Did we run out of data plans or are we having connection problems? No problem, here’s how to find free Wi-Fi when we’re out and about
Let’s face it: without the Internet, we’re lost. Nowadays there are a number of situations where without a connection we can’t get around. Let’s say you’re out and about and you don’t know what bus to take or how to make restaurant reservations. Here, then, is a guide to finding Wi-Fi connections even outside the home.
There are mainly two situations where we realize the importance of the Internet in many of our daily gestures. When we run out of our monthly data plan and we can’t, for example, send a work email because the Wi-Fi at home or at the office is far away. Or when we’re abroad and our domestic data plan is worthless. Fortunately, Europe will soon abolish roaming. If we are about to leave or if we have burned all our data looking at Instagram Stories, however, how to do? Simple just follow these easy tips.
Find a commercial chain
Pubs, bars and some stores have free connections. Not all of them, though. And we can’t spend all our time looking for a coffee shop where we can sit down and take advantage of Wi-Fi. To be on the safe side, let’s look around and find a large commercial chain. For example McDonald’s or an Apple Store. This is a very useful solution in large cities where these types of stores follow one after the other. While in smaller cities and towns it is more complicated. In this case, let’s check where the municipality, the station or the offices of various institutions are located. In most of these buildings the Wi-Fi is free of charge.
Public hotspots
But stores are not the only solution. If we have to work and we run out of data or lose our connection for any reason then we can look for places, within our city, where there are municipal hotspots. Parks, public transport, tourist attractions, museums and even municipal libraries often offer a free connection. Sometimes with a daily time limitation. To carry out a short job or to answer an email of utmost importance, however, can be enough. In some cities, and increasingly also in small towns, the largest squares are equipped with hotspots. Locating them is easy, they are almost always marked by signs with the logo of the municipality.
Apps to find connections
There are several applications that we can use to find available connections. The problem with these services is that they often only work online. And therefore, to us who are left without a Net, they don’t solve any problems. There are for some apps that work perfectly offline as well. These will search for the nearest Wi-Fi so that we can get closer to connect. One such app is Instabridge, which works on both Android and iOS smartphones. A similar task is done by WeFi Pro, which is available for free only for Android. This one also has a larger pool of registered hotspots, about 200 million scattered around the world.
Ask
This is the least technological but most human advice of all: let’s ask. Sometimes when the connection doesn’t work we panic and forget that before the Internet people simply asked people to get somewhere. This way we can do it too. And if we really need a connection we can simply ask for the Wi-Fi password from the owner of a store or a place that has protected its connection. If we do it nicely and stop for coffee or something to eat they will surely give us the password without any problem.