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McDonald’s has thousands of locations where it offers free WiFi. The service is unlimited when it comes to bandwidth and time. The only problem is the security while accessing the public network, which could harm your privacy.
To connect to McDonald’s WiFi network, all you have to do is select ‘Waypot_access’ from the WiFi connection list. To protect your connection:
Access McDonald’s WiFi on Laptop
Be it your laptop or any other device, you can conveniently connect to McDonald’s free WiFi.
Here’s the process of connecting to McDonald’s free WiFi:
- Begin by moving your cursor to the right side of your Windows taskbar and locate the WiFi icon where you’ll see ‘wayport_access’ network.
- Tap on Connect to establish an internet connection.
- As soon as the network establishes an internet connection, your browser will automatically open the McDonald’s Terms & Conditions web page. Accept the terms of conditions to continue and select Get Connected.
- Once connected, a status message will appear at the top of the page “You are connected to McDonald’s WiFi. Enjoy!“
- Now that you’ve got access to the internet, you can open a new tab in your browser and visit any website you like. You can disconnect your internet connection as you choose.
Access McDonald’s WiFi with Android
Like connecting any device, you can connect your Android phone to McDonald’s free WiFi network. It doesn’t matter which Android phone you use; the steps are the same.
- Head over to your phone’s Settings and select WiFi.
- You’ll see a list of networks, select wayport_access, and click connect.
- You will see a connected status.
- Now, open your mobile web browser, and it’ll automatically open McDonald’s WiFi connection page.
- Tap Free Connection and Agree to the Terms and Conditions to connect to the WiFi network and access McDonald’s free internet connection.
Source: Reddit discussion
Access McDonald’s WiFi on iPhone
If your iPhone has the “automatically connect” feature switched on, you will see a McDonald’s WiFi pop-up. Tap continue to connect once you have read the terms of the agreement. Alternatively, you can do the following:
- Open your iPhone Settings menu, and tap WiFi.
- Select Wayport_access. You’ll notice that there’ll be a small message under the WiFi name: Unsecured Network.
- Now, open Safari or any other browser, and you’ll automatically be directed to McDonald’s Free WiFi log in page. Tap Get Connected to start browsing.
How to Check if My McDonald’s Outlet Has Free WiFi Access?
Finding and connecting to a McDonald’s WiFi is accessible. All you have to do is be within the range of a McDonald’s restaurant where the accessible WiFi network facility is available. McDonald’s offers accessible WiFi facilities in over 82% of its locations in the US, which means you’ll have a high chance of finding a place with free WiFi available.
To find the restaurant is accessible, follow the steps:
- Head over to McDonald’s restaurant locator page. Once there, you just have to type the name of your town in the search field.
- Scroll down to the results and find a location with WiFi under Services.
Once you’re near the restaurant, simply head over to your device’s WiFi panel and search for the network ‘McDonald’s Free WiFi.’
How Fast Is McDonald’s Free WiFi Network?
Free Accessible WiFi networks are usually slow and disconnect frequently, right? However, users have good things to say about McDonald’s free WiFi network, and if you’re curious just how good a free internet connection could be, then here are the test results:
Lifewire did a rigorous test, and their results show that McDonald’s free WiFi upload and download bandwidth is as good as you’d expect from a high-speed WiFi network in offices and your home.
Source: Macrumors Forum
While the test was taken at a particular McDonald’s WiFi internet network, it’s safe to assume that the rest of the locations might boast the same results:
- The test showed download speeds of 58 Mbps.
- The upload speed was 14 Mbps.
- The unloaded latency recorded with minimal activity on the network was 27 milliseconds.
- With heavy data usage, the latency would go up to 517 milliseconds.
You can conveniently stream your favorite TV shows and movies without lag while you’ve come to McDonald’s for a McCafe, a Big Mac, or chicken nuggets.
WiFi Network Filters
As with any free WiFi network, there are certain restrictions as to what you can browse and stream. As a reminder, McDonald’s restaurants are family-friendly, which means there will be certain network filters for inappropriate or unsafe content.
If you’ve come to McDonald’s and tried to access any of the following activities, you will be prompted by a message that says the website is blocked or inaccessible.
- Adult sites
- Downloading sites
- P2P clients and other piracy services
- A website with malicious content
Some websites are blocked to keep the facility safe from an explicit atmosphere.
Protect Yourself on Free WiFi Networks
Free WiFi Hotspots, and particularly public WiFi networks, are a breeding ground for hackers and alike. Since McDonald’s offers a free public WiFi network, it automatically attracts malicious actors to exploit it.
Source: AVForums
What this means is that anyone who connects to McDonald’s free WiFi or any other public WiFi network is at risk of having their private internet activities exposed. So if you’re considering enjoying a free service, know it’s only accessible because you’re the product!
Data mining companies and cybercriminals are actively targeting unsecured WiFi networks (McDonald’s in our case) and harvesting data and private activities of millions of users. To steer clear of such surveillance, you must protect yourself with encryption.
Connect to PureVPN and cloak your real identity with encryption that will keep your internet activities safe and sound. As a virtual IP gets assigned, your internet traffic routes through the encrypted VPN tunnel, keeping your private communications private.
In a nutshell
McDonald’s has been people’s favorite, and its unlimited WiFi services have served customers well. It is not always about enjoying free WiFi but enjoying it with security. Public WiFi can lead to identity theft and various cyber-attacks. You might also be a victim of commonly occurring ransomware attacks later.
Being secure is your priority. Try PureVPN as your one-step solution to a secure digital environment!
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no password to Mcdonalds’ WiFi. You only need your name and email address to get access.
If you use any third-party DNS to block ads while on McDonald’s WiFi, you might not log in or have access to the internet.
There is no time and data usage limit connected to Mcdonald’s WiFi. You can use it freely.
Public WiFi is not secure. This is because we can not always say who is sharing the internet with us. Cyber intruders can get over our privacy through public connections, or third parties can have our confidential data.
PureVPN
July 21, 2023
10 months ago