Internet Access When Traveling: How To Get Online On The Go?
A lot of people are ditching the traditional office and managing their businesses from around the world, but how do you secure that much needed business tool – internet access? In this article Luke Douglas looks at how you can get online when you’re on the road.
In 2019, as long as you have the internet, you can maintain both continuity and a daily routine, no matter where you go. What we mean by this is the fact that you can stay in touch with people back home, even when you’re half-the-world away, that you can keep working from your laptop without visiting an office and much more. If you have a favorite TV show, you don’t actually have to have access to a local TV, seeing as how you can use streaming services to keep track of it.
The problem with this approach, in general, lies in the fact that you need internet access. At the moment, this may seem as not that big of a problem, however, what happens once you leave your comfort zone? Here are several tips to help you stay on track.
Some hotels and businesses always have Wi-Fi
Everyone knows that you can get a Wi-Fi connection at Starbucks, nonetheless, not a lot of people further inquire into other places where free internet is available. For instance, in California, everyone who serves jury duty gets access to a free Wi-Fi. Some busses have their own Wi-Fi signal, meaning that you can easily access the internet while using public transportation. A lot of coffee shops have Wi-Fi and a password written on a sign on the wall. At other times, you need to address the waiter for the password.
Staying safe on public networks
The problem with these places lies in the fact that, when accessing the internet on a public network, your safety might be compromised. Fortunately, there are more than a few ways for you to fight this. First of all, you need to turn off sharing (which somewhat differs between Windows and iOS). Next, you need to ensure that your firewall is on. In most cases, this software is on by default but it only takes you a couple of seconds to check. Most importantly, always check whether the portal you’re using has HTTPS and SSL certificates. As a mean of precaution, remember to turn off your Wi-Fi whenever you’re not actively using it. This alone should make a world of difference.
Wi-Fi map
Finding free Wi-Fi spots in this day and age is easier than it ever was before. Namely, you can do so via a simple app known as Wi-Fi map. The benefits of this tool lie in the fact it has a loyal and dedicated community, which contributes to the formation of the map. This means that people who are actively using these Wi-Fi spots tend to diligently and accurately report on them. If there’s a new password and one of the users learns about it, they’re likely to post an update. In a way, this helps the community as a whole. At the moment, this app boasts with over 100 million Wi-Fi spots for its users, which is quite formidable.
Buying a local SIM card
There’s one problem with all of the above-listed methods and that’s the fact that you come to rely on someone else. If you aim to work from a bar with free Wi-Fi, you rely on their closing hours, which might not align with your own. After all, what if you have a client in a different time-zone or want to contact a relative back home? The best way to be self-reliant in this field is to use an online AT&T store locator and get yourself a local SIM card. With it, you’ll get some data volume that you can use in moments of need. Sure, you don’t have to use them all the time but having that extra bit of internet definitely helps.
External wireless card
Those who want to be completely self-reliant (at least internet-wise) on their travels, need to look for the external wireless card and solve this issue in the simplest, most elegant manner. The way in which this works is fairly simple, you get a tiny device that you can plug in your laptop via a USB. This is amazing for digital nomads and telecommuters, especially seeing as how it can give them an opportunity to work from public places like parks and beaches.
Be frugal
At the end of the day, just because you have access to the internet, it doesn’t mean that you can afford to be lavish about it. You never know when it might run out so avoid using apps with ads and turn off all the updates. You can make a compromise over this last part by ensuring that your device updates only when it has access to Wi-Fi.
Conclusion
As you could see from the above-discussed and listed, it’s fairly easy for you to do research on the location that you intend to visit beforehand. For instance, when calling a hotel or a person that you intend to lodge at, you can simply ask about their connection. You can also look for the place online and see if there are any businesses in the neighborhood that offer free Wi-Fi. Sure, this may differ from place to place but, while you still have your reliable internet connection, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to check.
- Follow Luke Douglas on:
