Sure, we all know many airports and cafes have free WiFi, but what about your local big box retailer? Recently we were surprised to discover a free WiFi hotspot where we did not expect it which got us thinking about all of the unexpected places where we've found free WiFi (and we are not just talking about your neighbor's unsecured linksys network).
- The Laundromat Free WiFi really helps make the chore of laundry all that much more tolerable.
- Best Buy We were pleasantly surprised after discovering we had zero cell phone reception to price check that Best Buy has a free wireless network. The network was speedy and reliable, everything we could want for browsing on our mobile device (hint AT&T hint).
- Fast Food While we are not huge fans of their food we do like the free WiFi.
- The Park Although the weather is turning a bit nippy, we do still enjoy our time outside in the park. Many parks, like our local Bryant Park, offer free WiFi as part of the Public Internet Project.
- Grocery Store While this might sound crazy for some to believe, our local Whole Foods is the most inexpensive place to shop for fresh food. Throw in the free WiFi that's offered and those lines don't seem anywhere near as terrible.
- The Bus Several bus lines now offer free WiFi, these include Megabus and Bolt.
- EZ Lube Oil Change & Car Dealerships While we don't have a car our friends that do are pleased that free WiFi is something they can enjoy while they wait for the oil in their car to be changed.
- The Train Yet another reason to forgo the security hassle of flying and travel via the train...several Amtrak lines now have free WiFi!
- Gyms & Yoga Studios While browsing the web is not exactly going to help you get into shape, we can definitely see the use for free WiFi where we exercise.
- The Courthouse Next time you are serving Jury Duty check with your local courthouse for free WiFi.
- Museums When we visit museums we don't go to browse the internet, but it is helpful to have free WiFi for planning your next stop.
- Bookstores Many bookstores including Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Housing Works all offer free WiFi.
What are some unexpected places where you've encountered free WiFi?
(Images: Flickr user Charleston's TheDigitel under license from Creative Commons, Flickr user Alan Levine under license from Creative Commons, and Flickr user Bert Kommerij under license from Creative Commons.)
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My neighborhood - courtesy of all my non-tech-savvy neighbors ;)
The weirdest places I discovered with WiFi: A random gas station/restraunt in New Mexico and a rest stop in the middle of Texas (it also had a tornado shelter). It was crazy.
I'm using the free WiFi in a hospital room right now. Never knew hospitals did that.
a private campground (one of those places where you rent the whole place for a group event) - i never expected to encounter wifi in the mess hall, but there it was!
choneycutt5000 - more hospitals are doing that, both for staff and visitors/patients.
Peter Piper Pizza - (think Chuck E Cheese) - swarming with small children!
If you are serving jury duty, just be sure to check with the jury commissioner before you start cruising the web. Don't want to do anything to risk the trial!
A few years ago I was in a very small town north of San Francisco, (Point Reyes Station) where I couldn't even get cell phone reception, and I noticed a man on a laptop. The local library had wi-fi. He gave me the password, and I was able to sit in my car and go online to check email.
America's Best Eyeglasses has free (or unsecured) Wi-Fi. So does Home Depot locally, and our hospital ER. Big box? Not WalMart--afraid of our scanner apps and judicious price checks.
I work in IT&S for a BIG hospital company and we do have wi-fi for our hospital patients/guests. They've even put in stations in some units (like labor/delivery) so people can Skype w/friends/family!
I would have to recommend being familiar and knowledgeable on how to connect to different or "found" networks.
I would love to help people get connected, but alot of them have no clue, and there is only do so much that can be done over the phone.
an Orchid farm in Hana in Maui.
Some Walgreens too!
The hospital maternity ward after the birth of my son. Also, just fyi--according to TxDOT, all of the rest areas in Texas have it. Though, I think that's probably a little spotty.
Our public library system has free wi-fi.
The ball park. Mid-level hotel chains (Holiday Inn Express gets my business a lot because of this) but not high end hotel chains. Our town's city hall.
One surprising place that does NOT have free wifi: the convention center at Disney World. I have two problems with this: 1. Don't market yourself as a premiere convention and business location and then not provide wifi access for the people who spend an already obnoxious amount of money to go. 2. You can't give me wifi but you can scan my fingerprints to make sure I have the right park ticket? Really?
Wouldn't it be more useful to link to resources for finding free wifi near you - than to just provide a generic list of place that MIGHT provide wifi? I'm not affiliated with any of the following, but plan on using them the next time I'm in need of more internet than I can get on my Android phone:
http://www.wefi.com/maps/
http://www.wi-fi-map.com/
http://hotspotr.com/wifi
In Massachusetts all public libraries have free wifi, as well as computers you can use in a pinch. It's my goto place on hot summer days because my house isn't air conditioned and the library is.
Yep to the hospital thing... I've had a patient pull up Skype on her laptop and stream the birth of her baby to her military husband in the Middle East. Pretty cool.
El Pollo Campero. It's a Guatemalan fast-food chicken joint that is ubiquitous in Central America. I can't tell you how many times I used their free WiFi during a three month road trip to Panama.
Nice post. It's always surprising where we can find wifi now. I especially like the bus. Just makes the time go by faster. @kaz - so true.