Public WiFi Not Working? Here’s How to Fix It in 2 Minutes and Get Online!

How to Deal when Public WiFi Hotspot is Not Working

Whether you’re a client of XfinityTime Warner CableOptimum or other Internet provider, one of the benefits is that with most of them you can benefit from a local or even national network of free public WiFi hotspots.

The trouble is that some of these public WiFI hotspots are painfully slow or non-operational, actually getting you offline when you connect to them. You can best see that when walking down the street, streaming your favorite music with Spotify and suddenly it disconnects. Guess what – your phone just automatically connected to a rotten WiFi hotspot.

Plus – sometimes you can’t even access the public WiFi network login page, so you don’t even have access. Unless you do that manually, of course.

If you keep stumbling upon non working public WiFi hotspots, there’s a simple way to deal with public WiFi connectivity issues once and for all and never be disconnected or slowed down by them.

Use Speedify to increase your bandwidth: Combine internet connection sources like WiFi, 4G, 5G, & Starlink together

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Combine multiple internet connections to fix slow Internet

Speedify is the only app that seamlessly combines all of your connections, including WiFi, 4G, 5G, Ethernet, and Starlink, into one stronger connection to keep you online and secure.

In most cases, Speedify will automatically detect and start using any available Internet connections on your device while intelligently distributing your online traffic between them for optimal performance. If you need help we have quick start guides available for most common set ups.

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Combine personal hotspots for better bandwidth and signal strength

Speedify's Pair & Share is a feature that enables you to connect to multiple hotspots at the same time and wirelessly share LTE, 4G, and 5G cellular connections back and forth between multiple Speedify users on the same local network to create a faster, more reliable connection for everyone.

For the first time, it's possible to share cellular data between multiple devices, including PCs, Macs, iPhones and Androids. Use multiple phones as hotspots for internet access and get increased bandwidth and mobile failover for all paired devices.

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Why Are Some Public WiFi Hotspots Not Working?

Sometimes the public WiFi hotspots are placed in locations that result in spotty signal strength or even dead zones – “zombie” hotspots / sticky WiFi. That’s why you may see you’re connected to the public WiFi network, but not able to access any website.

If you are on the move (on the street, bus, etc.) you could also run into problems when moving between different hotspots. If you’re connected to the public WiFi, your iPhone or Android smartphone will “navigate” from one WiFi hotspot to another (Xfinitywifi, TWCWiFi, CableWiFi, OptimumWiFi, Starbucks, McDonalds, Macy’s etc.). So, there are many chances you stumble upon a non-working WiFi hotspot.

Plus, by default, as you’re moving around, you will be “passed” around from hotspot to hotspot, like in the case of a cellular network. Unfortunately, mobile devices don’t handle WiFi handoffs smoothly and that’s one of the reasons why public WiFi hotspots keep disconnecting. Smartphones are bad at detecting poor WiFi networks, and they default to WiFi instead of LTE when it’s available. Connecting to a bad WiFi hotspot is often the same as having no Internet at all.

Step-by-Step Guide to Fix Public WiFi Not Working Issues

Unfortunately, the many issues with public WiFi hotspots leads most people either telling their phones to “Forget” certain WiFi networks so it won’t connect, or actually turning off their phone’s WiFi to get off the broken hotspot. But once they do this, their phone won’t join other working WiFi hotspots either, wasting valuable 4G data.

Speedify is a smart app that offers patent-pending channel bonding technology for people like you and me. It basically securely combines 2 or more Internet connections for their aggregated speed and reliability.

Here are 3 steps to fix non working public WiFi hotspot issues:

  1. Get Speedify on your desktop or mobile device.
  2. Leave all your Internet connections active. For iPhones and Android smartphones – enable both WiFi and mobile data. Don’t worry – you can set data caps from within the Speedify app, so you won’t exceed it and pay extra. For laptops – you may have an additional 4G/LTE dongle or integrated card – activate that connection as well.
  3. Enjoy faster, more reliable Internet. Speedify will automatically detect any new active Internet connections and toss them into the mix to create a faster and dependable Internet connection.

How Speedify Helps You to Solve Public WiFi Hotspot Connectivity

By being able to use multiple Internet connections at the same time with Speedify, your iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone or laptop will avoid those nasty disconnects that show up when you get handed off from one public WiFi hotspot to another. Plus, if your device connects to a hotspot with no Internet functionality, by using the other connection, Speedify will keep you online. So, your Spotify will not stop, your Skype business call will not jitter and your video stream will still be online.

Public WiFi Security Concerns or Worried About Net Neutrality? Speedify Is on Your Side!

Speedify is more than just a powerful Internet connections manager, it is also the best and fastest bonding VPN. When you use Speedify to optimize your Xfinity hotspot experience, you are also getting fast, reliable, and secure data encryption. It also works on networks that run captive portals. You won’t need to disconnect from Speedify (and be at risk!) to log onto the network. Speedify protects you against fake routers, snooping ISPs, and other cyber threats without sacrificing the speed you demand out of your Internet connections. And that’s very important given the recent repeal of the net neutrality rules!

While other VPNs can be clunky and slow, Speedify is state-of-the-art. It is easy to use, it improves the speed and quality of your Internet connection, and it doesn’t drain your battery either.

If you are regularly using public WiFi hotspots, get started with Speedify today (no strings attached, no email sign-up necessary, no logging of data!) to make sure you are getting full access to any local or nationwide hotspot network. You deserve to access the Internet on your own terms.

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Get started today!

With Speedify you can combine multiple internet sources into one bonded super-connection to improve livestreaming, video calling, gaming, web browsing, and everything else you do online.

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Speed

Combine Wi-Fi, cellular, ethernet, satellite, and more to maximize performance

Stability

Avoid buffering and disconnects while streaming, gaming, and browsing.

Security

Keep your personal data safe from hackers, snoops and cyber criminals

We love talking about connectivity!

On our social channels, Alex Gizis and the engineers from Speedify discuss and explain interesting connectivity technology including Starlink satellites, Wi-Fi 7 routers, Apple networking features, Fiber optics, broadband internet, 5G mobile networks, AI, networking protocols, and much more.

Alex and the Speedify team are always exploring the latest in networking and security technology—like 5G, 6G, WiFi 7, laser and satellite internet—and sharing it in new discussion content across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn every week.

Got a tech question? Let's go deeper! Pop into Speedify Office Hours live every Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern. Speedify CEO Alex Gizis and our network engineers are standing by to break down your questions about networks, tech updates, and Speedify features.

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