Whether you're traveling or just trying to get out of the house a bit more,
there's one thing that plagues us everywhere we go: Wi-Fi. We may not have that
cloud of Wi-Fi covering the planet yet, but you can find free Wi-Fi almost
anywhere, if you know how to look. Here's what you need to know.

10.
Know Which Hotels and Businesses Always Have Wi-Fi

A lot of
businesses these days offer free wi-fi, even big chains like Starbucks and
McDonalds. Learn which ones do and remember them. You can start off by checking
out this list of unexpected places you can get free Wi-Fi, as well as our our
guide to Wi-Fi friendly hotels and our #freewifi tag. You might be surprised at
how many people actually offer it with no strings attached. Photo by Ken
Hawkins.

9. Use a Hotspot Database

If you don't have one of
those locations around, though—or if you can't stand the smell of coffee—it's
time to turn to a hotspot database like WeFi. They have a huge list of over 100
million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world, including rural areas you might not
expect. They've also got apps for iPhone and Android, so you're never without a
search engine to find yourself a connection.

8. Search for Hidden
Networks

If you aren't near a documented hotspot, that doesn't mean
you can't sniff one out. We've shown you a number of apps that'll help you find
free, hidden Wi-Fi networks, and we've also mentioned that electronics stores
are a great place to start looking (since they need Wi-Fi for their display
units), as are premium lounges in airports. With a little bit of searching, you
can bring all the hidden hotspots out of the woodwork. Just don't tell too many
people, or they might start protecting their network.

7. Browse the
Right Sites

This won't get you access to the whole internet, but if
you're just looking for Wi-Fi to pass the time, see if the local paid hotspots
offer any sites for free. Delta Airlines, for example, offers free access to
Amazon, People magazine, and the Wall Street Journal in-flight. It won't help
you check your email, but you can certainly keep busy browsing Amazon and
reading news, and you won't need to spend a dime.

6. Sign Up for a
Loyalty Program

Some businesses—like Kimpton and other hotels—will
offer you free Wi-Fi if you join a loyalty program with them. It's not a bad
deal considering most loyalty programs are free, and as long as you have a good
spam filter in place, you won't have to deal with those nasty newsletters they
send out after you sign up.

5. Find Some Coupon Codes

With
a little foresight, you can rack up some coupons and have them ready when you
need Wi-Fi access on the go. Sites like RetailMeNot are always great for finding
vouchers, and you can often see if that hotspot company has any partners that
regularly offer deals (You can often find GoGo deals through their partners like
Gadling, for example). Following that company on Twitter can often score you
some coupons, too. If you're in a big building like an airport, you may even be
able to find some codes at nearby shops, too.

4. Get Around Time
Limits with MAC Spoofing

Sometimes you find free Wi-Fi, but you're
only limited to a few hours. If you don't want to get up and find a new hotspot,
you can do some simple MAC address spoofing to extend your time. Either spoof a
new MAC address to get another few hours, or if you're really sneaky, spoof
someone else's MAC address that has unlimited access to the paid service, and
get unlimited Wi-Fi that way.

3. Get Wi-Fi From Your Cable
Company

You might not realize this, but if you subscribe to cable
internet at home, you probably have free access to all of their Wi-Fi hotspots
around town. If you live in a big city, you might even get hotspots from other
cable providers too. Check your provider's web site for a map of nearby
hotspots, or if they have one, download their mobile app from your app store of
choice and find them that way.

2. Tether Your Phone

If you
have a smartphone, one of the more obvious—but always useful—options is to
tether your 3G or 4G connection to your computer. We've talked about our
favorite tethering apps for both iPhone and Android, but know that they'll take
a little preparation beforehand. iPhone users will have to jailbreak first, and
Android users will have to root (but only for Wi-Fi tethering; USB tethering can
be done without root access). The nice thing about this method is that it works
pretty much anywhere, so as long as you prepare your phone beforehand, you'll
never be without a connection. Photo by Paul Irish.

1. Hack Into
Protected Networks

If you're in a Wi-Fi emergency and you absolutely
have to connect, you can take some desperate measures and do a little hacking.
We've shown you how to crack both WEP and WPA passwords, and all you need is a
live CD. However, it may take a bit of time, so it may or may not work in a
bind, and it probably isn't worth getting in trouble over. We don't really
recommend doing this, though it can be useful to do it to your own network so
you know how to protect yourself. You've been warned.

With all of these
tips, it's very important to remember that when you connect to a public Wi-Fi
network, you're opening a lot of your data up to the world. So, when employing
these strategies, be sure you're also doing everything you can to stay safe on
public Wi-Fi networks.