Get on the Internet for Free

While many people today pay for Internet, some people may either not be able to afford the costs associated with connecting to the Internet or they may prefer not to pay. Whatever your reasons, one of the benefits of having a increasingly-connected world is that it is easier than ever to find a place where you can go online for free.

Steps

Discovering Free Internet Around Your Home

  1. Ask your neighbors. Whether you live in an apartment building or you live in a house, the chances are that one of your neighbors is already paying for Internet services. Since tapping into your neighbor's WiFi without their consent is illegal, you should ask them if you can use it.[1]
    • Some neighbors will let you use their Internet service for free; otherwise, a common arrangement is that you two split the bill -- which isn't exactly free, but it is cheaper than paying alone!
    • You can also barter with your neighbors for access to their Internet: for instance, you cut their grass, clean their car, etc.
  2. Ask you building staff. Oftentimes, if you live in an apartment building, the building will offer free wireless Internet access for its residents in select areas. This, of course, is only helpful if you live in an apartment building.
  3. Search a neighboring building. If you live in the city, chances are a building in your proximity offers free wireless Internet access for its residents or guests, and sometimes this network will require no username or password to access.
    • As you may not be the intended user for a neighboring building's wireless Internet, if you are caught there may be legal ramifications.[1]
  4. Look into free dial-up. Most locations nationwide are eligible to receive "free" dial-up Internet service through providers like NetZero and Juno. You can find out if you're in such a location by searching All-Free-ISP.com. The only catch is that these services put ads on your browser while you access the Internet.[2]
  5. Tether your phone. If you are already paying for Internet on your phone and are looking to access it through your computer, many services offer a tethering feature for free, which would allow you to use your phone's Internet service on your computer by connecting them through Bluetooth or WiFi. Call your service provider and ask if this is the case.
    • If you're already paying for it, then it isn't free -- but it is an economical use of your money!

Finding Free Internet Around Your Town

  1. Visit the library. City libraries all offer free Internet, although some may not offer free wireless access. Ask a librarian if there is WiFi access and, if so, what the access codes are.[3]
    • If your local library doesn't have WiFi, you can always use one of their computers for Internet access.
  2. Go to a cafe. Nowadays, most coffee shops and even many breakfast and lunch restaurants offer free wireless Internet for their patrons. You will probably have to purchase something in order to gain the access codes, but the Internet access will taste of sweet freeness.[3]
  3. Check out a book store. Many book stores, such as Barnes & Noble, offer free wireless Internet access -- and sometimes you don't even have to purchase anything to use it![3]
  4. Look into other establishments. There are lots of other places around you that offer free wireless Internet that you might not have thought of: for instance, McDonald's or a city park. To find other places near you, check out the website OpenWiFiSpots.com and search your neighborhood.[3]

Warnings

  • Most places that offer free internet access are not secured. The business and even other users can read everything you do on the network. Consider using a VPN to encrypt your traffic.
  • While it may be tempting to just "hop on" a neighbor's unprotected network, many jurisdictions consider this trespassing, and, thus, the act is illegal.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://phys.org/news/2009-11-neighbor-wi-fi-free.html
  2. ↑ http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-get-free-internet-service-almost-anywhere/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://www.countrymilewifi.com/how_to_get_free_wifi_internet_access.aspx
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