Barcelona Wifi

User manual

1. What is the Barcelona WiFi network?Top

Barcelona WiFi is a Barcelona City Council service that enables you to connect to the Internet through WiFi access points, or hotspots, located in various municipal amenities.

Barcelona WiFi is a free internet access network available to all citizens, an online and mobile network which facilitates fast and convenient information searches and the social use of the internet, adapting us to today's knowledge society. We provide Barcelona residents with the biggest, free public WiFi network in Spain, and one of the biggest in Europe. This has been made possible through the use of municipal centres and public spaces as WiFi zones.

The final hotspots in this Barcelona City Council project will be rolled out in 2011. The Barcelona WiFi hotspots constitute one of the biggest free open access networks in the whole of Spain. And Barcelona WiFi aims to meet its objective of becoming one of the key instruments for promoting the social use of new information and knowledge technologies.

Its goals include encouraging and boosting the number of users connected to the internet and becoming an instrument which places internet access within the reach of residents of the city's neighbourhoods and districts, from a wide range of municipal centres and through any IT device. Through this network Barcelona City Council also provides citizens with access to electronic procedures and information on the city, establishing a means for citizens to communicate with their City Council.

2. Where can I access it from?Top

The WiFi hotspots are located in the public amenities listed below:

  • Neighbourhood centres
  • Centres for the elderly
  • Civic centres
  • Cultural centres and museums
  • Sports centres
  • Children and adolescent service centres
  • Social service centres
  • Local authority and citizen advice offices
  • Libraries
  • Municipal markets
  • Residential block interiors and enclosed parks with established opening times
  • Night-time study rooms

The complete and updated list of hotspots can be downloaded via the following links:

Barcelona WiFi website link:
http://www.bcn.cat/barcelonawifi/
Direct link:
http://www.bcn.cat/barcelonawifi/docs/ca/centres_ca.pdf
The list of hotspots can also be found in the Barcelona Guide:
http://www.bcn.cat/guia

3. How can I identify the WiFi hotspot in a municipal amenity?Top

Amenities that offer the Barcelona WiFi service can be identified by the following signs:

These stickers indicate the presence of a WiFi hotspot in the amenity.

  • Situated on the entrance door to the amenity,

  • "Guide to WiFi hotspot"

This sticker indicates the nearby presence of the antenna and the WiFi hotspot itself.

Due to possible coverage restrictions, access to the service is not guaranteed in spaces where these stickers are not displayed.

4. How can I contact Barcelona WiFi?Top

Should you wish to consult the service or resolve any service-related problems you can contact Barcelona WiFi by phoning 010 * or by going to the contact area stated on the service webpage, http://www.bcn.cat/barcelonawifi, or directly via the following link http://www.bcn.cat/barcelonawifi/en/contacte.html

* Cost of the call: 0.46 euros for the call connection (VAT included) and 0.06 euros per minute (VAT included), charged per second.

(To see up-to-date rates, go to http://www.bcn.cat.)

5. Which IT devices can I use to connect?Top

To access Barcelona WiFi, all you need to have is a device with a WiFi connection.

Examples:
Laptop computer
Mobile phone
PDA
Tablet

Device requirements:

  • The device needs to be within the range of the antennae to pick up the network signal.
  • The device needs to have a common web browser (Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, etc).
  • The device needs to have a mechanism compatible with the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g standard (most devices with WiFi are compatible).
  • Access to the internet must be initiated through the Barcelona WiFi home page and access portal. This portal can be accessed via standard web browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) and it is the gateway to browsing internet content from locations equipped with the Barcelona WiFi service.
  • On the access portal, you must read and accept the general terms and conditions of use in order to use the service.
  • If you attempt to use the Barcelona WiFi service to browse without going through the access portal you will not be able to connect. The welcome portal shows users the types of services and applications which can be accessed once the process of registering the user's device has been completed.

Antenna range

To begin using the service you need to search for the Barcelona WiFi service sign, referred to in section 3. Then you need to be within the range of the antennae. The WiFi access points allow for theoretical coverage within a range of 20 to 50 metres in enclosed spaces and 100 to 150 metres outdoors.

