Places To Use Internet Near Me: Where To Find Free WiFi

Many people wonder, “Where are places to use internet near me?” WiFi hotspots are great if you want to work remotely from a cafe or get emergency internet for Google Maps. They provide you with access to the internet outside your home. You stay connected, and you’re happy and stress-free for it.

From a business perspective, offering WiFi is mutually beneficial. Businesses can use WiFi to create captive portals and collect valuable contact details from customers for future marketing. It also improves customer loyalty and the time guests stay per visit. It makes sense why places like shopping malls, restaurants, bars, and cafes offer WiFi.

Similarly, local governments and city councils often add free WiFi in city centers. This is a fantastic investment from the local tourism board, encouraging more people to visit certain places. There’s power in foot traffic. You’ll also notice public transport providers add free internet to their services.

In this guide, we’ll introduce you to all the places you can find free WiFi. Gone are the days of scrambling around coffee shops sheepishly asking if they have a WiFi password. These are ideas of places to go that actually work. Check out our comprehensive WiFi hotspot guide.

5 Common Places With Free WiFi Near You

So, before we get into the nitty-gritty specifics, this is an overview of places with free WiFi. When searching for places with free WiFi, these places should be on your list. You can download a hotspot map app or look for these places to see if you are lucky.

This section will introduce you to 5 types of places to look out for, and then we’ll drop specifics later. If you’re in a rush, this overview will provide a tremendous initial bit of information. Enough to get out and find yourself some free internet access.

1. Cafes and Coffee Shops

We have cafes and coffee shops. These two are the magic duo and great places to look for when you want WiFi. You can easily find cafes and coffee shops all over cities and towns. And if you want to find free WiFi, these types of places are a great starting point.

You can look for leading coffee shop chains like Starbucks that are known to offer great WiFi. You can also watch out for WiFi symbols in the windows (lots of businesses add a WiFi sticker). You can also just ask the staff. If you request nicely enough, most cafe workers and coffee shop staff will gladly give you the WiFi password.

2. Shopping Malls

Another popular place for WiFi is shopping malls. If in doubt, spot the nearest shopping mall and head there. This type of business loves collecting customer details for marketing. And even if the mall itself doesn’t have free WiFi, you’ll find a store inside that does.

Shopping malls are one of the safest bets when finding public WiFi hotspots. It is in their best interests to offer free WiFi. And they are full of stores if not, increasing your chance of discovering at least one hotspot.

3. City Centers

City centers occasionally offer WiFi hotspots, especially when they have old towns or public squares. Tourism boards and local authorities sometimes provide free WiFi to draw people to certain areas. It encourages foot traffic, keeps areas busy and attractive, and allows them to collect marketing details.

Governments offering city center WiFi have many benefits. You can usually find city center hotspots by checking your available WiFi networks. Watch out for WiFi signs and symbols, too. The only thing to note when using WiFi in these places is that VPNs can add extra security. Joining more extensive networks can be riskier, so be a little wary.

4. Train Stations

Train stations typically offer free WiFi, so if you’re stuck, look for these. Train stations are under private ownership in most countries but invest in WiFi to improve the customer experience. They also benefit from customer data collection for future marketing purposes.

Train stations usually have open networks with a captive portal system. Therefore, expect to exchange your email address or phone number to access their internet. You can generally join networks at the station and onboard the trains themselves.

5. Libraries

Libraries are a brilliant place to try to find WiFi. Libraries are usually open to the public and easy to locate and enter. A standard library policy is to have free WiFi systems so people can use them as study and workspaces. These spots are popular amongst students in particular.

If you can spot a library nearby, you should check if it has a public WiFi network. Even if it isn’t open to the public, signing up for a library membership is usually simple. Just bring some ID and sign up if necessary.

How To Get Free WiFi at Home Without Internet?

We have a list of the top three ways to get free WiFi at home or WiFi nearby. So, for those of you wondering, “How to get free WiFi at home without internet?” read on!

1. Use Mobile Data

You should invest in an unlimited mobile data package to avoid paying for WiFi at home. If you are only staying temporarily, this is a good idea for a short-term solution. You can even organize this daily — just upgrading your phone contract.

Using your mobile data, you can hotspot other devices, like your laptop, for movies. It won’t work for everyone. However, it’s an excellent way to avoid paying for WiFi if you have already spent time on your mobile.

2. Find Public Networks Nearby

Like the places above, finding nearby public networks is another great way to find free WiFi. It might involve some compromises ( like leaving your house). However, it is well worth the extra effort to get free WiFi. Who knows, you might even get lucky and be able to connect to a nearby WiFi network from home. This is especially true for those living above shops or cafes.

There are plenty of places with free WiFi 24/7, including spots like 24-hour McDonald’s. Get creative and be willing to leave your house if necessary.

3. Ask Your Neighbors Nicely

You should speak nicely to neighbors. If you’re having a hard time, they might be good samaritans and let you join their network for free. If you live next door, their WiFi network signal will likely reach your house.

