Pros and cons of free public Wi-Fi

With today’s busy lifestyles, it seems crucial to stay connected with your loved ones and business partners wherever you go. There are many things you can plan to do in a day, and often you have to keep everything under control. This refers to both household chores and work chores. The availability of the Internet 24 hours a day can make many things easier. You will not have to be aware of the time to be in the office to hold a conference, for example. Just grab a laptop and make sure you’ll be able to find free and reliable Wi-Fi to join the meeting on time. Similarly, you can travel abroad and take your smartphone, tablet or laptop to contact your loved ones anytime you need by starting a free public Wi-Fi hotspot. Having said this, it becomes understandable why the predominant number of cities around the world tend to organize free zones for local residents and tourists. However, is the technology as reliable and secure as it seems? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of this technology below.

Positive aspects of free Wi-Fi in the city

As mentioned above, free public Wi-Fi makes it possible for people from different corners of the world to stay connected at any time of the day. This is undoubtedly one of the main benefits of this technology. Among other merits of the technology, it also makes sense to note the following:

• Enhanced travel experience (the chance to check your email, talk or exchange messages with the people you love and miss)

• Business advantages (if you have an urgent conference, meeting or presentation to do, but are really pressed for time, you can do it from anywhere, where Wi-Fi services are provided for free)

• The opportunity to plan your day wisely (you don’t have to put off personal or business tasks if you have the opportunity to connect to Wi-Fi anywhere you need to)

• 24/7 availability, which means there are dozens (if not hundreds) of free Wi-Fi hotspots in almost any city. So why don’t you risk using them when necessary? That’s an undeniable benefit, indeed!

Listed above are just several advantages of this advanced technique. Now, it’s time to discuss the cons of the option to realize what to be prepared for.

Negative aspects of using free Wi-Fi in public places

We have already pointed out that most of the cities in the world offer free Wi-Fi today and millions of people use the service without realizing the possible negative effects they may face. Some of the negatives include:

• The need for the owners of cafes, restaurants and other places that offer free Wi-Fi to handle a series of technical and financial problems. This is triggered by the fact that setting up the network with numerous access points is not an easy task, which requires handling of technical issues. This is not as simple as you can see and the process always requires additional financial investments. That is the main reason why many restaurants, hotels and other public establishments offer the service only to their customers.

• If the city government decides to launch the Wi-Fi network, this will also require significant financial expenses. As a result, they can raise different taxes to solve the problem. Accordingly, “free” Wi-Fi will not be absolutely free.

• Privacy concerns also matter a lot when it comes to using free Wi-Fi in public places. If the mobile device that you are going to use to connect to the network is not properly protected, you face higher risks of falling victim to professional hackers. They can use your personal information for different malicious purposes without your being aware of the fact. This is a serious problem that concerns most governments today.