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How to Get Free Internet Access at Home
How to Get Free Internet Access at Home
The internet is always expanding and connecting things in our lives that were not possible just a few years ago. For instance, you are now able to check your bank account, pay your bills and even shop for groceries all from the comfort of your own home. Internet access is available in your local coffee shop, restaurants and even bus terminals. A dream for many people is to access the internet from their home for free. Even for broadband users, any number of technical difficulties can occur which leaves you without service. Free internet service may not be as fast, but it will keep you connected.
There are a number of ways to get internet access for free. For instance, in large towns and cities, WiFi hot spots are numerous and seems to be everywhere you go. Internet access is readily available to anyone within the router’s vicinity. Another option for free internet access is dial up. While dial up is old news to most of the population, with the rapid increase in technology, the cost of creating a dial up ISP is so minuscule that many providers offer dial up access for free.
WiFi Hotspots
WiFi hotspots are a viable option for free internet access. The majority of today’s businesses use computer networks to connect their employees together for not only an easy way to share important information, but for a secure means of saving said information. Depending on your area, you may have wireless access from inside your home.
Some computers connect automatically to any open hot spot. The only thing you have to do is make sure the wireless on your computer is turned on. The computer will connect to any unsecured WiFi connection, starting with the strongest signal and descending until a connection is established. If your computer is not set to automatically connect to WiFi, simply double-click on the icon in your task bar that looks like a computer monitor with radio waves emitting from it. A list of available networks will appear. Click on an unsecured network with a strong signal and it will connect for you . While this is an easy way to obtain free internet access, there may be legal issues involved depending on which network is accessed. Although many businesses offer free WiFi access, connecting to a personal network such as your neighbors might put you at legal risk.
Free Dial Up Access
Dial Up internet was the preferred method of public internet access during the 90′s. While broadband internet access was available in some places, the cost of fiber optics was considerably more than today and made more advanced internet service extremely expensive. Today, dial up is considered by many to be too slow to even use. While it is true that websites such as Youtube that require a large amount of bandwidth will struggle on dial up, if you need internet access for email checking or other tasks that aren’t image or movie-intensive, it is a good alternative to more expensive service or as a backup connection. Free dial up internet access has one fatal flaw: there are no free ISPs that have a toll-free access number, so long distance charges may apply.
Dial Up service is available in many places for as low as $5 per month, but there are many internet service providers that offer service free of charge:
- Dial In Free. Offering free internet access to residents of Michigan, Dial In Free offers unlimited access without any usage timers. The lack of usage timers allows you to stay connected during periods of inactivity without worrying about getting disconnected.
- Fast Free Dial Up. Fast Free Dial Up offers free dial up access to anyone in California, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
- Juno/Netzero. Both Juno and Netzero are United Online Companies. Each of them offer 10 hours per month of free internet access. They offer thousands of access numbers, and the chance of having to pay long distance charges are slim to none. However, upon using their free service they will display banner ads in a bar above your internet browser. After your 10 hours are up, the only site available to connect to is their website which requests you to purchase their unlimited service.
- Met Connect. New York residents can use this free internet provider for unlimited dial up access.
- SoCal Free Net. This Southern California-based internet service provider offers unlimited internet access. They have 30 different access numbers located in multiple cities throughout Southern California.
While Juno/Netzero displays banner ads while using their free service, the other providers listed do not. The other providers also offer unlimited connectivity, while Juno/Netzero only offers 10 hours. However, Juno/Netzero offers thousands of access numbers, and the other providers only offer numbers in certain areas. Connecting to those internet service providers from outside their area may result in long distance charges, depending on your phone plan.
In order to connect to these free internet service providers, follow these steps:
- Visit the provider’s website and create an account.
- Find an access number that is within your area.
- Click on Start, Settings, Network Connections and then New Connection Wizard.
- After the New Connection Wizard is displayed, make sure Connect to the Internet is checked, and click Next.
- Click Set up my connection manually and click Next.
- Click Connect using a dial-up modem and click Next.
- Type in the name of your ISP. This is not mandatory, but rather a way for you to recognize which connection this is. Then click Next.
- Enter the access number you chose from the provider’s website. If it is not a local call, enter 1 then the area code before entering the number. You do not have to use parentheses or dashes. After entering the number, click Next.
- If the provider requires a user name and password to connect, enter the user name and password from the account you created on their website. Click Next.
- The connection is now set up. You may want to check the box that adds a shortcut on your desktop for easier access. Click Finish.
Juno/NetZero requires their software to be downloaded which will walk you through the connection setup.
Conclusion
Internet access is mandatory for many people today. While WiFi hot spots and dial up access may not be as fast as a normal broadband internet connection, it is still available for use to those who temporarily lose their service or cannot obtain or afford service. Many rural areas do not have access to high speed internet service other than satellite, so dial up is the only choice which is left. Using the two options mentioned can not only save you money, but save you time that would otherwise be spent on waiting for a technician to fix any problems with your connection.
This entry was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 3:59 pm and is filed under Free, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.