Getting free Wi-Fi can be a life-saver. Especially if you’re lost in a foreign city
or there’s a work emergency while you’re away. Finding a hotspot is easy if you know where to
look. So, let’s talk about the top 5 ways to find free Wi-Fi and how to use it securely.
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And now here are 5 easy ways to get free Wi-Fi wherever you are.
One - find a place with a public Wi-Fi hotspot
This is the easiest way to get a free internet connection.
Public places like coffee shops, restaurants, museums, or libraries, are your best bet.
There are even cities that offer Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the city center.
So if you’re visiting a popular tourist attraction, try checking for a hotspot.
Here are some ideas where free Wi-Fi might be available:
Public libraries. Some even offer workplaces where you can sit down with your laptop in peace.
Trains and buses. Keep in mind that Wi-Fi on trains and buses may limit data, so streaming a
movie is probably not going to be an option. Gyms. If you’re into working outs wherever
you are, a gym is a great place to access the internet.
Universities and colleges. Finding Wi-Fi on campus is guaranteed and if you need the password,
students will probably share it without a question.
Two. Turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Can’t find a hotspot? Let the hotspot come to
you. If your phone has a 3G or 4G connection, you’re good. Here’s how to do it on Android:
Open your Settings and tap on Wireless & networks. Select Tethering & portable hotspot.
Tap on Portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Now, set up a strong password and slide the bar to turn it on.
Here’s how to turn on your hotspot on iOS: Open your Settings and tap on Personal
Hotspot. Set up a strong password and tap the slider next to allow others to join.
Three. Use free Wi-Fi apps. You’re definitely not alone
in wondering where to find free Wi-Fi. So, just like with pretty much anything,
there’s plenty of apps that help you find free hotspots. Here are a few of our recommendations:
Wi-Fi Map This is a crowdsourced app with a map of
over 100 million Wi-Fi hotspots. It provides you with Wi-Fi credentials, a map, and smart search.
Instabridge
Another crowdsourced app with over one million hotspots. Just like Wi-Fi Map,
it provides login credentials and even offers an auto-connect option.
It also supports WEP, WPA, WPA2 and WPA3 and provides speed, popularity, and data usage stats.
Swift WiFi The perfect app for Android. It not
only provides you with a list of Wi-Fi hotspots, but also helps you keep away from insecure ones.
Free WiFi app Another Android only
app offers about 120 million hotspots and offers the offline maps functionality. It also has about
half a million reviews of hotspots, so you can check it out before tapping the connect button.
You can find all the links to the apps listed in the description below!
Four. The fourth way to get Wi-Fi is by getting a portable router.
A portable router works like your home router, but it operates on either 3G or 4G networks.
These are small, easy to carry around, and safer than connecting to a random hotspot.
Five. Check for hidden networks It’s pretty easy to hide your Wi-Fi name,
known as SSID, so the Wi-Fi doesn’t appear on the available networks list.
However, even if someone hides the name, it’s still possible to find and connect to it.
Try apps like NetSpot, Kismet, or NetStumbler to get free Wi-Fi anywhere. You can analyze
the network coverage and performance. But don’t connect to public Wi-Fi just
yet. Using free hotspots can be a minefield. Here’s why and what you can do about it:
Fake public hotspots You may think you hit the
jackpot if you found a hotspot, but you might actually be connecting to a malicious network
created by the hacker. They might use the network to intercept and manipulate your device.
Hacking threats Your devices are also way less secure
when connected to public Wi-Fi — you never know who might be sitting on the same network, waiting
for potential victims. If they are, they might be able to snoop on your traffic for sensitive data.
Vulnerable Wi-Fi apps Not all Wi-Fi apps exist
solely to provide you with free hotspots. Some might be running background scans for Wi-Fi
join requests and using them to create public and private Wi-Fi network heat maps. Criminals
can even use these maps to find where you live. In addition, some apps will collect data such as
your IP, logins, location, device ID, local time, SSID, and more. They might also share
it with third parties for profit. You shouldn’t trust a Wi-Fi app’s
auto-connect feature either, since some might automatically connect you to a malicious hotspot.
Privacy Nothing in this world is truly free. The Wi-Fi
hotspot at an airport or the train station might actually be tracking your browsing activities
and using that information for their own means. However, we will have to connect to a hotspot
at some point in our lives. Here’s how to increase your security on public Wi-Fi:
Turn off public network sharing When a pop-up asks you if you
trust the network you’re connecting to, don’t blindly accept it. Hackers might use it to get
to the data on your device. Enable your firewall
You might’ve disabled it because of the annoying pop-ups, but
if you’re connecting to public Wi-Fi, the firewall will provide essential security for your device.
Use a VPN This is an essential tool
when connecting to public Wi-Fi. Here’s why: A VPN fully encrypts your data traffic,
even if you’re connected to an unsecure network like public Wi-Fi.
So even if there are any hackers sitting on the hotspot, they won’t be able to sniff your traffic.
It hides your IP address. Criminals will struggle to find you, while internet service providers and
websites will have a hard time tracking you. In addition, NordVPN offers extra security
features to keep you safe. The Kill Switch feature cuts all internet access if the VPN connection
drops even for a fraction of a second. NordVPN also offers a CyberSec feature
that automatically blocks dangerous websites and annoying malicious ads.
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the link in the top right corner of the video or find it in the description.
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