Do you want to know how to get free internet at home without paying? Many internet providers have embraced government programs through which they subsidize the cost of internet for their customers.
Several non-profit making organizations have programs targeting low-income homes with free or low-cost internet.
However, you can get free internet even without necessarily coming from a low-income family. This article discusses all the possible ways to get free home internet without paying.
Key Takeaways
- You can get free internet at home without paying through government initiatives or non-profit organizations
- Qualification for the ACP involves participation in Lifeline Assistance and other government assistance programs
- Several ISPs offer free internet to people with low incomes either through inhouse initiatives or the ACP
The 10 Best Ways to Get Free Internet at Home Without Paying
You may get free internet at home in many ways, depending on whether or not you qualify. Whether from the government or any other initiative, free internet can have restrictions on speed and availability.
The following are some of the best ways to get free internet at home without paying:
1. Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a government assistance program that avails a $30 ($75 on Tribal Lands) monthly discount on the internet bill. If the discount covers your entire internet bill, you won’t have to pay a cent.
You may get the ACP in your home if at least one family member meets any of the following criteria:
- Participation in Lifeline Assistance
- Eligibility for Lifeline Assistance
- Annual household income under 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines
- Recipient of the Federal Pell Grant in the last 12 months
- Participation in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) or National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
- Benefits from assistance via WIC and SNAP
The Federal Government established the ACP as a replacement for the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), which ended on December 31, 2022. Unlike the EBB, the ACP targets many more households due to the flexible income requirements.
2. How to Get Free Internet at Home from FreedomPop
FreedomPop is a go-to service when it comes to accessing free internet at home. Once you sign up for FreedomPop, you’ll get a wireless router to provide access to the internet. You can use the router at any location. Simply tur it on and you’ll get an internet connection.
However, accessing the service is not entirely free since you must pay a refundable deposit. This acts as security for the device. You can get refunded after one year when you return the router.
With FreedomPop, you can access 500MB of free data via the Free Data Plan. If you do not use a lot of data, this plan is suitable for you. You may enroll for another FreedomPop plan if you need more data.
For only $19 monthly, you can get 2GB of data. This plan compares favorably with plans provided by mainstream ISPs and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). So, it does no harm to select any of these plans.
3. How to Get Free Internet at Home from NetZero
NetZero has provided free internet to customers across the United States since 1988. It works differently from other ISPs. Instead of using a router, you can access the internet by downloading and installing a software.
With NetZero, you can get free internet for only 10 hours monthly. Therefore, it’s ideal for users requiring only a little data. If you want more internet hours, you can get any of the at-cost plans. You may pick any of the following two types of plans:
- NetZero DSL Broadband: DSL internet is perfect for those who want to browse at the highest possible speeds. For this option, you’ll pay a minimum of $26 monthly.
- Mobile Data: NetZero also offer incredibly affordable mobile data plans. examples include 200MB at no cost, 500MB at $17 per month, 1GB at $27 per month, or 2GB at $42 per month.
All you need is the NetZero free internet, if your data consumption isn’t. That means you can only use the data for emergencies. Anything else would mean getting any of the paid-for data plans.
4. How to Get Free Internet at Home from Non-Governmental Programs
Are you wondering how to get free internet at home without paying? There are several non-profit and nongovernmental organizations that offer free internet. They operate outside governmental influence and include the following:
- EveryoneOn: EveryoneOn is an organization that strives to avail free internet to low-income families in marginalized communities. It offers affordable computers, internet, and training in digital skills to their customers.
- PCs for People: This organization primarily focusses on refurbishing computers before giving them to low-income families. College students can benefit by providing Pell Grant documentation.
- Human-I-T: The purpose of Human-I-T is to reduce e-waste by repairing electronic devices and giving them to people in need. Plus, it offers free or affordable internet to low-income homes across the United States.
5. How to Get Free Internet at Home from WifiMap
Are you unsure about where to get free Wi-Fi? WifiMap is a downloadable and installable tool that lists millions of Wi-Fi spots. Therefore, it can help you to know the available Wi-Fi hotspots in your area.
The crowdsourcing application keeps growing every day as people add their local Wi-Fi hotspots to it. WifiMap has more than 100 million free Wi-Fi hotspots, each with its password. Therefore, connecting to these hotspots should be easy.
After downloading and installing the app, use it to search for the Wi-Fi hotspots in your area. You will get a list of the closest Wi-Fi networks so that you can choose one.
