Does Walmart Have Wifi – Here’s How To Access it!

You can find all kinds of great stuff at Walmart – pajamas, mozzarella sticks, corny birthday cards, and more. But did you know that Walmart also offers free Wifi to its customers? If you ever need to connect to the internet while shopping, Walmart is the place to be. Surprisingly, not everyone knows that this popular supermarket chain provides Wifi. If you’ve ever wondered, “does Walmart have Wifi?” you’re in the right place.

Since 2006, Walmart has offered free Wifi to anyone who shops at their stores. It’s free to access and works on mobile devices, laptops, and tablets.

There’s more to the story than that; find out more below!

Does every Walmart have free Wifi?

If you live in a metropolitan center, the answer will probably be “yes.” Not every Walmart has free Wi-Fi, though; smaller franchises may not offer this complementary service. Even so, the vast majority of Walmart stores do have free Wifi.

How to access the Wifi at Walmart

Since this is public Wifi we’re talking about, accessing Walmart’s Wifi only takes seconds. There’s no password required; it works like the free Wifi at many other stores like Starbucks, McDonald’s, or Taco Bell.

• Open up your phone’s Wifi settings
• Find the network called “Walmart Wifi.”
• Press “Connect”

And now you’re connected to free Wifi while you shop! Plus, the next time you go to Walmart, your phone will automatically connect to the network. 

Is there a time limit for Walmart’s Wifi?

Walmart stores are open for business 24/7, and so is their Wifi! As long as you’re busy shopping in the store, you can stay connected to their Wifi network. Hypothetically speaking, there could be scenarios in which you’d be asked to leave or disconnect.

For instance, if it became apparent that you were just there for the Wifi and not to get some grocery shopping done, that probably wouldn’t go over well. That being said, neither Walmart nor its employees have a reputation for being picky about how long customers spend connected to the Wifi.

Is there a data limit for Walmart’s Wifi?

Since their Wifi Terms of Use don’t mention any data limits, you technically get unlimited data for as long as you’re connected to Walmart’s Wifi. There is something that works as an informal data limit, though – the signal strength (more on that later).

Can Walmart see what you search on their Wifi?

Walmart does store a fair amount of data regarding your browsing habits, including the sites you visit, identifying information on your mobile device, and even personal information under certain circumstances.

According to their Wifi Terms of Use, they don’t share this information with anybody. They do monitor what you use their Wifi for, though; here are some of the reasons why they keep track of this:

• To filter out “inappropriate content.”
• To prevent unauthorized access
• To ensure consistent service
• To assist in troubleshooting
• If necessary, to disclose pertinent information to law enforcement

Their Wifi Terms of Use also state that while they share collected information with third parties, it’s only for specific and limited reasons. These include for administrative purposes (to meet legal requirements), to prevent harm to an individual, or to comply with requests from law enforcement.

Does Walmart’s Wifi have a good signal strength?

On the one hand, it’s free public Wifi – there’s no reason to expect lightning-fast speeds here. On the other hand, most users seem to be happy with the speed of Walmart’s Wifi.

It isn’t strong enough to reach the parking lots, but that would have to be a pretty powerful signal. For free Wifi, it seems to be more than adequate in most cases.

Privacy concerns while using public Wifi

You may not think of browsing the internet at Walmart as risky, but the truth is that you could be exposing valuable information to the wrong people. Since it’s a public network, hackers can easily intercept your data – including personal details, login information, and more. 

Plus, most people re-use passwords for multiple logins. You might think nothing of logging onto your YouTube account at Walmart, but if you used the same credentials for your bank account, you might have just handed over some very important information to someone who will misuse it.

How to stay secure while using public Wifi

The good news? There are a few easy, practical steps to keeping your information secure while using Walmart’s Wifi. 

• Use a VPN to encrypt your data, making it virtually unreadable for hackers.
• When entering login information, only use sites with addresses that start with “https.” This means the site has an SSL connection, another way to encrypt sensitive data.
• Disable the sharing of information over the public network; this can be done through your device’s settings.
• Disable automatic Wifi connectivity so you don’t inadvertently connect to a stray Wifi connection without realizing it.

Alternative ways to connect to the internet while shopping at Walmart

Whether the Walmart Wifi isn’t as fast as you need it to be, or you’d prefer to avoid public networks, you may want to find an alternative to the store’s free Wi-Fi. Fortunately, you still have a couple of options.

A mobile hotspot may be the solution if you’re trying to connect a laptop to the internet or with a friend and need a quick connection for your phone. Aside from the costs associated with data consumption, a mobile hotspot doesn’t involve any extra expense for equipment.

Laptop users could also utilize a Wifi USB dongle, which uses data from a SIM card to provide a connection. You’ll have to buy the USB dongle and pay for a data plan, but it still offers both convenience and security if you need an internet connection while in public.

The takeaway

As far as public internet connections go, Walmart’s Wifi stacks up pretty well compared to what’s offered by other establishments. Next time you’re at Walmart, give their Wifi a try and see what you think!