Does Walmart Have Free WiFi?
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Many RVers rely on the internet for their work, so Walmart’s free WiFi has become a perk of boondocking there. But, as of late, many Walmarts have chosen to restrict boondocking in their parking lots. You may be wondering, does this mean that Walmart’s free WiFi is also becoming more restrictive?
The answer is complicated, as each individual store is different. As a generalization, WiFi and boondocking are both becoming more restrictive at Walmart. However, you can still find many Walmart stores that remain great stopovers for RVers. We’ll take a look at Walmart’s Free WiFi policies as well as alternatives for both boondocking and internet access.
Does Walmart Provide Free WiFi?
Walmart’s free WiFi is just one reason these megastores have long been appealing to RVers. Here WiFi is offered on a complimentary basis to all customers, guests, associates, and service providers.
Unfortunately, like overnight parking, Walmart’s free WiFi has become more restrictive at many locations. Even where boondocking is no longer allowed, RVers still have access to WiFi while in-store shopping. Whether you’ve received permission to overnight or not, Walmart’s free Wifi remains a huge perk for any RVer.
Can You Access Walmart WiFi From The Parking Lot?
Although it’s nice to have internet access from within the store, that’s not what draws RVers to Walmart.
Most of us wouldn’t walk into Walmart with our laptops and set up a mobile workstation for the day. Some Walmarts do contain coffee shops or fast food locations inside the store where connecting to the WiFi may be more appropriate. However, the majority of RVers want to park and connect from their rig. They need to know if that WiFi signal is strong enough to reach the parking lot.
Whether or not you’ll have a strong enough signal for Walmart’s WiFi to work inside your RV is going to vary from store to store. Unfortunately, as they are with boondocking, Walmart has started to limit WiFi use as well.
Accessing the internet from your phone while you’re physically in the store should never be a problem. But some Walmart locations are making their WiFi available for price check and app use purposes only.
Even if a particular location hasn’t restricted WiFi usage, the signal may not be strong enough to reach your rig. WiFi signal strength is impacted by how far away you have to park your RV from the building. The steel, cement, and other materials with which the store is constructed also play a factor in signal strength.
Even with the best WiFi-boosting technology, you may not be able to access Walmart’s free WiFi from within your RV.
Why Do Walmart Stores Offer Free WiFi?
Why would a retailer like Walmart so generously offer free WiFi, you might ask? Rest assured, Walmart’s free WiFi isn’t born out of pure generosity. Instead, it’s part of a larger business model to make purchasing their goods quicker and more convenient for customers.
Walmart offers a price match guarantee, which draws in many customers. Additionally, Walmart+ members can use Scan & Go to check out and pay for their items with their phones. As you can imagine, WiFi is essential for both of these services, that’s why Walmart continues to offer this free service.
Is It Okay To Use Walmart WiFi
Yes, if you can get a signal, it’s ok to use Walmarts free WiFi. Walmart’s WiFi Terms of Use page specifically states that this service is available to customers and guests alike.
In fact, Walmart corporate has said that they consider RVers among their best customers. Since most RVers who park at Walmart also shop there, RVers are both guests and customers. This makes you doubly entitled to use their WiFi.
Walmart’s website clarifies that although they permit overnight RV parking, this policy may be restricted by individual store managers and/or local ordinances. Overnight parking has, in fact, become more restrictive over the past several years. Some estimates indicate that less than half of Walmart stores are still able to offer this perk to RVers.
The reason for these cutbacks is likely due largely to some bad apples ruining the experience for everyone. Where litter abounded, RVers set up whole tailgates or even dumped their wastewater, forcing individual Walmart locations to crack down on the overnighting policy. As a result, store managers have had to discontinue the overnighting policy at their locations.
Also, many Walmarts in city and suburban areas now exist in locations that the company doesn’t own. Walmarts that exist in strip malls lease the space from the strip mall owners. Therefore, the company can’t extend its RV overnighting policy in the parking lot since they don’t own it.
We suspect that any restrictions on access to WiFi outside of the store are due to similar abuses. Walmart is very clear about the terms of use with respect to their WiFi. It’s not hard to imagine that where that access was being misused, the company has decided to limit it.
4 FAQs About Free WiFi For RVers at Walmart
1. How Do I Connect to Walmart’s WiFi?
Connecting to Walmart’s free WiFi is easy. Simply go to the WiFi settings on your device and look for “Walmart WiFi.” Once you select this option, you’ll be automatically connected to their network. Your device’s WiFi settings will also indicate the strength of the WiFi signal. If the signal isn’t strong enough wherever you’re parked, you won’t be able to connect.
