# Help - wifi & LPG



## Uller (May 29, 2010)

Really enjoying our first few days in France, especially the aires system. A couple of things I could with your help with though - 

I got the impression that free wifi would be relatively easy to pick up here but have not found that to be the case (have long range aerial too). Other than McDs, any other suggestions or do we need to be staying on campsites more?

We have an LPG tank for domestic use. We've tried a few hypermarkets and petrol stations but can't find an adapter and are keen to fill up before we hit Spain. Any ideas where we might find one?

Thanks in anticipation!


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Uller said:


> We have an LPG tank for domestic use. We've tried a few hypermarkets and petrol stations but can't find an adapter and are keen to fill up before we hit Spain.


Hi Uller

You may well find that the attendant at the filling station has an adapter you could borrow for filling up. I believe they often keep a selection for just this purpose.

I carry my own adapters, but have heard others say they were able to borrow one. Worth asking at a couple of garages before you panic too much. :wink:

Have fun.

Dave


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## inkey-2008 (May 24, 2008)

Like you I have never found more than the odd free wifi. So I don't bother looking now, if we want it we find the nearest Mc donalds. Cant help on the adapter either I sorted oursout before leaving the UK.

Have you tried motorhome sales/repairers there our normaly a few on the edges of large towns. As you dont say where you are cant give you any hints.

Andy


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## Bill_OR (Feb 6, 2010)

Uller,
Just got back after 2 weeks on aires in Pas de Calais, Picardie, Normandy, Pays de Loire. Not once did I manage to find a free wifi service!
Have a great trip - we did!
Bill


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## Westkirby01 (Jan 25, 2009)

We travelled France extensively last year. Every supermarket offered free wifi in the eating areas. Went in with laptop or tablet. You have to spend some time figuring out how to sign in/register. That's our fault as we are not conversant with French. We had purchased 'learn' books and were trying.

Great time

Regards


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## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

WIFI
I have all the McDonalds as poi in tom tom and use them,if non locally use the Tourist Office.

L.P.G
Nearly all garages will have a adapter you can borrow,or call into a M/H dealer they will have them there.
By the way dont be in to much of a rush to come to Spain,its cold and the forecast is for a week of rain (Valencia area )


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

I am always interested in the experiences people report with wifi. A few seem to pick it up free and unsecured wherever they go. Other than at McDonalds I have only ever managed to do that once that I can recall in France. I see plenty of networks but they are usually for users of French mobile phones or are accessed by subscription which often requires a French payment method. Any I have found which I could buy time on with my credit card have been stupidly expensive.

I bought a Vodafone.fr sim card but service was poor except in cities and the cost of access was stupidly high.

For gas you will need to keep trying in the hope that one of the filling stations can lend you an adapter. We carry our own which I think is worthwhile, Alan.


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

I've not had much luck with free Wi Fi in France either. The long range aerial, however, has come into its own on numerous occasions - letting us pick up campsite wi fi on our pitch that would otherwise be limited to just the reception area.

I joined FON too, in the hope that I'd be able to find some FON spots too. Didn't find a single one.

I think the problem is that more and more wi fi routers come with encryption turned on as standard.

Addie will be along shortly to say that he never has trouble finding open wi fi hotspots. The only explanaton I could come up with is that he wildcamps more than many of us and perhaps the locals who live within range of an aire have got wise to the fact of all these brits turning up and trying to freeload off their Internet connections, and have taken the simple precaution of turning encryption on


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## havingfun (Oct 31, 2007)

*help wifi & lpg*

hi,

over wifi, we find that the huge shopping centres usally have wifi in at least 1 or 2 of the outlets, wont help now,but we have a little clicker thingy, we bought it from maplins, somebody on here posted about it of course,all good ideas come from here.....and i get out and walk round clicking,until we get 3 green lights,and then bernard parks as close to were i,m stood as possible,up to now we,ve found them to be unlocked.

lpg adaptors, we have most of them,but the odd time we,ve not,i,m sent to the cashdesk,i look lost, and make lot of gestures and up to now,some kind soul has found one for us to borrow,i usally have my purse with me and offer to pay,but up to now nobody has charged .

when we split jobs while we,re travelling,all things like that are my jobs,bernard says it,s because i dont mind making a fool of myself,but i work on the principle that most people are kind,and will try and help you.

mags


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Free wifi is very widely available in France but," for reasons of national security" you must enter a PIN or password to access it. This you get, free, from campsites, tourist agencies, maire, supermarkets etc when you give them your name and home address. A couple of times we've been asked to show our passport too but this is not usually the case.