It makes it easier to try out the available Wi-Fi hotspots and choose one that works for you. Since you’ll be connecting to public Wi-Fi, you’ll need to secure yourself using a virtual private network (VPN).
6. How to Get Free Internet at Home from Wi-Fi Free Spot
Wi-Fi Free Spot is a directory that makes it easier for you to identify entities in your region or nationally offering free home Wi-Fi. You can use the directory by searching for Wi-Fi spots based on your residential area.
It can help you identify free Wi-Fi in your home area or any other place while on the move. In that case, you’ll get sorted by finding a good Wi-Fi hotspot near your home.
7. How to Get Free Internet at Home from a Service Provider
Most internet service providers (ISPs) have programs that provide free or subsidized internet to low-income families. The ISPs offer substantial discounts on monthly internet bills via the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). However, others have internal initiatives to provide free internet.
The following are some of the ISPs offering free internet:
- Optimum: New Optimum customers can get 30Mbps of free broadband internet by signing up for the Altice Advantage plan. All you need is to prove that you have a K-12 or college student in your household. It is available in all Optimum locations.
- HBC: HBC has a program in which it suspends the disconnection of internet accounts that have failed to pay for some time. Plus, it has programs targeting low-income families with free broadband internet for two months. You can join this program if you or a family member participates in Lifeline Assistance or the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
- AT&T: AT&T offers free internet for some school-issued tablets. Its $10 million fund supports distance learning while the AT&T Access program avails free internet to SSI and SNAP participants.
- Cox: Cox has the ConnectAssist Package through which it offers affordable internet to beneficiaries of government assistance. You’ll get internet speeds of 100Mbps by participating in Medicaid, WIC, TANF, and SNAP. For only $9.95 per month, you can get 100Mbps of broadband data via the Cox Connect2Compete program.
- Comcast Xfinity: Xfinity Internet Essentials costs only $9.95 per month for eligible applicants. This program has existed for a while but recently got a boost when Xfinity increased the available internet speeds.
- Mediacom: Mediacom is also a Connect2Compete participant that provides internet to homes at affordable rates. Thus, qualifying customers pay only $9.99 per month to get 25Mbps of broadband internet.
- Synergy: The Synergy Charity Services make it possible for homes to have low-cost internet. qualifying households get grants if they participate in SSI, SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance, or NSLP.
8. How to Get Free Internet at Home Using Your Phone as a Hotspot
Want to know how to get free internet at home without paying? Try turning your home into a hotspot. Once you activate the hotspot feature, you’ll be able to share internet on other devices. So, you don’t need a router to use the internet on other phones, tablets, and computers.
However, the smartphone-based hotspot can only work if your phone can already access the internet. After turning on the hotspot feature, you’ll be able to have reliable internet at home. This kind of hotspot has a smaller range and may only work within a room.
This option works well for individuals with large amounts of monthly data. Alternatively, you can get unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot data from your provider. Also, getting a bundled service can be cheaper and more abundant.
9. Get Free Internet from a Neighbor
Does your neighbor have internet? Why don’t you request them to share it with you? But that will depend on how you relate with your neighbors. If the relationship is good, you should have no trouble getting hooked to the internet for free.
Since you’ll not be paying for the internet, you must consider offering your neighbor a service. For example, you may clean their windows or mow their lawn for the free internet. remember, your neighbor may ask you to share the internet costs. Don’t hesitate to comply since you’ll only be paying half of the monthly bill.
It’s up to you to keep your neighbor’s internet password safe. So, don’t share the login credentials with anyone. Also, undertake not to use the internet for unacceptable things or to visit insecure websites.
10. How to Get Free Internet from InstaBridge
InstaBridge is a smartphone application that can help you to get Wi-Fi passwords to hotspots in your neighborhood. It was primarily established to enable people to share their hone Wi-Fi with Facebook friends. Soon, it morphed into a massive Wi-Fi sharing platform.
You can use it to identify the nearest places you can get free Wi-Fi, the estimated walking distance and performance. The platform can determine all available Wi-Fi hotspots and connect you to the strongest.
Since it has Wi-Fi hotspots from homes and other establishments, it removes the need for you to ask about passwords for every possible Wi-Fi network you come across. Of course, it answers the question: “how to get free internet at home without paying.”
The Bottom Line
Now that you have learned how to get free internet at home without paying, it should be easier for you to apply for it. Try any of the options listed above to see which one works for you the best.
Remember, you can get free internet regardless of whether or not you come from a low-income family. By hooking up with services from a reliable ISP, you will find that to be easy enough.