Free Wi-Fi keeps growing fast, no less than inside U.S. Now, all kinds of venues, including airports, hotels, cafes and in many cases trains are already offering free Wi-Fi in certain form. Some happen to be great at it, and some have stumbled badly, leaving the end user using a burning wish for a paid option that just plain worked.
Interest sparked when McDonald's announced which it was eliminating its limited-access, paid Wi-Fi option and was "going rogue" with all out free Wi-Fi. We're not talking about several venues, but 1000s of hotspots scattered through the county. Add premium coffee on the mix, so you guessed it. Not to be outdone, Starbuck's recently announced they too were going free, as well as for one-upmanship, are going to providing digital content that would otherwise not free should you be outside of the array of their Wi-Fi signal.
These were not surprising announcements, since free Wi-Fi had been becoming increasingly accessible as wired and wireless network operators began offering it for their subscribers as a supply of differentiation or as a competitive response. In addition, the need for high bandwidth networks has increased with the introduction of smartphones and now the iPad along with other tablets, ultimately causing a 3G capacity crunch in select geographies. Some carriers have dealt using the capacity crunch by implementing a 3G offload strategy which allows the conclusion user to simply connect to Wi-Fi hotspots a lot more range, at no additional cost.
Can the capability crunch also impact the free Wi-Fi venues? It sure can, and operators should beware.
Back in the "old days" when laptops ruled the planet, there was clearly a self-imposed limit to the number of endpoints that voluntarily linked to a Wi-Fi hotspot inside a public venue. The caf?� is really a prime example. It was highly unlikely that particular would connect whenever they were short on time, couldn't find an empty table or were running close to battery power without usage of a power outlet. As new portable devices emerge, a lot of that no longer is true. For example, lightweight, touch screen tablets that power on instantaneously, employ a long battery life and may be part of easily standing as sitting, will probably result inside a spike inside the average amount of simultaneously connected Wi-Fi endpoints in popular venues.
So now, the free Wi-Fi, won't seem free.
Too many devices ultimately causing a dramatic reduction within the bandwidth accessible to each device
Additional premium content also clogging up the bandwidth pipes
Easily accessible scams or malware to infect PCs and steal data
Having to wade through multiple screens to be able to access the free Wi-Fi, with every provider seeking different information and passwords
No procedures making sure that a business device has got the anti-virus software working as well as the VPN connected before a mobile employee accessed an important corporate database
More connection managers are smarter and definately will move an individual to a free Wi-Fi connection whenever possible, automatically
The image of a user ordering a coffee and instantly working just isn't entirely true. There may be more hassles and clicks and annoying malware threats than expected.
08 February 2019
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