Frequently Asked Questions

Most public hotspots are "open", meaning that they do not employ any type of encryption or security. Securing a hotspot takes away the ability for the general public to connect without keys and passwords. However, if the website you're visiting is secure, our open hotspot does not circumvent that security.

Almost anything you can do at home can be done from a freeWAVE hotspot. Check email, browse the web, connect to your corporate VPN, download music and watch videos -- do it all!

Any Wi-Fi enabled device can use freeWAVE to access the Internet.

There is no sign up required! Once you've connected your Wi-Fi enabled device to our wireless network, you're ready to surf!

freeWAVE allows guests to access the Internet from their laptop, tablet, netbook, smartphone, and other Wi-Fi device without any fees whatsoever.

No software is required to use any of our freeWAVE hotspots. If your laptop or smartphone has Wi-Fi, you already have everything you need to use freeWAVE.

We do not actively monitor your browsing habits or other usage. We do monitor overall system performance which could be narrowed down to a specific client, but we do not collect or store any personally-identifiable information and this type of monitoring is solely for the purpose of ensuring reliability and availability of our systems.

freeWAVE is a free service, both to use and to host. However, even though the service is free, there are still costs involved and advertising helps to offset those costs. Plus, advertising is limited to local businesses and organizations, so it's a great way to find local establishments in our great city that you may not have heard from!

Unfortunately, freeWAVE is not available for personal use at home. The freeWAVE system is designed to be hosted by businesses so that you may have free wireless Internet access at their establishment.

freeWAVE is a free service to the public, but there are still costs involved in providing and maintaining it. Advertising helps to offset those costs. However, we can disable advertisements on a particular hotspot in exchange for a monthly fee from the host. Please contact us if you are interested in discussing this option.

We can configure a hotspot to have an option of a longer session time if you want to provide freeWAVE for meetings and other long-term events. We typically require a temporary PIN for the end-user to be able to use this option. This is an option we are willing to consider with our hosts on a case-by-case basis.

All of our hotspots employ time limits, which vary by location and could range from 15 minutes to two hours. After the user has reached the time limit, they will enter into a blackout period. During the blackout period, which is typically 15 minutes, the user will be unable to access the Internet and they will have to wait for the blackout period to expire before they can start a new session.

Hosting a freeWAVE hotspot adds value to the experience you already provide for your patrons.

Businesses and other organizations can host a freeWAVE hotspot without installation charges or monthly fees. So, it's not only free to use, but free to host! We provide all the equipment necessary and perform the installation.