Digital Navigators
Bridging the Digital Divide in Philadelphia
For many people across Philadelphia, access to technology, internet, and information is limited. As a member of the Digital Literacy Alliance Coalition, CLC is able to provide more resources to assist in bridging the digital divide within our city.
Our Digital Navigators Program is designed to assist our community in:
Accessing Technology And Devices
Do you, or someone you care about, find it challenging to access computers, laptops, tablets and other devices? With more people working and learning from home, it is essential to have the right technology. CLC can help find the devices needed to be successful while working or studying/learning remotely.
Connecting to WIFI and Wireless Networks
Many people in Philadelphia do not have access to WIFI and internet connection. CLC will provide assistance with connecting to WIFI/wireless networks.
Providing Basic Technical Support
Our team of Digital Navigators are available to answer your questions. Give us a call.
Internet Access, WIFI, & Cellphone Plans
- Where are the free Wi-Fi spots in Philadelphia?
- How can I get a home Internet connection set up for cheap?
- How do I set up a hotspot on my phone?
Free Wi-Fi spots in Philadelphia
There are many free Wi-Fi spots in Philadelphia, though due to the coronavirus spots at places like restaurants, coffee shops, and libraries may be inaccessible. These Wi-Fi spots are usually still active, and may in some cases extend to outside the building and into the parking lot. Other Wi-Fi spots like those on public transportation or provided by LinkPHL are still easily accessible
School District Schools and Libraries
Wi-Fi at all school district schools and libraries remain active even when closed due to the coronavirus. Please keep in mind that you will not be able to gain access to the buildings, but may be able to get access to the Wi-Fi from outside the building or in the parking lots. To access library Wi-Fi, you will need a library card and pin number. Click here to see how to connect to library Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi Map App
This app automatically finds Wi-Fi hotspots near you and provides the necessary passwords to automatically connect your device to the internet. There are also other apps that do the same thing, like the Wiman application.
Click here to download the app for Apple devices.
Click here to download the app for Android devices.
KeySpot Locations
Through the KeySpot program, the city of Philadelphia offers free Wi-Fi access to areas like recreation centers, parks, and community centers. Locations can also be viewed on the interactive map.
XFinity and AT&T Hotspots
There are also many XFinity and AT&T hotspots throughout the city, some of which are free. Please visit the XFinity and AT&T websites to find where they are. Locations can also be viewed on the interactive map.
LinkPHL
LinkPHL kiosks stationed around the city of Philadelphia allow access to free Wi-Fi. There are currently 15 kiosks available at these locations:
- 1515 Market Street
- 1650 Market Street
- 1700 Market Street
- 1835 Market Street
- 2000 Market Street
- 2104 Market Street
- 99 North 20th Street
- 1515 JFK Boulevard
- 51 North 15th Street
- 1 South Penn Square
- 1880 JFK Boulevard
- 1701 Arch Street
- 1724 Arch Street
- 2130 Arch Street
- 5704 North 5th Street
Home Internet Connection
Many companies are offering inexpensive basic home Internet connection plans for home (landline) internet access that is usually not metered meaning there are no data caps for usage. Here are examples of these plans:
Comcast – Internet Essentials
- New Internet Essentials customers will receive two free months of Internet service if you apply by June 30, 2020. After the promotion, regular rates apply.
- For all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the program’s Internet service has increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream.
- Households with outstanding debt owed to Comcast may be eligible for Internet Essentials. Comcast is waiving this qualification if you apply and are approved by 6/30/20. After 6/30/20, standard eligibility rules apply.
- Visit their website for eligibility requirements and more details.
- Click here for application instructions
Verizon Lifeline Plan
- To new Lifeline eligible individuals, Verizon now offers FiOS (fiber optic connection to your home) for $19.99/month at speeds of 200 Mbps upload & download (including Disney+ for a year). Limitations apply.
- For current Lifeline customers, Verizon offers two months of free internet and voice services to those with either a landline or a mobile phone
- Waived late fees and no service disruption
- If you’re a Verizon customer experiencing economic hardships because of COVID-19, please reach out. We’re currently waiving late fees, and there will be no disruptions to your service before June 30, 2020.
- No internet and voice charges for Lifeline customers
- Verizon will offer two months of waived internet and voice service charges for current Lifeline customers. Starting April 3, Verizon will also offer a new affordable internet option for low-income households.
