Wireless internet (Wi-Fi) is becoming more common in the United Kingdom.
Most hotels will offer in-house wireless internet, but will likely charge rather extortionate amounts for access. In larger cities, simply sitting in a café and checking for Wi-Fi will work, but visitors must be aware of the following safety points when considering Wi-Fi:
- It is an offence in the United Kingdom to use wireless internet without being given the express permission of the administrator. Check for "Free Wi-Fi" or "Wi-Fi Access Here" signs before logging on.
- Connecting to a Wi-Fi network without an adequate firewall poses a security risk to your device.
- Attempting to connect to a person's private Wi-Fi router is known as "freeloading" and is an offence, punishable by law. The web site www.consume.net has a very hard to navigate database of people who offer their Wi-Fi for free.
The main UK service providers offer Wi-Fi access in public areas:
- The Cloud is a pan-European pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi provider. It provides indoor Wi-Fi access in many venues across the continent, as well as outdoor access in the City of London, Amsterdam and Stuttgart. Click here to find out the nearest access point to your location.
- Most McDonalds outlets now provide a free Wi-Fi service with The Cloud.
- National Express offer free Wi-Fi along certain routes in the south of England, notably Cambridge and Milton Keynes to London, in collaboration with Vodafone.
- T-Mobile offer 30 minutes free Wi-Fi access with any purchase at Starbucks. Just remember to ask for the voucher!
- Most airports offer an in-house service along similar lines.
- Myhotspots.co.uk is an impartial website which gives a fairly complete account of Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK and is worth checking out before you visit.
