Walton County Free Wi-Fi Hotspots Available for Online Learning

As the school year begins, Walton County would like to remind the public that we offer 13 free Wi-Fi hotspots locations throughout the County.  The County is aware that during these times of COVID-19, many parents have opted to have their children attend school virtually.  These hotspots are open 24/7/365 and are available for use for online learning.

These Wi-Fi hotspots allow the community to access the internet in areas where internet is either sparse or unavailable to the community and are available at the following locations:

*         Walton County Fire Rescue in Gaskin – 32 Tim Padgett Way, Westville

*         Walton County Fire Rescue in Glendale – 6062 County Hwy 1883, Ponce de Leon

*         Sheriff Substation Paxton – 621527 US Hwy 331 N, Laurel Hill

*         Sheriff Substation Mossy Head – 40 Sand Mine Rd, Mossy Head

*         South Annex Courthouse – 31 Coastal Centre Blvd, Santa Rosa Beach

*         DeFuniak Springs Courthouse – 571 US Hwy 90 E, DeFuniak Springs

*         Walton County Fire Rescue in Woodlawn – 7363 US Highway 331 S, DeFuniak Springs

*         Freeport Business Complex – 842 State Hwy 20 E, Freeport

*         Walton County Fire Rescue in Windswept – 1250 J W Hollington Rd, Freeport

*         Walton County Fire Rescue in Choctaw Beach – 13837 State Hwy 20 W, Niceville

*         Walton County Jail – 796 Triple G Rd, DeFuniak Springs

*         District 3 Commissioner’s Office – 552 Walton Rd, DeFuniak Springs

*         Walton County Fire Rescue in Red Bay – 7900 State Hwy 81 S, Ponce de Leon

In order to access the Wi-Fi, the user will have to turn on their Wi-Fi settings on their devices and search for available signals.  The name of the Wi-Fi that they will access is Community Wi-Fi. There is no password on the connection.

Once the Wi-Fi is accessed, users will need to stay in range of the antenna for the Internet to continue to work. The signal is not 360 degrees around a building. The signal will be strongest closer to the antenna, but the signal should extend approximately 500 ft from the antenna location.

The speeds of the Internet will depend on the number of users accessing the network. If there are many users on the network at one time, the speeds will be slower. We anticipate that speeds will be faster when the offices are closed in the evenings and on the weekends.

While the speeds may not be as fast as those expected within a home or office setting, they should support the ability for the public to perform such tasks as completing homework assignments, job applications, Wi-Fi based phone calls, etc.

As the County and our partner continue to work through the process of the installation of our fixed wireless community broadband network, we would like to remind the public that these services are available.  We understand the importance of broadband access to every house in the County and are continuing to work as quickly as possible to provide those services. (Information on Community Broadband Project – https://www.co.walton.fl.us/1287/County-Broadband-Project)

If you have any issues accessing any of the Wi-Fi hotspots, please contact the Walton County Administrative Offices at 850-892-8155.

Walton County Free Wi-Fi Hotspots Available for Online Learning