- For program details, visit their Lifeline webpage. For answers to your questions, see Verizon’s COVID-19 FAQs
Access for AT&T
- Through the Access from AT&T program, qualifying limited income households can get internet for either $5 or $10 a month with free installation and a data allowance of 150gb or 1tb depending on the area
- $10 charge per additional 50gb
- Two months of free service for new customers who order by April 30th, $5 or $10 a month after that depending on the plan chosen
- Eligibility has been expanded based on income and households participating in National School Lunch Program or Head Start
- Data overage fees waived
- Application will be reviewed in 3-5 business days after which someone will contact with next steps (current delays due to increased interest, but not specified time)
- All AT&T consumer home internet wire line customers and fixed wireless internet customers can use unlimited data
- Click here to learn more and to check your availability
For additional helpful information and guidance, you can visit the resources below from the City of Philadelphia:
Set up a hotspot on your phone
Instructions for Apple iPhone users:
Please follow these steps:
Go to your phone’s Settings app.
Tap Cellular > Personal Hotspot
Turn on your hotspot by clicking ‘Allow Others to Join’
You can change your hotspot password by clicking ‘Wi-Fi Password’
Follow the instructions that show up after clicking ‘Allow Other to Join’
Instructions for Android phone users:
Please follow these steps:
- Go to your phone’s Settings app.
- Tap Network & Internet > Hotspot & Tethering > Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Turn on Wi-Fi hotspot.
- To see or change a hotspot setting, like the name or password, tap it. If needed, first tap Set up Wi-Fi hotspot.
For additional information, visit Google’s hotspot support page.
Smart Phone Resources
- How do I download apps to my phone?
- How do I print from my phone?
- How do I scan my papers into digital PDFs?
Downloading Apps on your phone
Downloading apps onto your device is quick and easy to do if you have a Wi-Fi/data connection.
Android Phones
If you have an Android phone, follow these steps to download apps on your phone.
- Locate the Google Play Store on your device. The icon for the Play Store is the triangular icon above. If you can’t find the app on your home screen, type “Play Store” in the search bar at the bottom of your screen to locate the app. Also, you swipe up from the home screen to open the “drawer” which contains all the applications you have your phone in alphabetical order.
- If you have a specific app to download in mind, type the name in the search bar at the top of Play Store page.
- Locate the app you want, and tap it for more information.
- You will see a green “Install” button. Tap to download it, then wait for the download to complete. Once completed, it will appear on your home page.
Apple Phones
If you have an iPhone, follow these steps to download apps on your phone.
- Locate the Apple App Store on your home screen, which has the icon like the blue square above. It may be in a folder on your home screen, so be sure to open any groupings of apps you may have to locate it. Alternatively, you can swipe to the left on your home screen to locate the search bar, the type “App Store” to locate it.
- Tap the search tab on the bottom right of the App Store’s main page.
- If you have a specific app to download, type the name of the app in the search bar.
- Tap the app you want to download for more information.
- Tap the blue “Get” button to download the application and wait for it to fully install. Once installed, it will appear on your home page.
Scan papers into digital PDFs
You may have physical documents or other papers that you need to compile into digital PDFs to send to others or attach to online forms. The most easily accessible way to do this is with a smartphone with a digital scanning app. There are many free digital scanning apps available to choose from in your phone’s app store. The following instructions are for the Adobe Scan application that is available on both Apple and Android devices.
To download the app:
After installing the application, follow these steps to scan your papers into a PDF:
- Launch the Adobe Scan application.
- Log in to the app.
- Login using a preexisting Google, Facebook, or Apple account.
- If you have none of these accounts, there is an option to sign up for an Adobe account.
- Allow the app to access your camera along with your device’s files.
- Place the first paper on a flat surface and aim your camera so it is in frame.
- Tap the screen to focus on the paper.
- The app will auto scan the paper.
- Repeat with other papers you want in your PDF.
- Note: if you want individual papers in separate PDFs, you will need to repeat this entire process again. The app takes all papers scanned at one time and converts them into a single PDF. If you want the pages separate you will need to scan one paper and do the entire process, then repeat.
- Tap the picture of your pages in the bottom right hand corner.
- Here you can make adjustments to your individual pages. You can:
- Add more pages.
