Free WiFi Paris : A good but flawed solution to stay connected in the French capital

Free WiFi Paris : A good but flawed solution to stay connected in the French capital

Every day, we rely a little bit more on the Internet and our connected devices. It's even more important when you're traveling abroad, because of the lack of orientation in an unknown country. The internet can guide you to get around, discover the best sightseeing opportunities or explore the best local coffee shops & restaurant! That's why if you want to visit Paris in good conditions, you need a fast and reliable connection to the internet.

To answer this need, a lot of people traveling to France use the Free WiFi in Paris. But how do you find the free hotspots in Paris?

Is it a good option for travelers in France? Is there any better option available for savvy travelers?

Free WiFi Paris: Internet Made Accessible To Everybody

Free WiFi in Paris has a lot of benefits. It is very easy to find a place that offers Free WiFi in Paris. Cafés, restaurants, hotels, stores, shopping malls, airports, you name it. It's really easy to get connected. In general, you will be redirected to a form to fill with your name, your e-mail address and a password. Once it's done, you're good to go and browse the internet.

One thing you should be aware of if you're looking for Free WiFi in Paris: If your device finds a network called "FreeWifi", it won't be free. Actually, it belongs to a French mobile provider named "Free" and it is accessible only to its subscribers. A lot of providers in France operate this kind of service. But because of Free's name, it can be really misleading for non-French people. Nevertheless, if you're in an emergency, you can buy credit to access the service even though you're not a subscriber.

The city of Paris also owns a good network of public WiFi hotspots in parks, libraries and other public places. The local government is working on the extension of the public WiFi network in Paris, but it is a complex and lengthy process. Indeed, in order to build a reliable public WiFi network in a city like Paris, you have to work with several actors, build the infrastructure necessary to this kind of project.

You can check this coverage map to get an idea of all the public places covered by Paris WiFi network. It's a nice way to get an access to the Internet, especially on an improvised trip. But as tempting as the Free WiFi Paris can sound, it has some serious drawbacks.

Free WiFi Paris isn't a perfect solution though

The first problem that you can encounter with so-called Free WiFi in Paris, even before connecting to it, is that you'll need to pay for it. That's right, a lot of businesses that offer "Free" WiFi in Paris actually limits it to their clients.

So you'll have to order something to get the login info. While a connection to the Internet is a nice extra when you're looking for somewhere to eat, having to pay a coffee or something just in order to get the password can be annoying.

Once you're connected, the real problems begin. The connection isn't stable, you keep getting logged off for no apparent reason. When it's working, you can get a connection so slow you'll be able to remember the noise of the dial-up modem.

Finally, you got the security issues. Indeed, a lot of Free WiFi hotspots in Paris aren't on secured networks, and they are a target of choice for hackers. Every day, some unwary tourists get their personal information hijacked by hackers, mostly in airports and train stations.

Another issue with the Free WiFi Paris is that it is organized around hotspots. While it is useful when you stay in one place, chances are you'll want to move around in the French capital. Problem is, once you'll get out of the range of the hotspot, your devices won't be able to reach the signal anymore. For all these reasons, we recommend the Free WiFi Paris for short-term usages, which makes it unsuited for people staying in France for tourism or business.

A solution best suited for travelers in Paris: the Pocket WiFi

The Pocket WiFi for France is the traveler's best friend in Paris. It's a router small enough to fit in your pocket and it broadcasts a private WiFi signal. You can connect up to 10 different devices simultaneously on this network. Also, the Pocket WiFi gives you an unlimited access to a high-speed connection on the go. With its 8-hour battery life, it can follow you all day long in your sightseeing tours or business meetings.

With the comfort provided by this device, stop hunting for Free WiFi and start feeling at home everywhere. Make your next trip to Paris easier thanks to My Webspot's pocket WiFi and enjoy the scenic sights of the French capital freely.

Find also in our articles all the reliable means to get wifi in Paris.

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