How to Get Wi-Fi / Internet While Camping (5 Ways)

Cell phone service is more abundant than ever today, making internet and Wi-Fi more abundant. When cell phone service is unavailable, there are other methods of getting service and internet, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today.

If you’ve put off camping because of the lack of Wi-Fi or internet service, don’t go anywhere. Where going to tell you how to get Wi-Fi and other internet connections while camping.

How to Get Wi-Fi While Camping

1. Choose a Campground With Wi-Fi

The most surefire way to get Wi-Fi while camping is to choose a campground that offers it. If the campground offers Wi-Fi, you’ll need to know if there are certain areas in the campground that can receive the Wi-Fi.

For example, Wi-Fi may be offered at the visitor’s center or a general store located at the campground. You’ll likely need to choose a campsite near this location so that you can access it.

You may also have to pay an additional fee to use Wi-Fi, or the campsites that come with Wi-Fi may be more expensive than other campsites, so keep this in mind when making your campsite selection.

The downside to choosing a campground with Wi-Fi is that you will be sharing it with many other users. This makes the internet speeds much slower, which can be frustrating if you try to stream videos or download files.

If the Wi-Fi is shared throughout the campground, try to disconnect from it when you’re not using it. Don’t leave a movie or music streaming if no one is around.

2. Use Your Cell Phone’s Mobile Hot Spot

Your next best way to get internet while camping is to tether electronic devices to your cell phone’s mobile hot spot. What this does is turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hot spot for electronic devices to connect to through your cell phone provider’s coverage.

Cell phone mobile hot spots will appear on an electronic device’s available Wi-Fi list. You will select the network and connect to it using the password listed on your cell phone hot spot’s network. This password will either be created by the provider, or you can create your own.

Your cell phone plan may not come with free or unlimited mobile hot spotting. This means that you’ll be using your data allowance to supply the mobile hot spot, and you can go through your data quickly this way. You can also go over your data using a mobile hot spot, leaving you with a hefty bill.

If you plan to use your phone’s mobile hot spot, we recommend adding an unlimited data plan to your cell phone service so that you don’t face overages or additional fees.

3. Use a Portable Wi-Fi Router

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A portable or travel Wi-Fi router creates your own personal hot spot to wirelessly connect your electronic devices. A portable Wi-Fi router is similar to a mobile hot spot that you can enable on your phone. You can take a portable Wi-Fi router with you wherever you go, and your devices will stay connected to it.

A portable Wi-Fi router will have a secure connection with a password, so you don’t have to worry about anyone and everyone being able to connect to it.

Portable Wi-Fi routers are rechargeable and make it easy for multiple electronic devices to connect. Portable Wi-Fi routers work best when fewer devices are connected to them. The more electronic devices are connected to them, the slower the Wi-Fi may be.

4. Use a USB Wi-Fi Adapter

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A USB Wi-Fi adapter plugs into your laptop’s USB port and gives your computer an internet connection while also offering Wi-Fi to nearby devices. You will need to install the driver on your computer so that your current internet service provider can provide internet access through the Wi-Fi adapter.

The USB Wi-Fi adapter will provide internet to the laptop it’s connected to, as well as create a Wi-Fi hot spot for nearby devices to connect to.

The Wi-Fi hot spot that’s created by the adapter will be strong enough for you to scroll on social media or perform a Google search, but it likely won’t be strong enough to let you continually stream movies or TV shows without it freezing or buffering. However, a USB Wi-Fi adapter can do the trick for a basic internet connection while camping.

5. Travel to a Nearby Wi-Fi Location

If your campground is remote and the internet isn’t available through any of these methods, you have one final option you can try to get internet access. You can locate a nearby facility that offers free Wi-Fi. This can be at a coffee shop, fast food restaurant, or retail store.

Many of these retailers offer free Wi-Fi to customers without requiring them to make a purchase; however, you may be required to make a purchase if the Wi-Fi network requires a password to access it.

The whole point of camping is to get away from it all and get back to nature, so this should be a last resort if none of these other methods can allow you to get Wi-Fi while camping.

Understandably, you may need the internet in an emergency, so knowing where nearby restaurants or retailers are located to your campsite location is important if you need to access the internet quickly.

Conclusion

These are the best 5 ways to get internet while camping, and they don’t have to break the bank, either. If you have to spend money to get internet while camping, it will be by purchasing a portable Wi-Fi router or a USB Wi-Fi adapter.

Fortunately, these are one-time purchases that don’t have to be made before each camping trip, and they’re well worth the investment if having internet or Wi-Fi is important to you.

Narcis Bejtic

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