WiFi map app review: find free WiFi connections anywhere in the world

Introduction

WiFi Map by Toursprung is an app that allows you to, wherever you are, find a free WiFi connection. The app lists all kinds of different outlets that might offer free WiFi, like hotels, coffee shops, public areas, and many others. As of now, the app is very focused on Europe. I’m not sure if this is because there is more free WiFi available there or if the creators of the app have more information about that area of the world.

The app does have listings for most countries in the world, but some of them are very limited, sometimes even to only one place.

How the Map Works

When you boot up the app, you will be asked to share your location. The app will then show you the closest free WiFi options around you. If you’re based in Germany, where I guess the developer is from, you will find this app extremely useful, as most bigger cities have over a hundred different locations for you to explore.

If you are, like me, somewhere a little bit more tropical, you will have trouble finding a free WiFi location near you with this app, even though plenty of them might be around. I really hope the developer will add more locations in future updates, or adds a function that allows users to add their own locations to the list which will make the app a constant growing database. This actually is an option they mention on the App Store page, but is nowhere to be found in the app.

 

Offline Mode and Hotspot Sharing

For a small fee of $1.99 you can get the entire directory downloaded to your device. This means you can use the complete database in offline mode, which can be really helpful if you’re in dire need of WiFi. If the app had better coverage in the rest of the world, I would definitely ponder this purchase, but for now I think this option is only worth it for people living in Germany.

If you find a good free WiFi hot spot near you, you can share these pretty easily by via email or Twitter. You can also copy the information for use on other social networks, but these are not implemented in the app.

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Already thousands of free WiFi hotspots listed
• Completely free to use when connected via 3G or WiFi

 

Cons

• Offline mode is quite pricey
• Can’t add a new hot spot yet
• Mostly useful in Germany

 

Conclusion

This app is a fantastic idea. It uses data from an existing website, which is open source, and relies on people adding new data to their database. For the moment, most free WiFi hot spots are based in Germany, but I’m sure this will change soon. With compatibility for both iPad and iPhone, this app is an absolute winner and a must-have for everyone.