Getting Connected to Free Wi-Fi in Singapore

You will surely need Internet connectivity no matter where you are in this modern day, whether it’s travel or business. In this guide, I will show you how to get connected and tips on getting you connected to the Internet in Singapore for FREE!

What’s the situation?

Singapore is a fairly small and developed country. So, getting access to communication networks is an easy affair. In recent years, the Singapore government have started an initiative to blanket the island with free Wi-Fi connectivity via Access Point. These are usually located in public location like the train system (MRT), public library and the such.

In my personal experience, getting free Wi-Fi is not always a straightforward affair. Sometimes there can be many hoop to jump through before you get any Internet connection. You know, things like filling more than 2 fields in the registration process or multiple steps process.

I especially love those free Wi-Fi access that just need to agree to a Term of Service agreement. Then, I am good to get connected immediately. These still exist. For instance, if you are inside Esplanade.

Tip:

In order to cover all your bases, I would advice to get a prepaid sim card from local re-seller so you could get connectivity when you are not in range of an Access Point. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to be caught in a pinch. What I imagine would be loading a page to that awesome restaurant address you suppose to visit or that concert ticket you suppose to enter on the spot.

Changi Airport

You will most probably be landed in Singapore international airport located on the eastern side of the island. Once landed, just walk out from the arrival hall and start working on those eye muscles to spot for the service counter. There are 2 options to get Free Wi-Fi here.

Don’t bother about option 1 since you will need to pay for roaming charges on your phone bill once you get home. I would recommend to go straight for option 2.

Options to choose:

Option 1:
Foreign Number/Local Number
Enter your roaming phone number to get an OTP (One time password). Charges may apply.

Option 2:
Manual
Go to any service counter then ask for the free Wi-Fi service. After that, hand them your passport for registration. You will receive a printed out receipt with an OTP that you can use for the Wi-Fi access.

Do take note that the Wi-Fi will be expired after 3 hours. So, if you are still using it then you have ask again.

Note: The airport free Wi-Fi SSID name is “WIFI@Changi”.

Wireless@SG

This is a government initiative with multiple local telco partners coming together to provide free Wi-Fi access all over the island.

There are currently over 10,000+ hotspots available. By 2018, there will be an upward increase to 20,0000.

Where?

These are only available in public places, usually around MRT, museums, restaurant, cafe and the such.

App

I would recommend you to download the app to help you on the registration and finding nearby hotspot to get online. It is available in Android and iOS.

Options to choose:

Option 1:
Foreign Number

After registration, your account will only be valid for 24 hours. Once expired, you will need to re-do the registration again which can be a pain in the tush. Just check out the option below.

Option 2:
Local Number

Get a prepaid sim that will usually cost around 10 SGD. Then register your account with this phone number.

Auto Login: If your phone support EAP-SIM (Extensible Authentication Protocol for SIM) then you can opt for this option. Once setup, you will always be login automatically by using your SIM as authentication.

If EAP is not available then you can still use ID and password login.

Cafes/Restaurant/Fast Food chains/Private locations

This is the best option to choose if possible. You could rest your legs, fill up your tummy and do a little surfing while you are waiting for your food. Once rested up, continue on with your exploring of the island. Places like McDonalds, Starbucks, Esplanade, restaurants have their own free Wi-Fi that you can easily connect to without any or much registration needed.

So far my experience have been pleasant as there are multiple establishments from fast food chain, restaurant, coffee shop, cafe, hawker store to famous streets in China Town are providing free Wi-Fi to their patrons.

Side note: So far I still haven’t found a free Wi-Fi access point with an SSID “God” inside a temple/church yet. If you know one, do point me to it 😀 This will surely give me a good giggle.

Summary

That should be it for the most part on getting free Wi-Fi in Singapore. If you have a better way of getting free Wi-Fi then please let me know in the comment section below.