Open City Wi-Fi is a free public Wi-Fi Internet access service provided courtesy of the City of Edmonton to patrons of some of the City’s publicly accessible facilities.
Currently more than 14,000 devices connect to Open City Wi-Fi every week, resulting in more than 2TB of data traffic. The service also routinely accepts over 4,500 concurrent sessions during peak periods daily.
Accessing the Open City Wi-Fi Service
Mobile device (smartphone, tablet, laptop) users visiting an Open City Wi-Fi enabled City facility must first find and select the Open City Wi-Fi network using their mobile device’s setting menu. When users open the browser on their mobile device, they will be prompted to accept the “Terms and Conditions” before being granted access to the service.
Given this is a publicly accessible service, users should note:
- To ensure the service remains available to a maximum number of active users, there is a 12-hour connection timeout.
- It’s not a secure network connection and caution should be exercised when conducting confidential or business transactions, such as online banking, in order to avoid any potential security breach of information.
- Filtering has been applied to block access to inappropriate websites that contain Child Abuse Content, Extreme Content, Filter Avoidance, Gambling Content, Hate Speech Content, Non-sexual Nudity Content and Pornographic Content.
- Web Browsing (HTTP and HTTPS), Email client access (IMAP4, POP3, MSA) and Apple Push Notification Service traffic are permitted.
- “Peer to Peer” program (BitTorrent, KaZaa, Gnutella, and Morpheus) traffic is not permitted.
- The City of Edmonton does not provide mobile devices for public use.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the wireless network service is not secure. Information sent from or to your mobile device could be viewed by someone else using a wireless device and the appropriate software.
The City assumes no responsibility for the safety of equipment or for mobile device configurations, security, or data files resulting from connection to the wireless network service.
- A Wi-Fi enabled mobile device (laptop, tablet, smartphone)
- A web browser
Every wireless device is different, these are general instructions:
On your mobile device, scan for Wi-Fi networks
Select ' Open Wi-Fi' from the list and follow your mobile device's prompts to proceed with the connection
When you open your mobile device's web browser, you will be redirected to the Open Wi-Fi usage terms and conditions page. You must click "accept" to proceed with the Wi-Fi connection.
If you have City Wi-Fi saved as a network or profile on your mobile device, delete it and try connecting to Open City Wi-Fi again.
No. City employees are not available to provide technical assistance and no guarantee is given that you will be able to make a wireless connection with your device.
Yes, approximately 12 hours, after which your web browser will be directed to the Open Wi-Fi usage Terms & Conditions page. Select ‘Accept’ to proceed.
No more than on any other public Wi-Fi. However, it's recommended that you have up-to-date anti-virus/anti-malware software installed on your device.
No. Peer-to-peer programs such as BitTorrent, KaZaa, Gnutella, and Morpheus are not allowed on the Open City Wi-Fi network.
Yes. The filter categories we block are:
- Child Abuse Content
- Extreme Content
- Filter Avoidance
- Gambling
- Hate Speech
- Non-sexual Nudity
- Pornography.
If your web based email or web pages were blocked, it may be blocked for the above reason.
Example:
A partial blocked web page (frame/window with error message and was circled) indicates one of its contents violate the web filter policy.
filtered content example
Partially blocked content (circled)
Service and Support Commitment
The City of Edmonton is committed to ensuring Open City Wi-Fi remains a reliable, sustainable and supported service. Patrons visiting City facilities equipped with the Open City Wi-Fi service can expect to receive free Wi-Fi internet access.
In the event of service availability issues, contact the appropriate facility staff to report the service outage. IT support staff will respond to the reported outage during regular business hours (8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays) and aim to have the issue resolved within 4 hours.
Please note: Mobile devices themselves are not supported, unless they are City of Edmonton-owned devices.
Eduroam
Eduroam is a tool for universities, research institutes and schools that provides simple, easy and secure connectivity from thousands of hotspots across more than 100 countries. The platform allows any user from an eduroam participating site to get network access at any institution connected to eduroam.
View interactive map of eduroam service locations.
Eduroam is based on the most secure encryption and authentication standards available, far exceeding the security of typical commercial hotspots.
Founded in Europe, eduroam has since expanded throughout the globe and is now available in 106 territories worldwide. As part of the GEANT 2020 Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA), the project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
Contact Us
311 Contact Centre
Phone 311 | Outside Edmonton and Video Relay Service (VRS): 780-442-5311 | TTY 711