Can Westerners use the free Wi-Fi at Guangzhou international airport?
My route home at the end of my trip will have me on a 4-hour connection at Guangzhou airport in China.
I've read online that it's an unpleasant airport but it would be more bearable if I knew I would have free Wi-Fi access and electricity there.
I found a couple of sites saying free Wi-Fi was introduced at the end of 2011. [1], [2]
But a couple of the reviews mentioned the Wi-Fi had Chinese-only login, or that the English language link is broken. There is also mention that I might need a phone with a local SIM or an account on something I've never heard of.
Has anyone here used it? Do I need anything special to log in? Does it now have a working English language option? Can any Chinese speaker here tell a poor 鬼子 how to log in to the Chinese interface?
Best Answer
I had a similar question about Wifi in Astana Airport, and my solution in the end was to check Foursquare. It's popular among travellers, and people leave tips, so often they'll comment on the wifi (or lack thereof).
In this case, I looked up Guangzhou on foursquare and it appears that several people have reported using free wifi at the Oak Tree Cafe in the airport. To me this infers two things - firstly, there's probably not an easy-access English airport-wide wifi (at least not free) (although as you've found, it might just be that it's hard to use and not in Latin script/broken) and secondly, that at least you can use the cafe's wifi. However you may need a map of the airport to clarify whether it's in the international terminal.
(Thirdly, one of the tips recommends their cappuccinos ;))
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Is it safe to use free Wi-Fi at airport?
The bottom line is that airport WiFi is free and welcoming, but you must be careful not to welcome data thieves into your personal space and offer your pertinent data to them on a golden platter. The tips above will help you secure your personal identity while using public internet connections.How do I get free airport Wi-Fi?
Connecting to Airport WiFi The Official WayDo international airports have free Wi-Fi?
While most of the country's busiest airports offer free Wi-Fi, some charge for the service on a daily or monthly basis \u2013 but even paid public Wi-Fi can be risky. \u201cAt some airports, they're prompting you to enter your payment credentials and transmit that information on a connection that is not secure,\u201d says Guccione.How can I get free Internet in China?
Airports and big train stations in China that most travelers go to provide free Wi-Fi connection. But the free Wi-Fi is only available for Chinese phone cards. So we recommend that you purchase a Chinese phone card in China. Alternatively, if you have a tour guide in China, you can ask him/her to help you prepare one.How to use free wifi at Baiyun international Airport guangzhou
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Answer 2
From my friend that just flew back from France for studies, she is Chinese, using the Wi-Fi is easy and most coffee shops have it. The international side will likely have better coverage than the Chinese side.
Just search for Wi-Fi, and the only thing you need to do is just ask for the Wi-Fi password. It is very easy, just say Wi-Fi or show them your login screen.
Also from personal experience, I have never paid for Wi-Fi in China, nor do I know of anyone that has paid for it, unless it's 2/3g, which is not really Wi-Fi.
Also, many airports have these poles that have computers around them and it will have Wi-Fi instructions, or if you are really worried, when you go into the airport, go to customer service and the women (I've only seen women working there) will inform you of how to access the internet at the airport.
Answer 3
Even though this is an old question, let me write how it is now. I was there a few months before, and there are self-service KIOSK machines from where you can generate wifi user id and password, internet worked for a while and kept stopping. Most social networks don't work, installing VPN apps might be a smart decision.
Answer 4
There is advertising for free Wi-Fi at Guangzhou airport but..........
You have to buy a local sim card from a 'ripoff' seller (CNY 100 = AUD $22.) with virtually no credit on it. But it gives you the local number you have to enter to receive a Wi-Fi passcode. Any attempt to access the Wi-Fi will direct you to the official Wi-Fi webpage for registering.
As mentioned earlier a number of coffee shops have free Wi-Fi. If you are a customer you can ask for the Wi-Fi password in the shop and access the internet during a meal.
Yes a number of power points are damaged, because unusual plugs are squeezed in & cause the damage inside.
If you are planning a trip consider the high speed railway (200 to 350 km/h) network which has a station in the underground of the airport.
Enjoy the trip, James
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