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Free Wifi and Wifi Hotspots Locators

Here’s how to find free wifi hotspots around the globe.   

  1. Download free software that searches and locates free sites.
  2. Find websites with free wifi directories.
  3. Rely on friends or social networks.

 This story covers the first two ways to find free sites. 

Free Wifi Hotspots Software

 

There are a lot of free wifi hotspots software locator programs available on the web.  When you need to find a free wifi hotspot, these software packages use search and find technology to locate a free location.  There are a lot of programs that have this capability.  We report on two of them.  One product relies on the community nature of the web to bulid a global map of fee wifi spots.  The other looks very cool and saves a lot of time compared to regular Windows software when you are trying to access emails and other applications. 

  • Wefi–WeFi lets you find Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.  It has a simple goal:  provide fast, reliable wireless connection wherever Wi-Fi is available.  So far, the WeFi user community has found a little more than 22 million Wi-Fi connections, with more being added all the time.  Available for Windows, Mac, Android, Nokia and Windows Mobile users.  Free download from the home page:  http://www.wefi.com/.  This Information Week article explains how WeFi works and highlights a recent WeFi and Fring agreement.  Fring users can access existing applications like Skype, MS Messenger, Google Talk, Twitter, AIM, and social networks.
  • Easy WiFi Radar–Access points are color coded on directional finder that looks like a radar screen.  The Amsterdam located Makayama company is known for its wide variety of mobile applications that it naturally will be glad for you to purchase.  Easy WiFi Radar is a free download, “WiFi for Dummies” as the company explains on its website.  The goal of the software is to get you to your email or surfing the web without XP connection wait times “and without having to pull your credit card.”  Run Easy WiFi and connect free to the Internet. 

Free Wifi Directories, Cell Phone Providers Sites, Hotels, Starbucks and McDonald’s

 

The number of free Wi-Fi locator software sites is surpassed only by the number of websites promising free Wi-Fi site directories.  These directories give you the “know before you go” solution, or at least you hopefully know before you go.   

A few of these web free Wi-Fi locators directories assume you already have a subscription (which is not free) with a cell phone or Internet Service Provider plan.  Others are hybrids or the subscription plan is so small as to be almost nonexistent–access the web from these sites may or may not cost  depending on how you are trying to log on. 

Wifi Free Spot  Wifi locator lists by companies, airports, hotels, other locations, then arranges sites by state, city and town.  Also has a list of wireless communities and residential open nodes.

 JiWire–Strong domestic and international locator for free and pay hotspots.  Recent addition is iPhone and iPod touch wifi hotposts locator app with option of downloading free and pay sites or just free wifi spots.  Download via iTunes.  JiWire is also creator of the Wi-Fi ZONE Finder.  ZONE Finder members are Wi-Fi providers who have indicated they use Wi-Fi certified equipment, which are products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance.  ZONE Finder members are the equivalent of premium Wi-Fi operators, even when the Wi-Fi connection is a free one.  The site is intuitive and friendly.  It lets you search by pay or free site, geographically by distance, and several other helpful ways.

Boingo–Worldwide wifi hotspots locator.  More than 100,000 hotspots.  Boingo partners with a lot of better known phone and mobile carriers. Huge coverage of airports, hotels, and restaurants.  U.S. prices $9.95 a month for laptop, $7.95 month mobile.

 AT&T–Wi-Fi locator.  Gives AT&T Wi-Fi locations for airports, McDonalds, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and other sites.  Free AT&T Wi-Fi on Apple iPhones. 

Here’s an AT&T offer that expires June 1 or while supplies last.  It offers a free phone and free bluetooth headset.  Site landing page also has a link for more free phone offers (free with contract, that is) for web capable products and new or refurbished devices.  These are web specials. Hands-free for FREE package from AT&T! Receive a free Motorola EM330, free BLUETOOTH® headset and more. Offer Valid While Supplies Last.

Verizon–Wall Street Journal reported May 1 that Verizon will offer free Wi-Fi to broadband subscribers on its FiOS and DSL using Boingo sites.  Deal could roll out as early as this summer. 

This is a limited time special (expires midnight May 25, 2009) from Wirefly to get a free Verizon phone and free activation. 

Sprint Nextel/Sprint PCS Wireless–Sprint Coverage Tool shows its nationwide Wi-Fi coverage.  There are other maps for voice coverage and international sites. 

T-Mobile–National and international hotspots found after getting through several layers of T-Mobile site, or you can click on this link and go straight there.  Landing page also has a good summary of what businesses are T-Mobile partners.
 

Hotel Chains–HotelChatter Annual WiFi Report 2009  Released May 6, 2009, ranks best and worst Wi-Fi by hotel brands.  Some chains up, others down, and very nice summary chart showing where you pay, where Wi-Fi is free, where Wi-Fi is free in the lobby.  Nice starting point for an overview of what to expect and what not to expect in your travels.  Small sampling of international sites with  up and down arrows.  Published by Conde Nast, HotelChatter is straightforward in its belief that the trend in 2009 is “towards the corrosion of the upkeep, reliability and ‘freeness’ of hotel wireless services.”

Starbucks–Wi-Fi Locator and Starbucks Card login information   There are at least three ways to get a free Wi-Fi connection at a U.S. Starbucks.  If you have a broadband contract with AT&T, you can log on for unlimited access.  If you have a Boingo account, the Wi-Fi connection is free.  If you have a Starbucks card, you can log on for free for two hours per day, depending upon whether or not you’ve purchased a product at Starbucks and used the card within the last 30 days.  If you log on with a mobile device other than a laptop, you have still more options at the same location.  With each option, as with everything in the “free” wifi world, different terms and conditions apply to each type of access.

McDonald’s–U.S. and global Wi-Fi locator  Ask for a coupon to log on free for an hour.  If the manager says there are no coupons, there may still be a free way to get on the system, depending on what you’re using to access the web.  The locator site has links to a FAQ with How to Connect instructions and another link for Network Partners to see if this gives you a free link.  AT&T and Boingo are the major gateways.  You can also get in (at least in the U.S.) with a Sony mylo or a Nikon COOLPIX S610c to send and share pics.  If you need to pay for access and all you have on you is your iPass username and password (real low chance this will ever happen), all charges are billed back to your company.  Explaining the Wi-Fi charge to accounting–that’s your responsibility.