In today’s world, any restaurant or convenience store that doesn’t have free Wi-Fi seems a little dated. After all, shouldn’t there be Wi-Fi everywhere? In truth, while popular networks and larger establishments provide Wi-Fi to customers, it can be especially difficult to find Wi-Fi in rural areas. If you are traveling abroad without an international data plan, it gets even more difficult.
Even if you find Wi-Fi, it may not be very good Wi-Fi. Many places provide Wi-Fi from a router that is not sized for the number of connections being handled, and you might see your speeds drop below 1 Mbps.
It’s better than nothing if you’re stuck somewhere with no data to connect a GPS or make a call, but if you have to do anything more complicated online, you’ll need more reliable Wi-Fi.
Here are some ways to find reliable Wi-Fi hotspots wherever you are.
Wi-Fi passwords from airport lounges ( link
This is a user-generated list of Wi-Fi passwords from airport lounges around the world. There are over 360 airports on the list and it will be hard for you not to find a work password when you need it.
Wi-Fi is relatively easy to find at airports, but connections provided to passengers in lounges tend to be faster and less congested than the public network throughout the airport.
Download the Wi-Fi Finder app
For both Android and iOS, there are many different apps to help you find a Wi-Fi connection. Users provide most of the information in these applications, resulting in a constantly updated stream of passwords for secure networks. These apps are useful for finding passwords for busy cafes when there is a queue at the door, and all you have to do is send a quick email.
Many apps have both free and paid versions. The paid version is worth checking out if you use apps a lot, because due to our limited experience, we were overwhelmed by the mass of ads.
Open Wi-Fi Points (
If you want to list the available Wi-Fi hotspots before leaving, the web app is fine, and Open Wi-Fi hotspots is a good option. The site knows more than 66,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the United States and allows users to refine their searches around the city.
Once you’ve selected the city you want Wi-Fi in, you can further narrow down your results by categories such as cafes, restaurants, and even self-service laundries. The site has a phone number and address so you can easily find it when the time is right.
Find a fast food restaurant or coffee shop
Most fast food places and cafes, at least in the United States, provide guests with free Wi-Fi. Networks can be password protected, but finding a password is as easy as asking a cashier.
While you don’t need to buy anything from this place to use Wi-Fi, it is considered polite. Just grab a cup of coffee and you can surf the web without affecting your plan.
Use your phone to create a hotspot
The usefulness of this tip is a bit limited – if you’re looking for Wi-Fi for your phone, then using your phone to create a Wi-Fi hotspot won’t help. On the other hand, if you need Wi-Fi for your laptop and none of the other options on the list returned results, go to the settings menu on your phone and activate your personal hotspot.
Just make sure your phone supports hotspot creation and it’s included in your data plan, or you’ll end up with an obviously nasty phone bill.
Considerations with public Wi-Fi
Free public Wi-Fi is great, but it can be risky too. A Google search will probably work, but if you’re going to access any account or enter any sensitive personal information, you should take steps to protect yourself.
VPNs are the simplest option, and they are more affordable than ever before. These services protect your data and encrypt it, so even if someone manages to intercept some of your packets off the air, the data will be unreadable.
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