I'm traveling with a laptop to Europe for the first time. I know that our cell phones don't work without a special chip or something and was wondering if my laptop will be able to connect to the internet wirelessly.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19095 posts
When I was in Germany last Oct, most accommodations had wireless networks in house, and they connected to the Internet. One town had a wireless "hotspot"; one hotel had an Internet computer for general use. I found four cybercafes (well, bars actually), only two of which had more than 1 computer. None had wireless.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
In addition to the places Lee listed, I find most McDonald's and Starbucks have WiFi. Typically the first 30 minutes is free, after that you have to pay; rates are reasonable.
Posted by
Krems, Wachau, Austria
386 posts
in many hotels, airports and hot-spots in major cities you should have free access via WIFI.
Keep in mind that Europeans are not as generous with WIFI as Americans are, without a password you might not be able to get into the internet even though the geographical coverage is nearly flawless.
Internet Cafes and call Shops are everywhere though, for fairly little money (10 cents per minute tops), you can check email while you are sipping wine or coffe in a sidewalk cafe.
Of course you can also get a prepaid European cell phone on which you can dial yourself into the net.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
I've never been at an airport that offers free WiFi.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
805 posts
Wifi is easy to find in Europe. The frequencies used are either the same, or close enough, that it shouldn't be a problem (I didn't have one last summer).
Also, as for Free Wifi in airports, I don't know about in Europe but Portland's airport offers free Wifi here in the US. It's one of the reasons we're ranked the top airport in the country two years running by Conde Nast Traveler.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
No guarantees that all sites listed are still in operation, but you can check out http://wififreespot.com , http://www.jiwire.com , http://wifinder.com , and http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com . Some will allow you to search only for free spots. And, as Michael notes, McDonalds and Starbucks are good when you need a dose of American-style food or coffee.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Your wireless works the same as it does in the States. It's just a matter of being able to secure access, for which you'll likely need a password.