Is There WiFi At Burning Man?

You might have heard of Burning Man – an annual nine-day gathering in the desert. Many misunderstood this event as a festival.

According to the official website, Burning Man is a community where Burners value who you are, where nothing is weird or unimaginable.

The event takes place in the remote Black Rock Desert, making people wonder, “Is there WiFi at Burning Man?”. So keep watching to find out the answer.

The answer is definitely yes. Though its location is in the middle of the Nevada desert, WiFi is still available thanks to the quick development of technology.

Nevertheless, it would be a little bit challenging to provide enough high-quality broadband access for many people throughout the week. Preparing a method to connect for yourself will be a wise decision.

What Are The Connectivity Options At Burning Man?

Earlier in this event, there was little or no WiFi. Ever since the development of technology made WiFi indispensable, has it been available there.

At this place, you can get either free connectivity or charge ones.

The free one comes under the name of Burning Man Free WiFi Oasis and Device Uncharging Station. It’s a project by Playa Tech Repair in their effort to re-connect their Burners.

The station serves a 10-feet beacon and bench seat around the place as a landmark to indicate the range of the WiFi network.

When Burners approach the bench with cell phones in hand, they will automatically connect to the network as it requires no password. The closer you approach, the stronger the signal.

Burning Man attendees can also help spread the network as long as they have a fairly reliable USB power source like a large battery, generator, art car, etc.

Then they have to fill in a Playa online registration form to sign up for a hotspot. After receiving acceptance mail, they can get a hotspot and sticker to let others know where the network is available.

What is more, a new company has decided to sell internet hubs to ensure Burners have broadband access throughout the event. The company names it BurningFi – the 4G LTE wireless internet provider, having better coverage than Playa.

Is Everyone Easy To Access To WiFi At Burning Man?

It is hard to ensure that all of its participants can easily access WiFi even though more network connections are accessible.

Many Burners find this lack of Internet meaningful somehow because they wish to escape from their daily motley life.

So if WiFi is too easy to access and everybody has their nose stuck in their smartphone, how can they enjoy their priceless moment then?

Do Cell Phones Work At Burning Man?

As there is WiFi available at Burning Man, cell phones do work too. However, Burning Man is on a different plane of existence from the rest of the known world, so while your cellphone may “work,” it might not work the way it used to.

The remote area used to have no cell phone signal in the past. The signals are now more reliable, and the cell phones can work quite well in the prior week to the event opening.

It’s when the multitudes swarm in, the signal degrades quickly, making it harder to support a call.

Yet people upgrade the signals year by year, and the latest event in 2019 even saw many attendees Facetiming during the last day.

We still highly recommend that you bring your cell phones with you, not for texting or being online, but to record your beautiful moments here. You might also be in some urgent cases, so a cell phone is necessary.

Is There Cell Phone Service At Burning Man?

Yes, there is a cell phone service at Burning Man. You will not have to pay for anything at Burning Man, even the cell phone service, because the event is commerce-free.

The only selling items here are ice and coffee available in the Center Camp.

You can have cell phone service at temporary cell towers throughout the event, which is Comment Wireless’s property.

Despite the large numbers of available cell towers, they still can not provide enough capacity for everybody to make phone calls regularly. Therefore, you had better take advantage of those towers in case of utmost importance only.

What Should I Do If There Is No WiFi Or Cell Phone Signal?

If you cannot get access to WiFi or cell phone signal at Burning Man, you can do a few things to improve the condition.

Consider bringing a portable WiFi unit to keep yourself semi-connected. You can think of the TP-Link AC750 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router.

This portable WiFi hotspot offers dual-band AC750 WiFi that is strong and fast enough for HD streaming. It also has a flexible power source like a micro USB port to an adapter, portable charger, or laptop.

Moreover, its small and light-to-pack design enhances its mobility and creates WiFi networks via Ethernet. Making the router a great choice for desert travel.

You can also take advantage of cell phone services. A large number of cell towers are available to meet citizens’ demands. Everything is free so if you need an urgent call, make use of it.

Your Burner friends can give you a hand too.

Living in a temporary desert city under a sweltering sun gives you a chance to make new friends, enjoy a week of community, and party through the nights. So it is ok to ask for some WiFi or cell phone signal sharing.

Worst case scenario happens, and you still can not connect to the Internet or cell phone signals, do not worry.

In any emergency case, you can arrive at the Center Camp to seek help. The organizers will always be there and willing to give you a hand.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article gives you your desired answer to “Is there WiFi at Burning Man?”.

Thanks to the development of technology and Burners’ ceaseless efforts, more wireless connections are now available for those in need.

However, for the greatest experience, we highly recommend that you get away from your cell phone and social network to enjoy every moment.

Is There WiFi At Burning Man? – Find The Answer!