Free wi fi

[Margaret Butterworth]

Last year there was a report on this forum about free wi fi along the whole of the Camino Frances. Does anyone have experience of this? What exactly is the extent of the coverage? Is it just in bars and other establishments along the way?

 

[Mark Lee]

Free wi-fi is common all along the CF from SJPdP all the way to Santiago. In albergues both municipal and private. Hotels, pensiones and hostels. In the cafes, bars and restaurants.
I had no problem at all finding somewhere that had free wi-fi on both my CF's.
You didn't notice it when you did the CF?

 

[mspath]

Free wi-fi is common ...I had no problem at all finding somewhere that had free wi-fi on both my CF's...

It is common but NOT universal! Furthermore you generally need to ask for the password or 'contrasenda' in order to log on. Many places do promenently advertise the fact that they have WiFi.

 

[Mark Lee]

It is common but NOT universal! Furthermore you generally need to ask for the password or 'contrasenda' in order to log on. Many places do promenently advertise the fact that they have WiFi.

well, yeah of course, but it's still free.....
I would hope that is pretty much understood by anyone walking the Camino and looking to log on at any establishment.

 

[KinkyOne]

It is common but NOT universal! Furthermore you generally need to ask for the password or 'contrasenda' in order to log on. Many places do promenently advertise the fact that they have WiFi.

Might correct you, it's "contraseña"

And for all the rest - ask whether it is in "majuscula" or "minuscula"...

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Free wi-fi is common all along the CF from SJPdP all the way to Santiago. In albergues both municipal and private. Hotels, pensiones and hostels. In the cafes, bars and restaurants.
I had no problem at all finding somewhere that had free wi-fi on both my CF's.
You didn't notice it when you did the CF?

I beg to differ. Wifi is available in bars and albergues, but rare are the towns and villages that offer it. The one spot that comes to mind is the village at the end of the 17km stretch along the meseta. There's a WIFI available to all villagers and transients, but otherwise it's private access for patrons only. And just brace yourself to see the complexity of the passwords.

 

[Mark Lee]

Hey, nitpicking aside, I was pretty much able to log in to the internet everyday for free on both my CF's.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hey, nitpicking aside, I was pretty much able to log in to the internet everyday for free on both my CF's.

Every day yes. Along the CF, as was asked, nope.

 

[mspath]

Might correct you, it's "contraseña"

And for all the rest - ask whether it is in "majuscula" or "minuscula"...

Whoops! Thanks for the correction and clarification

MM

 

[Sheesh]

Hello Margaret B. I remember the post you are referencing. It intrigued me as well. I think this may be it: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/free-wifi-in-2015.30092/

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

Yes, Sheesh, that's what I was thinking of. It almost seemed to suggest that there was wi fi all along the route, just as there is on many streets in town centres here in Australia. I half hoped/believed that it was an initiative to help pilgrims, given that there are so many of them!

Of course, I observed the free wi fi available last year in many bars and hostels, but then I didn't have a mobile phone at that time. I was relying on coin-in-the-slot internet access, which seems to be becoming less available and less efficient, now that many people are carrying their own devices.

 

[jmcarp]

Our experience in 2013 was that yes, wifi is available in many places, bandwidth was limited in most locations. This meant slow connections and drops most of the time. Be patient, and try to limit bandwidth-hogging connections such as uploading photos and VOIP sessions such as Skype. Your fellow pilgrims will thank you.

 

[Carol06]

I had no trouble connecting anywhere on the CF in 2012. And I bet it has improved since then.

 

[MichaelSG]

I only walked the CF in 2012 and I couldn't find wifi in about a half dozen towns where I stopped for the night. I tended to avoid stopping in bigger cities. As I recall though, I could probably find at least one bar / restaurant each day that had it.

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

Thanks to all who responded about how they were able to find free wi fi SOMEWHERE. I was really more interested in how pervasive the coverage actually was, since the news article quoted appeared to suggest it was EVERYWHERE!

 

[Scott Sweeney]

I beg to differ. Wifi is available in bars and albergues, but rare are the towns and villages that offer it. The one spot that comes to mind is the village at the end of the 17km stretch along the meseta. There's a WIFI available to all villagers and transients, but otherwise it's private access for patrons only. And just brace yourself to see the complexity of the passwords.

Isn't being WiFi free wonderful?

 

[Dutch]

There is free wifi available in the Burgos. Just go to the tourist office and asked for a code. It is not always the best, but hey...its free, right