Guide to Finding WiFi in Ocean City

We need your help in answering a question of great consequence: Where can one find a free and decent wireless signal in Ocean City?

For better or worse, it's a fact of life: Not everybody can completely disconnect during vacation on the island. The ability to access email and the Internet is becoming as vital as the need to find food and fun.

For many, that need is satified by smartphones, which saw largely unreliable service during summer weekends last year and again on Memorial Day Weekend — as the population of the island swelled with people competing for limited bandwidth.

But many seek a reliable connection for a laptop. And we'd like your help in putting together a guide of WiFi signals in town.

We'll start by offering advice on one hedge and on one signal that we know all too well:

The hedge: If you absolutely have to have a reliable connection, rent one. A new service in Ocean City, Surfnet, rents wireless modems that plug into USB ports. Surfnet also rents iPads and Kindle Fires. . And if you're a Comcast Xfinity subscriber, the City of Ocean City website is linking to a map of Xfinity hotspots.

Here we'll admit that we're not too familiar with wireless in Ocean City because we haven't had to look much farther than the library. As many in town know, the library is a little home away from home for Ocean City Patch — a wonderful facility with a great and reliable WiFi signal.

Where: 1735 Simpson Avenue

When: Library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

User Notes: Choose "OCFPL" if your network manager finds multiple devices. No password or guest sign-in is required. Library has work stations on the second floor. Wireless signal is available throughout the Ocean City Community Cultural Center (including Arts Center, Historical Museum, Atrium area, Aquatics and Fitness Center, Senior Center, Yianni's Cafe and parking lots). Wireless signal is available even when library is closed.

So let us know in the comments section below about what else you've experienced in Ocean City. We know that , , and are among the businesses in town that promote free WiFi service. 

Can anybody help us provide user notes on these locations or on others in town? Add your experience in the comments section below, and we'll make this a working document, linked from our Ocean City Visitor's Guide.