Renfrewshire Council

The service offers free access to the internet for visitors and covers public buildings and key town centre outdoor areas. Read our frequently-asked questions to find out more....

When and where is it available?

The service is available 24/7, 365 days a year, in the outdoor town centre wifi coverage areas in Paisley, Johnstone and Renfrew town centres. The service is additional to the customer wifi already available in many of the shops, cafes and restaurants in Renfrewshire's town centres.

The free public wifi is also available in the following public buildings during their normal opening hours:

Paisley: Renfrewshire House, Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley Arts Centre, InCube, and the Disability Resource Centre;

Rest of Renfrewshire: Johnstone Town Hall, Renfrew Town Hall, Linwood Tweedie Hall, West Johnstone Shared Campus and Linwood On-X;

Libraries: Bishopton Library, Bridge of Weir Library, Erskine Library, Ferguslie Park Library, Foxbar Library, Glenburn Community Centre/Library, Johnstone Library, Linwood Library, Lochwinnoch Library, Paisley Central Library, Ralston Library, Renfrew Library, Renfrewshire Heritage Centre (at Abbey Mill in Paisley);

The service is also available on the Street Stuff buses, which will be at various locations around Renfrewshire.

Who is it for and how do I connect?

The service is available to anyone with access to a wifi-enabled laptop, tablet or mobile device in a wifi coverage zone. To connect:

• Turn on wifi on your mobile phone or other device.
• Look for Renfrewshire Public Wifi in your list of available wifi networks.
• Select Renfrewshire Public Wifi and wait for the pop-up window.
• First time accessing? Accept the T&Cs and click the 'connect to' button. Start enjoying free wifi.

Do I have to register or sign a contract?

No. Just accept the terms and conditions of use when accessing the wifi network for the first time with a device. There is no contract to sign and use of the wifi is completely free - you will not be asked for payment details when logging on or using the service.

What can I do with wifi?

With free wifi available across Renfrewshire's town centres, residents and visitors in the streets and in public buildings can take advantage of the benefits that 'on-the-go' connectivity offers, for example:

• Keeping in touch with friends on social media
• Reading the latest news and finding out about local events
• Online shopping and comparing the best offers
• Checking the next train or bus times
• Accessing online council services

How fast is the service?

Speed will vary according to how far you are from a wifi access point; what type of device you are using; how many people are using the service and the types of applications people are using. There is no restriction on how long you can connect to and access the public wifi  however it is configured for online activity that requires low to moderate amounts of bandwidth therefore is not suitable for downloading/uploading large data files, such as you might do on your home broadband.   

Who provides the service?

It is a free wifi service being made available by Renfrewshire Council. The council's aim is to make Renfrewshire's town centres attractive and user-friendly destinations so people can enjoy their experience of visiting and better enjoy the many attractions the area has to offer. It was designed, installed and is managed by Boston Networks Ltd who have installed similar systems in other towns and cities across the UK

How will my data be used?

No personal data is collected when using the wifi service.  Device information collected, which does not identify you as an individual and includes MAC or IP address will not be disclosed to a third party. The wifi service is fully compliant with the Digital Economy Act 2017. Full terms and conditions about using the wifi service are available by clicking on the link in the related documents section

How secure is the network?

Technologies are used to ensure the resilience of the network however it is unsecured network therefore users are strongly recommended to take due care when transmitting confidential information such as credit card details over the internet when using the free public wifi.  For further information about online security, see the Get Safe Online website. Content filtering applied to the network will block specific genres or types of internet traffic and the network is Internet Watch Foundation compliant.

How do I provide feedback?

Should you experience any issues in using the free wifi please contact the Renfrewshire Public Wifi helpline number on 0344 848 9555. Calls are charge at standard network rates.