Raise your hand if you’ve ever gone to a coffee shop expecting it to be a hotspot based on the info from a Wifi locator site, and finding yourself completely unable to connect. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever had the same experience at a library, a hotel, or a restaurant.
See, the great thing about the internet is that anyone can make a website about anything they want, but the downside is that, well, anyone can make a website about anything they want, even if they have no idea what they’re talking about. Sadly, this is done on a professional level just as often as it’s done on an amateur level. If you wanted to count all the companies that set up a hotspot-finder website and don’t know how to keep their Wifi locations up to date, you’d run out of fingers and toes in a matter of seconds.
So with that in mind, we’ll try to compile a list of ten of the best WiFi locator sites out there, in no particular order.
www.wififreespot.com
Despite its bare-bones design, this site is pretty helpful because it lists some spots that other sites tend to overlook, like car dealerships, RV parks, and cigar shops. However, this writer can tell you from personal experience that their list is a bit incomplete. Still, it should20make a good site to cross-reference with another, as it seems to be on the lookout for lesser known hotspots.
www.jiwire.com
This one is fairly impressive. The site uses a search function and allows visitors to rate the hotspots. It also lists the stats and provider of the Wifi connection so you have an idea of what to expect.
www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com
Here’s a good one. The list is absolutely packed, and it’s full of places like campsites and RV parks. Keep this site in mind if you do a lot of traveling.
www.wi-fihotspotlist.com
The listings found here are slightly incomplete, but the ability to search by proximity to a certain street address is certainly appreciated, as it allows you to find a hotspot in walking distance from your home or work.
www.hotspothaven.com
This site is nice and fast. Punch in your zipcode and boom, there’s a list. You can narrow the listings down by hotels or bookstores if you like. The stripped down, easy to navigate design means you can find a hotspot in a matter of seconds.
www.lessnetworks.com/static/community.html
This site takes a sort of a community angle to wifi hotspots. This can be great if you want specific info on certain hotspots, but if you just need the address, then this site maybe has a few too many bells and whistles. Still, it’s an interesting experiment, at least.
hotspot-locations.com/
Here we go. A hotspot locator that=2 0actually lists hotspots all around the entire globe. If you make a lot of business trips, keep this site in your bookmarks.
www.openwifispots.com
This site doesn’t have a lot of listings for smaller towns, but for major cities, it’s a huge help. Searchable by street address or zip code, you can easily find a hotspot within a few blocks of wherever you’re at.
www.btopenzone.com/help/index.jsp