The free wifi will be locked until you enter the PIN or password

G


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## clive1821 (Mar 27, 2010)

Hi I also have been interested in your comments, I to have noticed that now days all wifi's are secure which is quite logical, as the host would be holding the baby if unfortunate access to a wifi happens...... so yes if you can be bothered to park up and have a go at Mac's as already been mentioned, theres also the fon network..... 
http://corp.fon.com/en/

I am a member but again I have found very few access points where I was staying..... yes you might just be better off in the cities, and yes I also do have the long range aerial with as you have already said plenty of wifi networks but all secure.... yes I have the use of my celphone at a cost and as Alan has mentioned its very intermittent and usualy I get 2G service which is not much good for what I want to use the internet for.... we are all used to braodband these days....... yes you can ge some good deals haveing a local sim card but thats also very hard work when for example I can not speak a word of french etc.... so I ended up providing my own satnet at a cost unfortunatley.....

Now to LPG yes I to have all 3 adaptors and can be purched from 
http://www.outdoorbits.com/gaslow-adaptors-c-156_123_358.html

These are only my views..... but thats what I found on the ground, same I found in Italy and spain as far as the internet

Enjoy your trip...


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

perhaps one of our french speakers could write what to ask for at the petrol kiosk, to borrow an adaptor, this would possibly help and please them that we try to speak the language.  
Uller can then write it down for the next time.

cabby


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

clive1821 said:


> .... but thats what I found on the ground, same I found in Italy and spain as far as the internet


It is the same in Italy; good spread of free wifi but you have to have registered locally to get the password to use it- and present your address and name.

As in France, when you arrive in a town or village you will see various wifi available. Go and get the password and you will be told which one is the free one. Log in using the password given and you are then logged until you leave the area.

Don't know what the situation is in Spain as we used the 3G Kindle there for e-mail and web browsing.

Our van is plastered with everything from tiny scraps of paper to official forms that have been used to give us the various passwords !

G


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

cabby said:


> perhaps one of our french speakers could write what to ask for at the petrol kiosk, to borrow an adaptor, this would possibly help and please them that we try to speak the language.
> Uller can then write it down for the next time.
> 
> cabby


Avez vous un adapteur pour remplir le gaz, s'il vous plait?

Dave


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## Uller (May 29, 2010)

Many thanks for your comments. We will try asking for wifi passwords in each area as we are certainly picking up lots of networks, just none that are unlocked. We did ask toborrow an LPG adaptor in a Total but the guy seemed surprised that we needed one. Maybe our pidgin French/gestures translated into something completely different!

On the upside, we have just found a laundrette in Vironne together with great pizza, bread and pastries. Who needs LPG?!


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## Gazburger (Feb 26, 2008)

hi uller i live in saumur if you are anyware near i can lend you one and take you to the local intermarche were i filled up this week


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Gemmy's comment is interesting as it is something we have not encountered, yes we use WiFi in hypermarkets - usually while having a very reasonably priced meal, for which one has to ask for the acess code. That is usually freely given - we have NEVER been asked where we live!

Many Tourist offices also have free WiFi and will allow you to access it when they are open..

Many bars also now have it - often with a WiFi sign on the door.

We do not use McD's - but that is because we do not like it......

As regards LPG adaptor - we are between Villeneuve sur Lot and Bergerac if that is of any use to you - and have an adaptor you could borrow.

Feel free to PM me,

Dave


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## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

*Re: help wifi & lpg*



havingfun said:


> hi,
> 
> over wifi, we find that the huge shopping centres usally have wifi in at least 1 or 2 of the outlets, wont help now,but we have a little clicker thingy, we bought it from maplins, somebody on here posted about it of course,all good ideas come from here.....and i get out and walk round clicking,until we get 3 green lights,and then bernard parks as close to were i,m stood as possible,up to now we,ve found them to be unlocked.
> 
> mags


Hi Mags

That sounds like a good suggestion to find wi-fi hotspots. I assume the device you use is this one:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/wi-fi-hot-spot-finder-47098

Hadn't seen them before and might get one.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Penquin said:


> Gemmy's comment is interesting as it is something we have not encountered, yes we use WiFi in hypermarkets - usually while having a very reasonably priced meal, for which one has to ask for the acess code. That is usually freely given - we have NEVER been asked where we live!
> Dave


I wonder if this is because the rule does not apply to "private" networks -as in supermarkets ?