- Rearrange the order of the pages scanned.
- Crop pages.
- Rotate pages.
- Recolor/filter pages.
- Note: the app automatically applies a high contrast filter on your pages. If you find that your file size is too large upon exporting, change the filter to ‘original’ to reduce the file size.
- Cleanup/erase parts of pages.
- Delete pages.
- Change the name of your PDF by tapping the pencil icon at the top of the page next to “Scan [the current date]”.
- Hit “Save PDF”.
- You can save and share your PDF in many ways:
- Create a shareable link to your PDF.
- Share your PDF in an email.
- Share/upload your PDF to various apps on your phone like Google Drive, text messages, etc.
- Save the PDF to your device.
Print from your phone
Here is a step by step guide on how to print from your smartphone:
Android Phones
If your printer is configured properly, you should be set to print documents from your phone and can follow these steps:
- Open the document you want to print.
- Tap the menu button, usually depicted as three dots in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
- If there is a Print button, press it. Otherwise, you can usually find it under Share or Export.
- Select the printer you want to print to, and adjust any settings you want such as print double sided, black and white only, etc.
- Hit print.
If your printer is not configured for wireless/cloud printing, please follow these steps to download Google Cloud Printing below before trying to print your documents:
- Download the Cloud Print app.
- Find your printer and add it to your device through the app. Both your printer and phone will need to be on the same Wi-Fi network in order to do this.
Apple Phones
The first step would be to figure out if your printer support AirPrint, Apple’s technology to allow easy printing from Apple devices. Here is the list of supported printers. If your printer is on this list, follow these steps:
- Open the document you want to print.
- Depending on the device, you will see either see one of these three icons. Click the icon that you see:
, 
, or 
. - Find the print button and tap it.
- Select the printer you want to print to, and adjust any settings you want such as print double sided, black and white only, etc.
- Hit print.
, 
, 
.You may still be having difficulties. If so, you will need to find troubleshooting guides for your specific printer, like this guide for HP printers.
If your printer does not support AirPrint, you may still be able to print using your iPhone. One way would be to download the third party software onto your phone that supports printing to your printer. The second way would be if your printer creates its own direct wireless network. You will need to turn on the network by pressing a Wi-Fi button on your printer and then connecting to it on your phone. Using the manfucaturer’s application which you can download from the app store, you will be able to print documents from your phone. For a more detailed overview, please visit this article here.
Email Account Resources
How can I get back into my Gmail after I’ve been locked out?
If you ever connected a recovery email address or phone number to your account, you are in luck! Follow these steps below:
Forgotten Email Address
- Head to the login page for Gmail.
- Click “Forgot email?”
- Type in your recovery email address or phone number.
- Follow the two-step identification steps that will be texted or emailed to your recovery account.
- Follow the steps to reaccess your account.
Forgotten Password
- Head to the login page for Gmail.
- Enter your email address and hit enter.
- Click “Forgot password”
- You can either type in a password you remember from your account and then follow the steps on screen to reaccess your account, or you can click “try another way” to reset your password by using a recovery email address or password.
No Recovery Email Address or Phone Number
If you never put a recovery email address or phone number on our Gmail account, you will have to take a longer way to reaccess you account. You can try the recovery account form here, and you should also look into Gmail’s support community for articles and posts related to your specific case.
Education Resources
Set up your Chromebook
Here is a step by step guide on how to set up your Chromebook.
- Plug your Chromebook in to a power source using the provided power adapter.
- Have a Wi-Fi network available to connect to along with its password if it is password protected.
- Have your Student Net/Student Portal login on hand.
- Press your Chromebook’s power button to power it on. It will be located on the top right corner of the keyboard.
- A screen asking for your language, keyboard setup, and Wi-Fi connection will appear.
- Select your Wi-Fi connection from the drop down menu.
- Type in your password if it is password protected.
- Hit the continue button once you are connected to the Wi-Fi network.
- Read through the Chrome OS Terms. Hit “Accept and Continue” when you are done.
- You will be prompted to sign in to your Google Account. Use your Student Net/Student Portal credentials to login here.
- Your student account should be [yourstudentid]@philasd.org
- You will be taken to your Chromebook’s desktop screen, and the Chromebook will be fully set up and ready to use.
For more detailed step by step instructions, please visit Google’s Chromebook Simulator website.