Internet in 2022 is a need. You need it to stay informed, you need it to look for work, schools, to stay informed and if we are being honest, we need it for leisure too. However, occasionally it is not easy to pay our service providers for these needs. And our work or schools may not provide them either. Times are tough and things are not getting any better so paying for internet is moving further down the budget list and, may even fall off. So, the next option is how to get free legal internet access in the comfort of our own homes. Is it even possible? In this article, we will see about ‘How To Get Free Internet At Home Without Paying?’.
How To Get Free Internet At Home Without Paying?
Although not widely advertised, it is possible to obtain free internet access. And it may not be so hard. Here is a list of ways to get free internet usage at home.
1. Government:
The government has decided to roll out free data across the country-calling this movement SA Connect- has set to start rolling out free data to all households as of April 2022 and this roll is set to continue to April 2023, so one can stay tuned to further announcements on the initial rollout of these bundles and how to apply to receive the bundles. The data bundles will be ten gigabytes.
What was the reason for the SA Connect rollout?
The minister of Communications and Digital technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshaveni had mentioned in a parliamentary statement that internet access is a need in every household. It is the responsibility of the government to provide for this need. The statistics stand that a third of South Africans do not have internet access. So, SA connect is there to bridge that gap in this divide.
2. Municipalities’ Wi-Fi hotspot
Multiple municipalities across the country provide the citizens living in that district with Wi-Fi depending on the spaces that they stay in. If you live close enough to one of these Wi-Fi hotspots, you may be able to connect to the Wi-Fi.
Which municipality has the greatest number of hotspots?
Tshwane brags of having over 120 hotspot areas which supply thousands of citizens daily, a good place to be living right now is in that area.
3. Ask a neighbour
Check if your neighbour has Wi-Fi, if they do, create a deal with them, although this relies on the kindness of your neighbour, one will never know what can come from a conversation like that. You might strike a deal in exchange for services you may have to render or if they may agree to it free of charge.
4. Grocery shops
Shoprite has initiated deals where specific grocery items you purchase give you airtime, which you can convert to data. This comes in handy because when you buy food, you are also able to get free airtime. This reduces the stress of budgeting in airtime when your grocery shop because airtime is a part of your grocery items. Simply look out for Shoprite flyers or query instore about which items come with airtime.
5. Service providers
South African service providers tend to have unadvertised deals where you can maximise your data usage, or you can earn more data when buying specific bundles, this although not free allows one to optimise on their experience with their service providers where they can get more for less. For example, there may be deals where you can buy one data bundle and get the same data bundle for free.
How to know about nearby hotspots?
Although your phone is already able to get detect Wi-Fi hotspots, it may not be able to notify you of all the hotspots that are in the area. As mentioned earlier in the article, Wi-Fi hotspots are provided by the municipality, but there may be malls or cafes within the area where you live. Apps- such as Always on- will notify you and connect you to nearby hotspots if they are not password protected. If they are, you can always get a good relationship with that owner or manager and you have Wi-Fi.
There you have it. There are ways to get free internet at home without paying, this comes with pros (what could be better than free) and cons whereby the usage time, speed or continuous access to these facilities are out of your control. But even when something may be free, everything comes at a price. So, it might be worth considering moving up the internet fees on your budget list, somewhere between electricity and food. It is a need.
Frequently asked questions:
1) How can you apply to SA connect?
Still, in the rollout process, this is something that you need to check the news and local newspapers regularly to find out more information on this.
2) How can you download Always on?
Go to your app store and download the application, then sign in and start using it.
3) How to connect to Tshwane Hotspots?
Use your phone hotspot finder to find TshWi-Fi and follow the phone prompts to connect to the network for one gigabyte of data per day.
