hotel to get access, meaning you are paying for the service by paying for the room. This isn't always the case, and many times hotels will offer free wireless Internet around the pool, in the restaurant and the surrounding area. If you need a guest login, then you know it isn't ACTUALLY free however.

Free Wireless Internet At Home

In reality there is no free wireless Internet at home unless you are using an ad based Internet service and a wireless router. Even then you would have to buy the router so you would be paying something to someone at least once, and ad based Internet connection are troublesome and aggravating.

Many people who have wireless connections at home may notice when they are logging into their network there are several networks to choose from. Some of these networks are open and anyone can login to them. This is due to the fact that neighbors in and around the area have wireless networks without security enabled. While it would be possible to log into one of these networks without paying a premium, it's not exactly free as your neighbor is covering the bill. This isn't exactly stealing either. There is no law preventing someone from logging into what is essentially a public network, and the FCC has no regulation preventing the use of the network. One thing to remember is that if you go download crazy and eat up all of your neighbor's bandwidth, you might cost them money. If they are using a satellite service you might cost them a lot of money. This is clearly not the way to get free wireless Internet access for many reasons so go to Starbucks, get a nice cup of coffee, and read your newsgroups the right way.

Free WiFi For Verizon and AT&T Internet Subscribers

If you are a customer of either Verizon or AT&T, then you should know they both offer a free WiFi connection with certain home Internet plans. For customers of Verizon High Speed Internet, it comes with both the DSL Power and Turbo plans, as well as the FiOS Faster and Fastest plans. With ATT High Speed Internet, their AT&T Wi-Fi service is included for iPhone customers, and all of their Basic, Express, Pro, and Elite residential Internet customers will receive complimentary AT&T Wi-Fi Basic service.

Wireless ISP's: Verizon Wireless Internet Service and AT&T Wireless Internet Service.

	Wireless Internet Terminology		Managing A Wireless Home Network
	Definition Of WiFi		Wireless Home Network
	EVDO Internet		WiFi Signal Booster
	WiMAX Technology		Wireless Network Security

If you need more than just Free Wireless Internet, then check our homepage for some reviews of other types of high speed Internet service providers.