With the busy lifestyle that people have today, 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 during the day, and often you need to keep everything under control. This applies to both housework and work assignments. The availability of the Internet 24 hours a day can make many things easier. You won’t have to look at the time to be in the office for a conference, for example. Just grab a laptop and make sure you can find free, reliable Wi-Fi to join the meeting on time. Similarly, you can travel abroad and take your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to get in touch with your loved ones anytime you need by starting a free public Wi-Fi hotspot. That said, 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 safe as it sounds? 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 while traveling 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:
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Enhanced travel experience (the opportunity to check your email, talk or exchange messages with the people you love and miss)
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Business advantages (if you have an urgent conference, meeting or presentation to do, but have a lot of time, you can do it from anywhere, where Wi-Fi services are provided for free)
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The chance to plan your day wisely (you don’t have to put off personal or business tasks if you have a chance to hit the Wi-Fi anywhere you need to)
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Availability 24/7, which means there are dozens (if not hundreds) of free Wi-Fi hotspots in almost any city. So why not risk using them when needed? That is an undeniable benefit, indeed!
Here are just a few benefits of this advanced technique. Now is the time to discuss the downsides of the option to figure out what to be prepared for.
Negative aspects of using free Wi-Fi in public places
We have already noticed that most cities in the world offer free Wi-Fi today and millions of people use the service without realizing the potential negative consequences they may face. Some of the negatives include:
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The need for owners of coffee shops, restaurants and other places that offer free Wi-Fi to handle a number of technical and financial problems. This is due to the fact that setting up the network with numerous access points is not an easy task, requiring the handling of technical problems. 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 facilities offer the service only to their customers.
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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. Consequently, the “free” Wi-Fi connection will not be absolutely free.
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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 launch onto the web is not adequately protected, you face a higher risk of being a victim of professional hackers. They can use your personal information for different malicious purposes without you being aware of it. This is a serious problem that worries most governments today.