How To Connect Up To Free WiFi Access

If you have never used free WiFi access before it can seem a bit complicated to connect up to, but for the most part it is extremely simple to get your internet connection up and running in no time. This will work for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux based systems but I am going to take this look from a very Windows based perspective.

Steps To Making Sure That You Can Find Free WiFi Access

The first thing you want to make sure is that your computer system is set to automatically connect up to free WiFi access points as they are detected. Usually this will be the default configuration, but if you have a work computer it may not be set up this way. Simply go into your control panel, then to network settings, then WiFi settings. Once you are in there you should be able to set your free WiFi access to look for networks and connect as they become available. Also, make sure that your settings are looking for all of the different available types that your wireless card will support. Typically for cards today this is going to be B, G, and N type networks. The most common networks these days are wireless type G. This offers the best balance of cost and speed. B networks are too slow and the signal strength too weak for any real applications, while N are simply not as common and usually are much more expensive.

Once you have your free WiFi access set up, now you simply have to find some free WiFi locations to start connecting up. There are many different ways you can go about doing this. The best and most tried and true is to do your research ahead of time. While sometimes we simply will have no choice and have to hunt and peck using a hand held device or our laptop, this method is not preferred. There are websites out there that seek to document where you can find these hotspots so that you can take advantage of the free services that they provide. Usually these websites will be searchable by Zip code or city and town name. In addition they can provide information on locations worldwide and these are generally not limited to the United States.

Lastly there are documented places that have free WiFi access at all times. These include Barnes and Nobles, Starbucks, AT&T, most McDonalds, as well as many others. If you are out of luck trying to get connected up, simply going to one of these locations could be exactly what you are looking for. They can provide you with the service you need and in some cases extra things like food and drink as well. Also, they usually have staff that can help you connect if you are having difficulties.