High speed wireless internet is available free at all community and regional Fairfax County Public Library locations 7 days a week, from 6AM to 10PM.
Many branches have parking lot WiFi access during those same hours. There is no time limit for wireless access during these hours. The Library's Acceptable Use Policy must be accepted when using Wi-Fi. Please keep in mind the library wireless network is neither encrypted nor secure.
Wireless printing is also available for all library cardholders. Send a print job from your laptop or desktop computer at home, or from your mobile device while visiting one of our locations for retrieval during regular open hours.
Visit the Technology at Your Library guide in the library's Research Center for more information.
How to connect to the library's public wifi
- Using the device's wifi settings, connect to the wireless network named FCPL_Wifi.
- Open a browser. A webpage displaying the library’s Acceptable Use Policy will pop up automatically.
- Read the policy and select the Accept button to complete your wireless connection.
Staff can only verify that the network is available. We are not able to troubleshoot problems unique to every possible device or setting on a device. That said, there are a few general things you can try if you are having difficulty connecting.
Troubleshooting
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Refresh the browser page.
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Type 1.1.1.1 or a non-https address into the address bar of the browser.
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Type the address for a website that updates frequently (i.e. cnn.com or news.yahoo.com or captive.apple.com for Apple/IOS devices).
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Type the direct URL in the browser: portal.mist.com
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Close all browser windows and/or any other software that might be clogging or confusing the Internet connection (i.e. Itunes, a streaming service or even software trying to update in the background). After everything is closed, try again.
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Use another browser, if available.
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Turn the wifi connection off and back on. Then reconnect to FCPL_Wifi.
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Some devices, primarily laptops, have a physical switch that disables the wifi antenna. Look for this to see if it is set properly and try again.
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Restart the device.
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Go into the network settings for the device. Have the device forget FCPL_Wifi, which removes all settings previously used with the network----the exact method to do this will vary by device. Try connecting again.
Is this device managed by someone other than you?
If yes, you may need to check with your IT department and ask about connecting to public wifi with the device.
Is this device managed by FCPS?
FCPS laptops may have their own security settings. You may need to contact the FCPS School Based Technology Specialist at your school to find a solution when a FCPS device fails to connect to the library’s wifi.
Are you using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
Because of what VPN's do, it's possible the system would block its use. Try turning it off and try to connect again.
Did you adjust the DNS settings for the device?
Some users adjust their DNS settings for privacy reasons or to simply speed up the response of their Internet searches. It can, however, impact getting the Acceptable Use Policy page to load. If yes, and you are comfortable doing so, try putting the DNS settings back to the default for the device and try again.
