Every time elorant's comment subject crosses my mind, this comes up. How would we go about getting online anonymously using open wifi without worrying about cameras being planted everywhere?
Leave a raspberrypi hidden near an open wifi spot and connect into it and route traffic through it? That would still require us to connect to their network from another one...
Probably the best opsec for this would be to access the Wi-Fi from a location that is somewhat distant from the hotspot using a cantenna. Use a laptop that you purchased with cash at least a few months ago at a non-local thrift store (most thift stores won't archive video for more than a few weeks at most, if they even have cameras) and run off of a live CD like tails. Wear gloves while using the laptop and destroy and dispose of it immediately after use, preferably in a place where an old discarded laptop would not be suspicious.
Doing all of this will make you stand out more. Better to blend in with the general public a bit more.
Buy a cheap (preferably stolen) smartphone on craigslist and throw away the SIM card. Preferably this should be a phone with a removable battery. Walk to a bus stop that is near to a starbucks and jump onto their wifi with the phone, pretending to wait for the bus. After a while, walk away. Since you are outside during the entire process you can do this during winter and bundle up, concealing your identity while not looking suspicious.
Using a laptop at a busstop would draw attention. Using a cantenna anywhere not private would also draw attention. Getting a private place to use the cantenna is prone to problems (you could aim it out your apartment window, but that ties you to a location. You could park a van nearby, but that is suspicious). You can easily dispose of the smartphone later; just microwave it then go for a nature walk and throw it in the river.
Leave a raspberrypi hidden near an open wifi spot and connect into it and route traffic through it? That would still require us to connect to their network from another one...