These figures may vary greatly depending on the environmental and physical conditions of the location (obstacles, interference, etc.). In any event, not every municipal centre has coverage so, to ensure the service is available to you, you will need to be near the Barcelona WiFi sign .

The antennae are located at a prudent distance to guarantee compliance with all regulations on radiation and European directives on electromagnetic radiation currently in force and to ensure users and centre managers are not affected.

6. What are the opening hours of the service?Top

The internet access service hours vary according to the type of amenity:

1. Centres for the elderly
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
2. Civic centres
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
3. Neighbourhood centres
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
4. Cultural centres
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
5. Social service centres
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
6. Municipal sports centres (outdoor and indoor)
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
7. Residential block interiors and parks with restricted access times
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
8. Markets
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
9. Museums
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
10. Citizen advice and local authority offices
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
11. Libraries
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 10 pm
12. Night-time study rooms
Mon - Sun, 8 am - 11 pm

8. What can I consult?Top

Internet access: This enables internet browsing, except of web pages which contain violent, racist, adult or similar content. If you attempt to access any of these types of websites, the system will display a warning. The connection has a speed limit (256 kbps) set by the service regulator (Telecommunications Market Commission) based on current legislation. [Circular 1/2010, from the Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT), which regulates the conditions of use of networks and electronic communications services provided by public administrations.]

The Barcelona WiFi services aims to encourage the use of new technologies and provide citizens with a simple website consultation mechanism; it is a browser-based service. Consequently peer-to-peer file exchanges of any kind (downloading music, films) the use of IP telephony, video conferencing (Skype or similar) and the use of applications other than browsing applications are not considered part of the service and are not permitted by the system.

If you attempt to access any of this type of content, the system will display a warning like the one in the picture which indicates that access to the content is not permitted. If, however, you believe that the page is incorrectly categorised, you can let us know by following the link that appears on the service's access denial page.

9. How can you connect to it?Top

To access the service you need to follow the following generic steps. The wide range of devices available on the market and the ongoing evolution of these makes it impossible to give specific details on how to access the service from each device.

The attached images that accompany the connection information correspond to the Microsoft Windows XP platform.

  1. First you need to search for the Barcelona WiFi wireless network: click on "Start", go to "Connect to" and select "Wireless network connections".
  2. Once you have done this, from the various options displayed, you need to select the identifier for the “Barcelona WiFi” service. Then click on the "Connect" button. If you are unable to pick up the network despite being close to the service signs, refresh the networks detected a number of times. Not all municipal centres have WiFi coverage, so it is very important to be close to the service signal.
  3. Check that the equipment processes the network access. The attached images show how the platform processes the connection.
  4. Once you have made access the connection procedure is completed. Each platform has a different way of verifying this point. For the platform in the example, you can check that the "Wireless network connections" window and the task bar are the same as those is the following images:
  5. You are now connected to the Barcelona WiFi network. Now simply open your usual browser and enter the address of the web page you wish to visit. This will take you to the service home page. Once you have read and accepted the general terms and conditions of use of the service, you can browse using the different means available:
    • Internet access: This enables internet browsing. The connection speeds are subject to restrictions set by the state communications regulator - the Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT) - based on current legislation. For your information, the home page will display the detail of these restrictions on an intermediate screen. This screen will show you which services can be accessed from the office from which you are trying to connect (http, https, etc.).

Additionally you can also access municipal information on the city and the centre in which you are located: City agenda, bcn map, etc.

Clarification on the service

  • At any time while browsing you can return to the home page by going to http://control or https://control.barcelonaWiFi.cat for greater interoperability guarantees.
  • The home page will look different depending on the type of device you use to access the service.
  • If at any point you try to access content subject to restrictions or you breach any of the conditions of use a warning page will appear on your web browser like the one in the image informing you of the error.

010Incidents

Remember, if you wish to report an incident or you have a query regarding the service you can get in touch with the user support service by dialling 010* or via the contact section in https://www.bcn.cat/barcelonawifi.

* Cost of the call: 0.46 euros for the call connection (VAT included) and 0.06 euros per minute (VAT included), charged per second.

(To see up-to-date rates, go to http://www.bcn.cat.)

The contents of this website are subject to a Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise.