Where can you get free wireless internet in Australia?
We love anyone providing free internet. And we’d love to see more referred right here. If we are missing any network, please let us know. As an individual, be sure to register your access point on any of the aggregate mapping sites (for example ICanHazMeraki).
ICanHazMeraki.net: list of inspired people around Australia sharing their internet connection, the original Free Australia Wireless community. Sharing makes you feel all fuzzy and warm inside, really. (There’s definitely more access points, but people haven’t registered them on the site unfortunately)
Others
We definitely don’t take any credit for the free wireless networks mentioned here, although we’d like to think we have planted the seed of some of them… We just wish more people and organisations would offer free wireless internet.
And we also show you that “commercial” and “free” do go hand-in-hand…
Australia wide
Unwired’s uConnect service : Unwired, the party who was going to provide Sydney’s free municipal wifi in cooperation with the NSW government, has been busy this year roling out plenty of free wifi hotspots around town. These also cover 10 libraries around town (for example City of Sydney, Paddington and Double Bay libraries).
If you’re an iiNet customer, you get 100Mb per month free at any Tomizone hotspot around the city. Tomizone is very similar to FON; they allow people to share their internet connection with shared revenue. So if you’re not an iiNet customer, no free ride. Still worth a mention. Note: for a limited time, free access for iPhone and iPod touch users!
Sydney/NSW
If you’re in the Redfern neighborhood, you can get internet access in the NoWorries hotzone around the station. As of this date 447 people did, using 107 gigs. And if you want to get involved, growing the hotzone, get in touch with NoWorries.
The Rocks Hotspot under the sails in Playfair Square, gives you 30 minute blocks to surf the web and check your emails while chilling out in Sydney’s heritage quarter, courtesy of Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.
CafeScreen is a digital signage network that delivers content and advertising to cafe patrons via wall mounted digital screens and extends the potential conversation with patrons through the provision of free broadband wireless Internet access. They have hotspots through the CBD, Surry Hills and North Sydney.
myKP provides local councils with free internet access. Their current connected communities include Mona Vale Library, Pittwater’s Newport Beach, and Lane Cove Village.
ACT
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Canberra on FreeCanberraWireless.
Northern Territory
Soon more
Queensland
In Brisbane, check out BrishMesh, Brisbane’s Wireless Community Network.
South Australia
Around Adelaide, look for the Air-Stream wireless community
Tasmania
Victoria
Join Melbourne Wireless, an active community in Melbourne.
Western Australia
WAFreeNet, community wireless networking in Western Australia.
Of course, there are more ways to get free wifi. Try your local library! As we’ve seen, many now offer free wifi (in addition to wired PCs).