Gail Eddy, Nederland. On a recent road trip, I struggled to find truly free WiFi. There are some apps on my iPhone that will only work when I’m connected to WiFi.  Where ever you go in this country, WiFi is always available, but most are locked up tight and if you don’t have a password you won’t be able to use it.

Some of the “Free” WiFi I’ve encountered include:

* An Xfinity hotspot that is only available to Xfinity subscribers. If you don’t subscribe to Xfinity already, it’s not available to you.  If you do subscribe to Xfinity, well, it’s not really free is it? I haven’t seen this available with any of the other internet providers.

* Free WiFi at a restaurant, but they kick you off after a half hour. When you’re on the road, you may be able to complete some of your tasks within a half hour, but not all of them, and you can’t sit down and use the WiFi without buying lunch or at least a cup of coffee. Again, the WiFi is not really free.

* In the state of Wyoming, all of the rest areas advertise their Free WiFi. However, when you go to log on, you need to provide your email address. This is presumably so they can follow up with Wyoming tourism emails.  When you provide something of value such as your email address or other personal information in exchange for a service (WiFi), you are paying for the service and it is not free.

* When you check for available WiFi, you may run across something that is not password protected.  Please be extremely careful if you do choose to use one of these. They may be collecting your personal information, keystrokes, passwords, etc. to use to scam you later on.

What Do I recommend?

* Many cell phone plans have the option of unlimited usage and a tethered hot spot. This is what I use much of the time. Obviously, you can’t use the WiFi on your smartphone, but if you have a tablet, you can connect it to your smartphone’s hotspot via Bluetooth. Again, this isn’t free because you are already paying for the service, but this option does not have you shelling out anything additional.

* Have a throw away email available for just this use. It does need to be an email that you have access to. Many times, when you sign up for something, like access to free email, they will want to send you a confirmation email to make sure you’re you, and to actually give you access to the service. Once you’ve given your authorization, you won’t need to look at any more emails from them.

* Check out a coffee shop. Many coffee shops have free WiFi available with a password available from the barista. Be a good person though, and keep buying cups of coffee or banana bread so they don’t want to kick you out, and, remember to tip well!

Please share this with your friends who travel frequently and search for free WiFi.

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. can be reached through the website www.GeekForHireInc.com or  (303) 618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

(Originally published in the May 9, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)