Tips for using Internet on Public Wi-Fi

 

This is of course for a POST – COVID 19 world of course – personal hygiene and social distancing needs to be applied!  

I’ve encountered a variety of Internet troubles from time to time in businesses that set up Wi-Fi networks for patrons e.g. cafes, motels, airport terminals etc …

• Traffic was too high – that might have been caused by you when you notice other patrons complaining of slow Internet once you get in!
• The Internet connection was outright not working
• Difficult in getting a suitable power point i.e. not in a good location, was used by somebody else etc …
• Noise - was sitting in a cafe but the pub with live entertainment also starts at 4pm in the next room... 
• Internet cutting in and out ... Microsoft products don't seem to recover as well as say Public Cloud products built on LAMP such as Facebook, Google etc ... 
• Other restrictions …
• …

This is might be expected as the proprietors of afore mentioned businesses are concentrating on their core businesses of hospitality / tourism etc … the Managing Directors of such business might not be all too concerned about being a Partner Internet provider!

Internet Cafe's (at least the ones that let you BYOD your own laptop) on the other hand are usually able to overcome these issues. 

It is true that re-selling Internet is more complex than simply getting Internet connected in your residence! Think security, load-balancing, high availability etc ... 

I actually ordered a $20 meal + drink once at a café in Epping, got my meal – went to go on the Internet and well it had stopped working some months ago! And I’m hearing more and more of these stories these days! 

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1. If you can't get the Internet around you more reliable or faster upgrade to ensure your laptop is not a (potential) bottleneck
2. Get a proper laptop stand
3. Use an external battery charger (if one is available for your laptop) and if costs permit a second battery
4. Set your laptop lock (also have a look at my other recent blog post) 

 

https://optimise-performance.blogspot.com/2020/06/tips-for-helping-you-set-your-laptop.html

 

In short, if you can't make the Internet around you faster or increase it's ubiquity all you can do is to try and iron out bottlenecks on your end!