WiFi roaming allows your device to jump between different WiFi access points. This enables you to physically move about without disconnecting from the internet.
Have you ever been travelling or just found yourself wandering a hotel, an airport, or maybe even your university campus and noticed that your phone remained connected to the WiFi?
You might have expected the connection to drop off, but it didn’t. This is likely because you were WiFi roaming.
When does WiFi roaming occur?
Imagine the last time you were traipsing through a hotel or resort on holiday. When you left the lobby and started down the hall towards your room, you likely moved out of range of the first access point and into range of the next.
As long as your phone has the ability to connect to WiFi, you can count on it automatically switching over to the stronger access point automatically. No need to disconnect from one to manually reconnect to the next.
You can think of it as the same way your phone might switch between cell towers as you travel. (To be clear, it’s not the same as cellular roaming).
While cellular roaming comes with extra (often high) fees, WiFi roaming is just different WiFi points within the same network. No extra fees to worry about.
Is WiFi roaming useful?
In large areas with multiple WiFi hotspots, WiFi roaming can be very helpful. Consider places like hotels, resorts, university and college campuses, airports, hospital and medical centres, and corporate offices.
What a nuisance it would be to have your connection dropped between access points, forcing you to reconnect every time you moved within one location!
If you’re on a business call or Facetiming with friends, streaming video, or even just trying to upload photos or documents, being able to roam via WiFi is invaluable.
Is WiFi Roaming Safe?
The technology of WiFi roaming isn’t inherently dangerous. However, with any public WiFi networks, there are always risks to keep in mind (whether you’re roaming or not).
If the network doesn’t use strong encryption (like WPA2 or WPA3), your data could be vulnerable to interception as you switch between access points.
To protect yourself, avoid logging into any private accounts over public WiFi. Examples of this could be banking information, or really anything that reveals your home address. If you must handle something confidential, use a VPN to obscure your location.
It always helps to keep your software and any antivirus tools up-to-date.
Consider an eSIM Instead
If you’re out exploring a new city or even travelling internationally, it’s not always convenient to rely solely on WiFi. Instead, a prepaid eSIM can ensure you have instant mobile data everywhere, at an affordable cost.
With global data coverage for individual countries or across geographic regions, an aloSIM eSIM offers a flexible, consistent connection without the risks of public WiFi networks.
