Using your provider’s Wi-Fi spots

Ziggo and KPN currently offer Wi-Fi spots for their subscribers. If you purchase internet from one of these providers, you will have a cable modem at home. This modem provides wired internet and a wireless signal (Wi-Fi). This allows you to wirelessly connect various devices to the internet at home, such as a PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet. There is no limit to the number of devices you can connect to the Internet. For example, your guests can also use your WiFi connection. They do need the correct password for this, because the connection is secured.

In addition to this standard wireless connection, the cable modems from Ziggo and KPN can also broadcast a separate WiFi signal. This is a so-called WiFi spot. A WiFi spot therefore exists in addition to the WiFi signal that you use for your standard wireless internet connection. When the WiFispot option of Ziggo or KPN is activated, other subscribers of the provider can use your second signal and you can also connect to wireless internet in and around the houses of other subscribers (with activated WiFispots).

Note: Ziggo says that about three quarters of customers have a modem that is suitable for serving as a WiFi spot. A quarter of customers have a modem that is too old to be a WiFi spot. These customers will be offered a new modem in 2015 and 2016. Customers can use the Wi-Fi spots of other Ziggo customers with a suitable modem. They cannot offer a WiFi spot themselves with their outdated modem.

The signal broadcast from your modem for WiFi spots is independent of your own internet connection. So users of the Wi-Fi spots do not reach your connection and cannot access it. If you do not trust WiFi spots, you can disable this option via your online account with the provider or the router settings. Keep in mind that you will not be able to use WiFi spots with other subscribers.

If you use someone else’s WiFi spot to connect to the internet, it is wise not to engage in private business, such as internet banking. Only subscribers who are members of the same internet provider can sign up to a WiFi spot. To do this, they must enter customer data, namely a login name and password. The chance of hackers is therefore small. At Ziggo, the wireless connection is fully encrypted, so that hackers can only get their hands on unreadable data. Unfortunately, the connection at KPN is not encrypted, so there is a small chance of possible snoopers. So go for safe and do not visit websites where you have to enter privacy-sensitive information. You can always check what the weather will be like.

Wifi spots have virtually no influence on the internet speed of your connection. It is true that additional devices may connect to your internet connection, but you hardly notice this in practice. Normally there is still plenty of bandwidth left. Only a signal is added to your modem. Compare it as follows: if you also purchase television and telephony from Ziggo or KPN, these signals also run through the same cable modem. Even in that case, this has few consequences for the speed of your internet connection.

When the WiFispot function of your cable modem is activated, you will receive access to WiFispots of other Ziggo or KPN subscribers in return. You use your account login details (username and password) to connect to a WiFispot. Handy, because during a visit to friends and family who are subscribers to the same provider, you can use the internet for free with a smartphone or tablet.

There is, however, a limit. At Ziggo, five devices are allowed to connect to the internet via one Wi-Fi spot and you as a customer can activate the option yourself for three devices. KPN uses a limit of one. As soon as you are near an available cable modem from your internet provider with a tablet, the signal from Wi-Fi spots is automatically picked up.

There are two known user issues. The first is a minor security issue. A ‘fake hotspot’ can pretend to be a Wi-Fi spot. That is not so complicated, since everyone can give their network its own name, for example Ziggo WifiSpots. That in itself is of course not a problem or risk. But malicious parties can set up such a network to tap your login details. It is therefore important to remember that you only need to log in to Wi-Fi spots once (per device), you can do this at home and you don’t have to do this anymore. Outdoors, the device automatically connects to the correct Wi-Fi spot. So if a network similar to your provider’s then asks for your login details, don’t provide them!

The second user problem is this: if you have the WiFispot option activated by your internet provider, you can accidentally use the WiFispot at home. That’s a shame, because your regular internet connection is much faster. The only thing you can do about it is check this on the device you’re working with and then switch networks manually.

More information can be found at the different providers:

• Ziggo WifiSpots
• KPN WiFi with Fon