# Do you expect WiFi to be available in public places? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098 "2019-12-19T17:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/1 "2019-12-19T17:52:35Z")
I’m not asking to be snarky or start a generational war - I promise. I don’t have a smart phone so this sort of thing isn’t even on my radar. My husband and I took a cruise recently and we’d booked an excursion at one of the ports - a bus tour with stops at various places. I remember as we were getting settled in the bus, a couple of young women were complaining rather loudly that there was no WiFi. Is that really a thing on a bus? Would you expect to have WiFi on a city bus or a train or subway? I’ve seen convenience stores touting their WiFi - and not the kind with eat-in areas. Is it really that big a deal when you’re filling your tank or getting a snack and soda for the road? Are there any places you wouldn’t expect to connect? Church? Funeral home? Super-fancy high-end restaurant? Parks? Am I hopelessly out of the loop? ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/2 "2019-12-19T17:57:37Z")
No, I don’t expect public places to provide Wi-Fi. But I’m not a tied to my phone kinda gal. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/3 "2019-12-19T17:59:11Z")
No, I don’t expect it. But I remember when phones had cords and dials. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/4 "2019-12-19T18:01:52Z")
I’d expect it in some places, Hospitals and coffee shops for example. But I’m not upset when it’s not available. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/5 "2019-12-19T18:02:02Z")
Almost never. But, I have unlimited data on my phone. If that were not the case, I’m sure I’d be more invested in knowing or caring whether or not wifi was accessible outside of my house or place of work. Also: [ul] [li]Often, “public” wifi is unreliable or incredibly slow, and not worth the hastle.[/li][li]I don’t trust the security on random wifi hotspots, and so only connect when I’m sure of the network name and password.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/6 "2019-12-19T18:07:04Z")
The only place I kind of expect it is airports. And that’s more of the “Huh, I’m surprised this airport doesn’t have wifi” reaction, not a complaint. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/7 "2019-12-19T18:11:29Z")
I don’t _expect_ WiFi, but I tend to patronize places that offer it. If I’m going out to a bar/brewery, I evaluate what food trucks/specials/etc are being offered. If I still cannot make up my mind, I choose the place with the best WiFi. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/8 "2019-12-19T18:17:41Z")
I am a millennial who is addicted to my phone but i don’t like using public wifi so unless i have no cell signal and I have to use my phone I won’t even have my wifi turned on. I guess the answer is I don’t expect it anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/9 "2019-12-19T18:22:58Z")
I have unlimited data so I don’t even bother changing over even when there is free WiFi. I certainly don’t expect it. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/10 "2019-12-19T18:32:55Z")
I also have unlimited data on my phone, so I don’t expect WiFi because I don’t really need it to access the internet as long as I’m in the US. But my data plan doesn’t work outside the US, so if I’m traveling internationally WiFi becomes much more important. And since the OP was on a cruise I’m guessing that was likely the case here. It seems like a lot of places that cater to tourists tend to offer it, probably for that reason. I definitely expect it in airports and hotels. I have been on tour buses that did have it as well. I don’t think I’d say I expect it on buses, but it is nice to have. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/11 "2019-12-19T18:33:55Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Is that really a thing on a bus? Would you expect to have WiFi on a city bus or a train or subway? DC Metro advertises that they have wifi but it doesn’t work half the time. That’s annoying. But other than that, I don’t expect any place to have wifi. Were the women American? Most Americans travelling anywhere expect 1st World American-level amenities in any place they go. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/12 "2019-12-19T18:37:22Z")
I don’t know if they were Americans or not - they were 20-somethings so I know they weren’t from our ship - we were on a geezer cruise! 😃 And I don’t recall if they had accents or not, tho whining seems to be an accent of its own. Dang whippersnappers! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/13 "2019-12-19T18:40:00Z")
I expect libraries, cafes, and airports to have wifi. Not a bus, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/14 "2019-12-19T18:52:09Z")
A bus is about the only public enclosed space I’d expect there _not_ to be WiFi. Small immovable places I wouldn’t be surprised either way: the larger the building the more I’d be expecting it. I certainly wouldn’t be _complaining_ if there wasn’t WiFi on a bus: if there were, that would mean WiFi was so ubiquitous, since the bus is about the last place outside of the countryside, _including city streets_, that I’d suspect WiFi to be at, that you wouldn’t even need a data plan. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/15 "2019-12-19T18:57:01Z")
I expect it in hospitals. I have unlimited cellular data, but it doesn’t always reach deep within buildings. Also, if there’s wifi, I can use it to place calls where I can’t get a connection. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/16 "2019-12-19T19:00:31Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I have been on tour buses that did have it as well. I don’t think I’d say I expect it on buses, but it is nice to have. To clarify, I mean tour buses and long distance Greyhound and charter type buses (I think Greyhound even advertises that they have WiFi). I just noticed the OP specifically asked about city buses and subways. No, I’d never expect WiFi on a city bus, nor a subway. I might expect it in a Subway restaurant. Although BART doesn’t have WiFi as far as I know, they did install cell signal repeaters in their tunnels. So your cell phone will work on BART even when you’re underground. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/17 "2019-12-19T19:13:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I don’t _expect_ WiFi, but I tend to patronize places that offer it. If I’m going out to a bar/brewery, I evaluate what food trucks/specials/etc are being offered. If I still cannot make up my mind, I choose the place with the best WiFi. I definitely patronize certain places based on WiFi availability and ease of use. If I need to input an email address or zip code, not going. If it’s available I certainly appreciate it, but it needs to be usable. If there’s a password, it should be posted or known to all staff members. Simpler the better, and I am a regular at several restaurants whose WiFi is easily available. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/18 "2019-12-19T19:42:48Z")
God, no. Out here in the boonies I’ve come to rely on absolutely NOTHING. I’m pleasantly happy when there is Wi-Fi where I go. Not sure I need it driving thru MickeyDs. Sonic is nice because you’re sitting still fo a time. I’ve used Grocery store Wi-Fi to compare a price or 2. When my electric was off due to highwinds for 3 days I accessed the internet thru my cars hot-spot. Now that was cool. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/19 "2019-12-19T19:49:50Z")
I took Amtrak from Chicago to D.C. and was stunned the train didn’t have WiFi. There were plenty of places along the way that I couldn’t get a cell signal. A tour bus that meets cruise ship passengers? Call me cynical but I’d be thinking that they want the passengers off of the bus at each stop because they get a kickback from anything sold at the gift shop at the locations visited. I’ve heard, but can’t confirm, that cruise ship WiFi is insanely expensive. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098/20 "2019-12-19T19:51:11Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > If there’s a password, it should be posted or known to all staff members. Simpler the better, and I am a regular at several restaurants whose WiFi is easily available. A guy walks up to the bar and asks the tender, “what’s your wifi password?” “You have to buy a drink first.” The guy orders a scotch on the rocks and the bartender serves it to him. “So, what’s the wifi password?” “You have to buy a drink first. All lowercase, no spaces.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-wifi-to-be-available-in-public-places/845098.md?page=2)