Alternatively, ask them if they want to share a single WiFi network to cut costs. Only some people want to pay for WiFi alone. This is especially true if they don’t work from home and need high-quality, super-speedy WiFi. It wouldn’t be free WiFi at home, but it would be much cheaper.

How To Get Free WiFi on Your Phone

Learning how to get free WiFi on your phone is a life skill. Luckily, it is really easy. The best way is to just look for public WiFi hotspots — easy, right? Here’s a quick summary of your main two options.

1. Search for WiFi Hotspots for Your Device

You can easily find places like restaurants, cafes, and stations. You’ll find free WiFi everywhere. If in doubt, look for chains that you know offer free internet access, like McDonald’s.

2. Ask Someone If They Can Hotspot You

Another option is to ask someone if they’ll hotspot you. If you have a friend who has a large data package, they can share their connection with you via Bluetooth. It’s a bit cheeky to ask regularly, but as a one-off, most friends are happy to oblige.

What Are the Best Restaurants With Free WiFi?

What about restaurants with free WiFi? We know that you can look for public hotspots to join, but what are some specific restaurants with free WiFi? Here are the leading restaurant chains we’d suggest you look for when needing WiFi.

You can find WiFi at plenty of independent, non-chain restaurants. But having a few chains up your sleeve is great for a quick WiFi solution.

1. McDonald’s

McDonalds has a famously popular free WiFi service. The vast majority of McDonald’s chains will offer free internet access. These networks are typically open (meaning you don’t need passwords), and you just join through a captive portal.

Mcdonald’s isn’t known for being super healthy, but if you fancy a quick treat and WiFi, there’s nowhere better. It is also international, so it’s the perfect place to find WiFi outside of the US and UK.

2. Wendy’s

Wendy’s is another reliable source for finding restaurants with WiFi in the US. Wendy’s typically lets customers join open networks via captive portals. The consensus is that the internet speed is fast enough to scroll recreationally. So, while it likely isn’t your next remote working spot, it’s great for some fun internet access.

3. Arby’s

If you have yet to hear of this chain sandwich shop, you must hit Google and find your nearest branch. This chain is famed for its curly fries and filling sandwich meals. It also offers brilliant WiFi. Next time you are stranded WiFi-less and see an Arby’s sign, jump at the chance.

4. KFC

Another chain with an unhealthy stereotype, KFC, is where to head for comfort food and fantastic WiFi. You can dig into the perfect combination of chicken wings while browsing TikTok at supersonic speed.

KFC is one of the most underrated places to find free WiFi; you can find its branches worldwide. For international readers outside of the US, KFC is a safe bet (much like McDonald’s).

How To Find the Best Public WiFi

Let’s take a look at what the best public WiFi is. You know which restaurant chains you can find WiFi at. You understand what type of places you can find on the internet near you. But, if you have the luxury of choice, what is the best public WiFi to choose?

Well, we’d caution against large-scale public WiFi networks where possible. This is primarily for internet safety. These networks attract more people and are, therefore, more vulnerable to malicious attacks.

This rules out free WiFi spots in city centers, malls, and train stations where possible. Your best options are small businesses. For instance, coffee shops are where fewer people join their WiFi, and the company invests in network security.

These smaller businesses are great places to find free WiFi. They offer safer guest WiFi experiences and usually quieter atmospheres to enjoy using WiFi anyway.

One thing to ensure is that you make using the business’ WiFi a fair exchange. If you finish your drink but stay an hour after just scrolling, you’re likely taking up a valuable table. Things like this are essential for small businesses under more pressure to maximize daily profits.

If you plan on staying a while, order regularly to justify keeping the table. Similarly, be mindful of whether you visit at peak times or if others are waiting for a table space.

Beambox: Monetizing the Query of “Places To Use Internet Near Me”

Now, you are aware of all the places where you can find free WiFi, but what about utilizing it for your business? WiFi is an increasingly valuable thing to offer if you own a business. For instance, 74% of patrons would expect or want free WiFi in a restaurant. Offering a wireless network connection is becoming the norm.

However, providing a public WiFi network is also really beneficial for you and your business. It boosts customer satisfaction, makes customers stay and spend longer, and allows you to use WiFi marketing. What’s not to love? You can notice some incredible results after installing your WiFi the right way.

If this sounds up your street — and who doesn’t want to increase business growth and success — Beambox can help. We revolutionize the basic premise of offering WiFi, completely transforming business prospects for companies of all shapes and sizes. Internet marketing doesn’t need to be complex. We can help streamline the process for you; it only takes a few hours to get set up.

At Beambox, internet marketing is our specialty. We help businesses boost sales and foot traffic through the simple power of a WiFi router and great software. You can start your Beambox free trial today. Forget searching for places to use internet near me, and become the provider customers desperately desire.

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