There’s nothing worse than running out of mobile data or having your internet drop in the middle of the day. We are so used to using social media apps and surfing the web from the comfort of our own homes that not having access to the internet for an entire day sounds terrifying. On the bright side of things, you would be surprised to find out that there are many ways to get Wi-Fi at home for free.
Most people don’t know this, but there are a handful of ways to get free internet. These methods are all legal and easy to use. Obviously, the free internet might not provide the fastest download speed, but it’s always better than not having Wi-Fi at all. With that being said, today we will show you our top four methods to get Wi-Fi at home for free.
How to Get Wi-Fi at Home for Free
#1 Get Free Trials from Internet Service Providers (ISP)
Since almost everyone has a Wi-Fi connection in their homes, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find out that you can access free Wi-Fi by asking your ISP for a trial. Almost all providers have a dedicated trial plan that allows their clients to connect their devices to free Wi-Fi. The purpose of the trial is to showcase the speed and stability of the internet. Therefore, your Wi-Fi will be more powerful than usual.
You can generally find all the information you need about accessing free trials directly on your ISP’s official website. If the information is not available on the homepage, you can always contact them via phone and ask them about their Wi-Fi trial policy. However, you need to make sure to cancel the subscription just before the trial promotion expires.
#2 FreedomPop
If this is the first time that you are reading about FreedomPop, you should know that this is a wireless internet provider based in Los Angeles. The company believes that the internet is a necessity and wants to provide everyone with access to free Wi-Fi. What’s great about FreedomPop is that it offers plans as low as $0.00 per month. Depending on what kind of service you require, the price goes up. However, you can get free Wi-Fi free of charge.
Even though the company in charge of FreedomPop is based in Los Angeles, you can still get free Wi-Fi eve in smaller cities. The reason behind this is that FreedomPop uses VoIP technology. That’s not all. The app also uses the signal towers from major network carriers such as AT&T and Sprint to enhance the network coverage.
#3 Use a Dial-Up Connection
If you don’t want to get Wi-Fi at home for free by using a trial promotion or FreedomPop, you can always choose to use a dial-up connection. Office buildings that are used by companies are usually equipped with a dial-up connection that permits the users to access Wi-Fi just by installing a modem on a dedicated phone number. If you have a friend or somebody that you know working as a system administrator for an office building, you can always ask them for a connection so that you get Wi-Fi at home for free.
The tricky part about using a dial-up connection is that you need to know someone who will share the access info. There is another important thing that we need to mention. Wi-Fi that is based on a dial-up connection is much slower than what most people are used to. The average speed is 56 kilobits per second, but hey, this doesn’t matter if it’s free.
#4 Use a Dedicated Antenna
The biggest advantage of living in a big city is that there are hundreds of free Wi-Fi networks around you. The tricky part is to intercept them and bring the signal to your home. Here is where dedicated antennas come in and save the day. Setting up your router the right way and using a powerful adapter will help you access Wi-Fi from locations that you wouldn’t usually be able to locate. Follow the guide below to learn how to use an antenna to connect to free Wi-Fi.
How to Use an Antenna to Get Free Wi-Fi
First of all, you need to make sure that your device works in client mode. This means that the device needs to be able to receive Wi-Fi from the antenna and connect your smartphone, laptop, and other gadgets to it. The second requirement is to purchase a powerful antenna that can receive the signal without losing quality.
If you have the two devices, the next step is to connect the point to a computer or a router. Make sure to set the device to find free Wi-Fi networks. Now, you need to find a public area that offers free internet, such as a local gas station or fast-food shop. Point the antenna towards the location to catch the Wi-Fi signal. Go ahead and install the point on your computer.
You need to use the IP address on the same subnet as the access point. This can be done by accessing the Settings Menu – Local Area Connection – Network Control Center. If you are using a TP-LINK device, you can add the following settings: IP – 192.168.0.2, Mask – 255.255.255.0, Gateway – 192.168.0.254 (you can google the specific settings for other networks if you are not using a TP-LINK device).
Now, you are required to select the network that your computer will connect to. In case the network is closed, you can go ahead and type in the SSID and password that you can get by visiting the place and asking the customer service employees. If login credentials are not required, you can click on the “Survey” button to automatically search for local networks. The next step is to select one of the available networks and click “Connect.” Now, all that is left to do is go back to the computer’s network card and revert all settings to “auto” mode.
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