I Almost Got Fired Over Hotel WiFi
True story. Bangkok. Had this important client call scheduled. The hotel WiFi decides to completely die exactly 30 seconds before I'm supposed to present quarterly numbers.
Next 45 minutes of my life: sitting in the lobby, phone propped against a lamp, trying to look professional while presenting from a couch next to some guy loudly eating breakfast.
The client never said anything about it. But I aged probably five years in that 45 minutes.
That's when I stopped treating WiFi as something I'd just figure out. Started being paranoid about it. And honestly? You should be too if your job depends on internet.
Apps That Have Saved Me
WiFi Map - Saved me dozens of times now. Crowdsourced passwords for basically everywhere. Free tier is totally fine. No clue how they get all these passwords but I'm not going to ask questions.
Workfrom - Actually useful for finding cafes where people get real work done. Has speed tests from actual users. Way better than just gambling on random Google reviews.
Fast.com - Dead simple speed test. Just go there and it tells you the number. Netflix runs it so you know it actually works.
Airalo - eSIM for when WiFi fails completely. Download the app, buy data for whatever country you're headed to, done. No more hunting around for SIM card shops.
Where to Actually Work (Ranked by How Much They've Let Me Down)
Coworking spaces. Best option by far. They literally exist for this purpose. Fast internet is their whole business model. Day passes run $10-25 most places. Find them on Coworker.com.
Hotel lobbies. Way better than the rooms for some reason. The lobby router is usually separate and way less congested. I've worked from lobbies of hotels I wasn't even staying at. Nobody has ever questioned me.
Coffee shops. Total hit or miss. Some have fiber. Some have what feels like 1995 dial-up pretending to be WiFi. Check Workfrom first or just ask the barista honestly how bad it gets during lunch.
Libraries. Super underrated. Free, fast, quiet. University libraries are incredible if you can get access.
Airports. Better than they used to be honestly. Singapore Changi is basically a coworking space that happens to have planes. Most US airports still make you watch ads for 30 seconds of WiFi which is annoying.
Your hotel room. Usually the worst option somehow. Like twenty people on the same router. Test it immediately when you check in—lobby might end up being your backup.
Before Any Important Call
I do this every single time now. Not kidding:
- Speed test first. Need at least 10 Mbps down, 5 up for video.
- Check the ping too. Under 100ms is fine. Under 50ms is good.
- Make sure my VPN actually works here.
- Do a quick test call if I can. Even just calling my own phone works.
Takes maybe three minutes. Worth it every single time.
When Things Get Slow
Switch to 5GHz instead of 2.4GHz if both options exist. 5GHz is usually faster but has shorter range.
Get closer to the router. Physics is still a thing that matters.
Lunch hours are absolutely the worst. If you can, schedule your calls for early morning or late afternoon instead.
Ask the staff. They sometimes have a secret staff network. Or at least they know where the router actually is.
When WiFi Just Dies
This is going to happen at some point. Just accept it now.
Keep your phone hotspot ready to go. I have mine configured and test it regularly.
Warn people early if the connection starts feeling shaky. A quick "Hey just FYI my internet is being weird today" buys you a ton of goodwill if it cuts out.
Save like a maniac. Auto-save everything. Work in cloud apps when you can.
Backup Plans I Actually Use
Mobile data. Your phone is your emergency internet source. Always have data on it. eSIM apps like Airalo let you buy data instantly when you land somewhere new.
Know multiple spots. First thing I do when I arrive somewhere new is find three places I could work from. Main cafe, backup coworking, emergency hotel lobby. Different internet providers means if one goes down, the others probably won't.
Offline mode. Download stuff before you need it. Sync your documents. Clone your repos. Have tasks ready that you can do without any internet.
By Region (From Experience)
Southeast Asia - Generally great. Thailand and Vietnam have crazy fast mobile data for really cheap. Indonesia outside of Bali can be rough though. Check our top destinations for digital nomads for more city-specific WiFi insights.
Latin America - Getting better really fast. Mexico City, Medellin, Buenos Aires are all solid now. Rural areas still struggle.
Europe - Excellent pretty much everywhere. EU roaming makes it stupid easy. Eastern Europe is often faster and cheaper than Western which is funny.
Africa - Really depends. South Africa is fine until the power goes out (which happens a lot lately). Kenya and Morocco are pretty decent. Mobile often beats WiFi there.
Quick Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
10-25 Mbps download, 5-10 up for video calls. Zoom claims 3.8 Mbps is enough but real world definitely needs more buffer than that.
Not really if I'm being honest. Use a VPN. Every time. Don't check your bank account on Starbucks WiFi.
Filter reviews by "WiFi" or "work" on booking sites. Or just message them directly and ask for speed test numbers. If they won't tell you, that tells you something.
Mobile data it is. eSIM. Or local SIM. In truly remote places, just accept that some work is going to have to wait.
If you stay in a lot of hotels with weak signal, maybe worth it. GL.iNet makes good ones. Adds weight though. Skip it if you mostly use coworking spaces.
Four Years Since Bangkok
I've worked from probably 200 different locations since that hotel lobby disaster. Cafes in Lisbon. Coworking spaces in Bali. Airport lounges in Singapore. A ferry in Croatia once (would not recommend that one).
The tools are definitely better now. eSIM didn't even exist back then. WiFi is faster almost everywhere.
But I'm still paranoid about it.
Every important call, I test the connection first. Every new city, I scout backup spots. My phone is always ready to become a hotspot.
Hasn't failed me since Bangkok. Knock on wood.
Before working on public WiFi, make sure you understand WiFi security best practices and have a good VPN installed.
