You'll have lots of choices for wireless Internet in DC for your business needs since it's such an active metropolitan area. Regardless of whether you need to send an email on your laptop, surf the web on your phone or check an appointment on your Blackberry, you should have no trouble connecting with wireless Internet providers Washington, DC.
Before you hop into a free wireless Internet service provider in Washington, DC, remember that there are security risks involved. Before hooking into any service make sure that you have safeguarded yourself in these ways:
1. Unless you are given a WEP or WPA key to enter at the Washington, DC wireless Internet provider, everything your computer is sending or receiving can be seen by hackers.
2. Get a VPN on your laptop so whatever you send or receive is encrypted when using wireless Internet in DC.
3. Avoid web sites where you must entering user name and passwords unless those sites begin with https instead of http. URLs beginning with https are encrypted.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Try a few different Washington, DC wireless Internet providers
While wireless Internet in Washington, DC is plentiful, they are not all created equal. Some places are noisier than others which may not be conducive to the work you need to do. Some have more comfortable seating than others so you will want to test out a few places before settling on your final selection.
I recommend: Visit
Just Click Local,
Open WiFi Spots and
WiFi 411, and you can instantly pull up lists of places where you can gain Internet access for Washington, DC. These sites allow you to plug in whatever postal code you want to see where you can go for WiFi.
Locate Free Washington, DC wireless Internet
There are plenty of free WiFi locations in Washington, DC, but there are some caveats to using free WiFi spots. If it is lunchtime, chances are you will be limited to 30 minutes before getting kicked off of the network. Even if a café offers free WiFi, they still expect that you will buy something so it may be worth it to spend $3 for an overpriced coffee to keep on good terms with the provider.
I recommend: For free Washington, DC wireless Internet service check out
I Love Free WiFi and
WiFi Free Spot. These sites will also allow you to put in any postal code to see lists of free WiFi places.
Consider buying service from a wireless ISP in Washington, DC
Although there are is free wireless Internet in DC, you might want to buy your service from a wireless ISP in Washington, DC anyway. Free WiFi providers often put limits on the amount of time you can be on their network or restrict its hours of use which may not be convenient for you.
I recommend: Alltel and
Verizon Wireless are two of the biggest wireless Internet service providers in Washington, DC.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- You may need to purchase a wireless card for older laptops in order to take advantage of wireless Internet in DC. Consult your laptop manual to see whether your computer is wireless ready or not.
The official source of Wireless Internet Providers in Washington, D.C. is
the Wireless Internet Providers in Washington, D.C. page at Business.com