2. How Strong Is The Walmart WiFi Signal?
Unfortunately, you shouldn’t count on Walmart’s free WiFi. Until you get to the location and attempt to connect to the internet, you won’t know the signal strength. Whether or not the signal extends beyond the walls of the building varies on a location-by-location basis. At some stores, it will be easy to connect from the parking lot, while at others it may not be possible.
3. Why Can’t I Connect To Walmart’s WiFi?
If you can’t connect to Walmart’s free WiFi, there could be a few factors at play. You might be parked too far away, in which case a WiFi booster may help you. Even with a WiFi booster, the cinderblock and iron girder construction of the store itself may be dampening the signal.
Individual stores may also have restrictions in place that limit the ability to access the free WiFi at Walmart. At some stores, the network has been adapted so that the WiFi can only be used for Walmart shopping while you are physically in the store.
If you can’t connect to Walmart’s WiFi, you can try to use a signal booster. But even with one of these devices, you may simply be out of luck.
4. What Are The Walmart Terms Of Use Major Points?
If you’re fortunate enough to be able to connect to Walmart’s free WiFi from your RV, you’ll want to understand the terms of use so you don’t get kicked off the network.
Walmart restricts access to websites with adult content. Not surprisingly, it’s also prohibited to interfere with the security of the service or to use the internet to send “spam.” Likewise, Walmart also blocks access to hazardous sites that are deemed unsafe due to computer viruses. Downloading copyrighted material without permission from the owner is also a huge no-no.
Other Locations For RVers With Free WiFi
With some locations restricting both boondocking and WiFi access, the golden age of overnighting at Walmart may be coming to an end. Fortunately, most commercial boondocking locations still have free WiFi. If your nomadic lifestyle requires internet access, consider overnighting at one of these Walmart alternatives.
- Anytime Fitness
- Cabela’s
- Camping World
- Costco
- Cracker Barrel
- Home Depot
- Love’s
- Lowes
- Menards
- Pilot/Flying J
- Planet Fitness
- Travel Centers Of America (TA)
As with all free commercial boondocking locations, the availability to overnight is subject to possible restrictions.
If all else fails, you can always pull into a McDonald’s or a Starbucks for brief internet access. It seems you can find one of these franchises on just about every corner. Although you may not be able to spend the night, you can drop in to take care of your internet needs while on the road.
Be aware that some of these places that offer internet access may have certain restrictions as well. If you’re using too much bandwidth for downloading or uploading data to your website, you may get cut off.
Final Thoughts On Does Walmart Have Free WiFi
Walmart was once a haven for RVers looking for a safe place to stay for the night. The convenience of being able to restock your fridge and tap into Walmart’s free WiFi only sweetened the deal.
Overnighting at Walmart, it was always understood that a strong WiFi signal was not guaranteed. Some signals reached further into the parking lot than at other stores. But now, some Walmarts even restrict WiFi use further.
This, combined with the fact that many Walmarts no longer allow overnight parking, means that Walmart is not the boondocker’s paradise it once was. Although it’s still possible to find Walmart locations with both overnight parking and a strong free WiFi signal, such gems are becoming increasingly hard to track down.
RVers who just need a quick pit stop can consider other overnight parking and free WiFi options like Lowe’s or Cracker Barrel. Still, no matter where you park, you can’t guarantee that you’ll have access to free WiFi.
You can purchase a WiFi booster, but even that doesn’t always do the job. This is especially true if the retailer has restrictions in place regarding where their WiFi can be accessed. If you need a more reliable internet option, you should invest in a data networking satellite system for your RV. With such devices, you can take your internet connection with you wherever you go.
If WiFi is more of a convenience rather than a necessity, the free WiFi offered by Walmart is a nice bonus you’ll still have access to at many locations.
Related Reading:
1. FREE RV Parking Overnight At Walmart (Rules & Safety)
2. Is Overnight RV Parking at Costco Allowed?
3. Can RVs Park Overnight at Cracker Barrel?
4. Can You Park an RV at a Hotel? We Have!
5. Best Places to Go RV Camping for FREE
Laura is a part-time RVer and full-time mom of three. Long time campers and RVers before children, Laura, and her husband have fallen even more in love with the RV lifestyle since becoming parents to a child with food allergies.
Having her own kitchen on wheels makes her RV trips amazing. Laura is passionate about finding ways to make traveling with young children fun, easy, and attainable.
Source: https://rvblogger.com/blog/does-walmart-have-free-wifi/