We were told of the identity rule in Metz several years ago when we found out that wifi-ing-up France was an active project and going ahead at great speed. We've always been asked but, thinking back, have used local village or town networks, campsites and-crucially- hypermarkets where the network might have been provided by the municipality rather than the supermarket at the heart of the hypermarche complex.

Most we have found in villages and on aires have been active all night, even when the tourist office who gave us the password, have been closed. The exception to this was the aire at Kaisersberg one year where the office apologised next day; there'd been a fault and while we could still get it in the town square we could no longer get it in the van on the aire.

G


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## Addie (Aug 5, 2008)

Morphology said:


> Addie will be along shortly to say that he never has trouble finding open wi fi hotspots. The only explanaton I could come up with is that he wildcamps more than many of us and perhaps the locals who live within range of an aire have got wise to the fact of all these brits turning up and trying to freeload off their Internet connections, and have taken the simple precaution of turning encryption on


Here I am :lol:

In fairness to all our success with Wifi has been through Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Greece - the latter of which we had a near 100% success rate at over 68 days wild camping and connecting up to 18km in distance away.

We've not done a lot of France or Germany to pass comment but we will be along the south of France and into Spain in a few weeks so will update.

If you need Wifi you need to practice a bit of 'wardriving' - drive down the road with your laptop and pull up when you find a hotspot. Easier for us with our dashboard mounted laptop setup and an Omni-directional antenna on the roof.

Seem a LOT of German vans with roof mounted Wifi gear, they seem to be leading the way and it is out there - we had to practice the above during our 5 days in Germany this year.

Parked up for our first night in Italy at an aire, connected first time :lol; :roll:

If you need e-mail / browsing access then use Vodafone Data Traveller on a Smartphone and Opera Mini browser to massively compress web pages - we're heavy users and never hit our 25MB daily cap.


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## havingfun (Oct 31, 2007)

*help wifi& lpg*

hi,

seems to be a similar one,ours is more pear shaped,but it does exactly the same, it detects wifi, it lives suspended from the mirror, and sometimes even without getting out of the van we can click it and see whether a signal is there, not quite as clever as addie,but hey ho,we,re older and not as quick.

but if we stop i often just have a little walk to see if i can get green lights, one aire we stopped at we could see other people using laptops,and couldent get a signal, had a walk round with the clicker, and realised a wall was blocking us,moved about 2 foot and bingo.

mags


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## Addie (Aug 5, 2008)

*Re: help wifi& lpg*



havingfun said:


> hi,
> 
> seems to be a similar one,ours is more pear shaped,but it does exactly the same, it detects wifi, it lives suspended from the mirror, and sometimes even without getting out of the van we can click it and see whether a signal is there, not quite as clever as addie,but hey ho,we,re older and not as quick.
> 
> ...


Line of sight is very important, even more so with a directional antenna. If you have the option of doing a lap of the carpark with a Laptop, antenna and a copy of InSSIDer running you can see if any 'open' hotspots emerge.

Time of day during warm / hazy weather also makes a difference. We had hotspots we were able to connect to on an evening but disappeared or became very faint during the day.

I haven't got a 'clicker' but have been known to wander around with my phone doing the same.

If you can find a bar / coffee shop identified by its name on the Wifi go and buy a drink - usually cheaper then a 'paid for' hotspot.


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## Uller (May 29, 2010)

Thanks for all the suggestions. We have now found free wifi at a tourist office and have been at a friend's place making full use of theirs for a couple of days. We've also learned to manage Data Traveller better - Addie is right, the Opera browser is the bees knees when it comes to making your data allowance go as far as possible.

We've also had offers of help with the LPG adaptor - which is becoming more important as the temperature drops and the heating is used more often - so we should be sorted with that too soon.

Thanks again,

Sarah


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## SoKoTo (Nov 17, 2009)

*Wi-fi*

'Flunch' have free Wi-Fi, no complications signing in, and the food is good value, too. Many motorway service areas have wi-fi in the cafes and, again, I've not had much difficulty with passwords or codes. Apologies to those who know, but it may help those who don't, to remember that 'wi-fi' is pronounced 'wee-fee' if you need to ask about it.

Bon voyage et bonne chance!


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