Public wi-fi access

Below is a map and searchable list of public Wi-Fi access locations that have been reported to the Division of Broadband and Digital Equity. How can we make this page better for you? Use the map below to determine the coverage in your area. Enter your home street address in the address field and click the magnifying glass. You can also use the location icon to the right of the magnifying glass to allow the browser to determine your location for you.

Click on your location to see offers available to your address. Spring St. Main St. First St. Main Ave. Open Broadband Alexander Taylorsville 7th St. Allen Library, S. Greene St. Washington St. Guilford Memorial Library, Main St. Clair's Church, N. Jenkins Memorial Library, Broad St.

Dundee St. College St. Barbee Sr. Library, E. Brunswick Southport Harper Library, W Moore St. Hildebrand Public Library, S. Center St. King St. Burke Morganton City of Morganton, S. Burke Morganton City of Morganton, W. Meeting St. Burke Morganton City of Morganton, E. Union St. Burke Morganton City of Morganton, N. Green St.

Sterling St. Caldwell Lenoir Hickory Blvd. Catawba Hickory Nu Dimensions, 12th Ave. A Ave. Ervin Ave. Chatham Pittsboro West St. Balsam West Cherokee Murphy U. Church St. Cleveland Shelby E. Marion St. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville, S. Madison St. Cumberland Fayetteville Ray Ave. Salisbury St. Davidson Lexington East 1st Ave. Carroll St. Mountain St. WinstonNet has established more than 30 computer labs that offer free high-speed internet access and Wi-Fi hotspots.

Patterson Ave. And jumping on a free Internet connection can be a convenient way to access online accounts, catch up on work, and check emails while on the go. The best way to help protect your personal information is to avoid accessing sensitive information or performing sensitive transactions when connected to public Wi-Fi. And there are other safety measures that can help.

Public Wi-Fi can leave you vulnerable for different reasons. One reason has to do with the encryption protocol used by some wireless networks. Another has to do with the possibility of joining a fake or rogue Wi-Fi hotspot. Some wireless networks may use older standards for encryption which can raise your security risks. Wireless encryption protocol WEP , one of the first encryption conventions for wireless networking devices, is considered weak and easily susceptible to being hacked.

Wi-Fi protected access WPA was intended to replace WEP as the standard for wireless networking devices, but it too was found to have weaknesses.

Users are especially at risk when connected to a wireless network that uses those outdated encryption protocols. Another issue? When attempting to use free public Wi-Fi, you may be at risk of joining a rogue Wi-Fi hotspot. In such cases, an attacker creates a fake hotspot with the intent to perform man-in-the-middle MITM attacks on unsuspecting victims that join their rogue network.

If successful, this type of attack allows cyberthieves to intercept the communication between you and the servers of the websites you visit, allowing them to read, insert, and modify messages and data. With pre-built kits that can perform MITM attacks, even minimally skilled hackers can eavesdrop and monitor your online traffic to capture valuable information, such as login credentials, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers.

A lot of people likely will try to connect, especially if free Internet service is being offered. You might be away from home — at a coffee shop, for instance — and suddenly your computer shows that you're connected to your home network. Never use public Wi-Fi networks to access sensitive information. Be sure to choose one from a reputable security provider.

Once connected to the VPN, it creates a private network, or tunnel, through which you send information back and forth, adding an extra layer of security to your connection.

Website addresses that start with https are encrypted, adding an extra layer of security and making your browsing more secure. If you connect to an unsecured Wi-Fi network and use regular http instead of https, your traffic could be visible to anyone else on the network. Configure the wireless settings on your devices to not automatically connect to available Wi-Fi hotspots. This ensures that you do not unknowingly connect to public networks. According to a report from Cisco, commercial public Wi-Fi hotspots are expected to grow from 8.

Customers, in turn, can leverage freely accessible Wi-Fi connection while shopping. As for hospitality, according to a study from Systemagic , free and high-speed Wi-Fi, together with good connectivity in terms of bandwidth, are powerful tools for hotels to increase customer satisfaction.

Investing in better Wi-Fi services in the hospitality industry is, therefore, essential to attracting tourists and improving the guest experience. At the same time, investment in Wi-Fi services could benefit the local economy due to growth in its tourism sector.

Public administration sector Public Wi-Fi is a great opportunity for governments to connect entire cities: smart cities deploying free Wi-Fi are largely increasing and as a result, can effectively empower their communities with better services. Commercial sector According to a report from Cisco, commercial public Wi-Fi hotspots are expected to grow from 8. Read our case study about our partner Tacira. We are using technical and profiling cookies to give you the best experience on our Website.

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