As prices continue to
drop on E-readers, tablets, iPhones, and other electronic devices that
allow people to access the internet with more ease than a traditional
laptop or computer, more and more people are buying them. The influx in
people owning these devices creates a need for places where you can use
them, however many places don’t offer free WiFi. And while you could
buy the devices that allow you to access the Internet, they can end up
being pretty costly. So now that you have your new tablet how do you
find out who offers free WiFi hot spots? Check out the following 10
great spots to find a WiFi Hot Spot.
- wififreespot.com: This is
a great site. It breaks down the search for WiFi into easy
searches such as restaurants and retails establishments versus
hotels and other types of businesses. They will even tell you which
sites will require that you create a “free” login in order to
access the WiFi. Are you traveling to Europe? You can use this site to
find Hot Spots in Europe as well.
- wifidirectory.com:
Traveling in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Asia, or the Middle
East? This site is sponsored by netstumbler.com and can find Hot
Spots in these countries and many more. This site also offers
stories about new technology in regards to electronic devices,
wireless transfers, and more.
- jiwire.com:
I would recommend this site for world travelers. You start with a
map of the world and you can click on whatever country you are
traveling to. However, once you click on that country, or state as
the case may be, then you have to keep clicking and narrowing your
search down until finally you get a map of either blue or green
bubbles. The blue bubbles represent those Hot Spots where you have
to pay to access the Internet and the green bubbles are the free
Hot Spots. You have to pass your mouse over the bubbles in order
to see where they are. A word of warning: if you have several
bubbles in the same area it can be difficult to get the correct
bubble to come up. Not very user friendly, but it would work in a
pinch.
- http://www.boingo.com/: A very
different site, but still useful for those that travel and need to
be able to use their laptops or tablets on the go. Boingo offers a
paid service to provide Hot Spots worldwide and now even on
airplanes. It’s inexpensive compared to a portable 3G device.
Once you are a member you can use the service and search on the
site for free for Boingo Hot Spots worldwide.
- openwifispots.com: This
is a very user-friendly site, but it’s limited in the Hot Spots it
has. If you are going to be in a major city like Dallas you can
pull up a list of Hot Spots as long as your arm, however if you are
in a suburb outside of the city it may come up empty. I would not
recommend this site to those in small cities.
- http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=13540:
AT&T sponsors many of the free hot spots and therefore it
makes sense that they would have a good listing. It’s a
search tool that is easy to use. Simply type in your zip code or city
and state and it will pull up the free WiFi hot spots. These may
just be the AT&T hot spots, but still a useful tool.
- wefi.com: More labor intensive
than others, this tool requires you to download a program to search
for WiFi Hot Spots. Just be aware that the database is not
very complete when you’re using it. The nice thing about the program is
that you can download it to your device and it will automatically
connect you to a free WiFi Hot Spot that has the strongest signal.
This saves you a step, but it also doesn’t allow you to check out
the site before you connect to it.
- http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/:
The WiFi hot spot list is very user friendly. All you have to do
is type in your zip code and it will pull up in writing where the
free hot spot is and what the address is. It also will tell
you what network it is. Their list however is far from complete.
Other sites offer a map of the area so you can get right to it. If
you are local and know where the streets are or if you can program
the address into your GPS you are golden, but if you are in new
area and aren’t using a GPS then the sites with the map might be a
better choice for you.
- http://hotspotr.com/: Hotspotr is
a great site and very easy to use. Type in your zip code and
it will pull up a map with all of the hot spots marked. The lists
are generally very comprehensive. It’s very easy to follow
and as you roll your mouse over each point it will tell you where
it is. A great choice for finding a hot spot in your area.
- content.hotspot.t-mobile.com: T-Mobile is all about 3G with their phones now, but they also offer a service you can pay for that will give you WiFi in many places around the country and the world. The price tag isn’t too bad and it allows you to access a lot of Hot Spots in cafes and airports around the country. Definitely worth checking into if you have a T-mobile phone anyway or even if you are just looking for an additional service to help you get connected.
This post is really useful for internet lovers.
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