AT&T Makes Hot Spot Usage Much More Convenient with iPhone 3.0

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/17/atandt-makes-hot-spot-usage-much-more-convenient-with-iphone-3-0/)

9to5Mac points out (http://9to5mac.com/ATT-802.21-protocol-wifi-3G-apple-iphone) that AT&T also announced (http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=26865) a welcome piece of news for existing and future iPhone owners. AT&T now supports Wi-Fi "auto-authentication" in the 3.0 firmware. While iPhone customers have had free access to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots, accessing them required a somewhat cumbersome two-step authentication process using SMS. The new system will eliminate these steps altogether: Auto-authentication allows iPhone users to seamlessly switch from AT&T’s 3G network to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot without being prompted. AT&T customers with qualifying iPhone data plans have unlimited access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network — more than 20,000 U.S. AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

The new process eliminates the previous two-step authentication, making it easier and faster for iPhone customers to connect to AT&T Wi-Fi. Auto-connect is established once a customer connects their iPhone to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot the first time.The new system is available starting today for all existing iPhone customers who have installed iPhone 3.0 and will also be available to iPhone 3G S owners.

Article Link: AT&T Makes Hot Spot Usage Much More Convenient with iPhone 3.0 (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/17/atandt-makes-hot-spot-usage-much-more-convenient-with-iphone-3-0/)

[HiRez]

Very cool, and about time! That was really a lame interim method they came up with.

[NinjaHERO]

So this means it happens whenever you are in range or there is some setting that needs to be turned on?

[MrMac208]

seriously its about time.

[iphones4evry1]

Now this is totally awesome if it works as they say it does. :D

[Mr. Giver '94]

So it's automatic?

[Airforcekid]

Does this work for other wifi devices too?

[iphones4evry1]

So it's automatic?

I know one way to find out.
Go to a coffee shop with an AT&T WiFi hotspot and look at your phone and see if it's using WiFi.

[timshundo]

Ah, interesting. So if iPhone users can connect to paid hotspots automatically for free, would it be possible to get that Wi-Fi internet connection from the phone to your computer through tethering rather than paying for a daily wifi pass? Perhaps this is what AT&T was worried about and have delayed the feature to work something out?

[iMacoo7]

Here is the "qualifying customer" chant again... that really needs to be clarified. My monthly bill is always 150.00 -180.00 that is the total for my iphone and the other 2 lines on the plan and this includes my FAN discount.
So I wonder if they are saying each line has to range 99 bucks a piece thus leaving the consumer with a 300.00 monthly cell phone bill which is wicked.
Any comments on this matter

[Jayomat]

Ah, interesting. So if iPhone users can connect to paid hotspots automatically for free, would it be possible to get that internet connection from the phone to your computer to tethering? Perhaps this is what AT&T was worried about and have delayed the feature to work something out?

what has the one thing to do with the other?

[HiRez]

So it's automatic?According to the article, the first time you connect (manually), the auto-connection is established for that network.

I wonder if this works for any network with HTTP authentication (where you are sent to a web page to log in). Right now my iPhone will say it's connected to a WiFi network in these cases, but if you aren't using Safari, like say you're in maps, stocks, weather, or some other application, it'll just spin its wheels forever, never indicating any error, never prompting you to open Safari to log in, never falling back on EDGE even (I have the 2G model).

[arn]

Here is the "qualifying customer" chant again... that really needs to be clarified. My monthly bill is always 150.00 -180.00 that is the total for my iphone and the other 2 lines on the plan and this includes my FAN discount.
So I wonder if they are saying each line has to range 99 bucks a piece thus leaving the consumer with a 300.00 monthly cell phone bill which is wicked.
Any comments on this matter

you are in the wrong thread. this has nothing to do with your monthly rate plan.

arn

[HiRez]

Ah, interesting. So if iPhone users can connect to paid hotspots automatically for free, would it be possible to get that Wi-Fi internet connection from the phone to your computer through tethering rather than paying for a daily wifi pass? Perhaps this is what AT&T was worried about and have delayed the feature to work something out?I'm pretty sure you can connect directly to those WiFi hotspots from your laptop without using a phone, as long as you have an iPhone account. I can't remember if there was some trickery needed to log in that way though, but I definitely remember reading it's possible.

[Farani]

Must one have wifi enabled for this? I don't like leaving wifi on because there isn't much wifi available in my area so why drain my battery.

[NewSc2]

Must one have wifi enabled for this? I don't like leaving wifi on because there isn't much wifi available in my area so why drain my battery.

I don't see how you couldn't leave wifi on. I always leave wifi on and haven't found it to be a huge drain.

[Fluffy Bunny]

Here is the "qualifying customer" chant again... that really needs to be clarified. My monthly bill is always 150.00 -180.00 that is the total for my iphone and the other 2 lines on the plan and this includes my FAN discount.
So I wonder if they are saying each line has to range 99 bucks a piece thus leaving the consumer with a 300.00 monthly cell phone bill which is wicked.
Any comments on this matter

You need a qualifying iPhone data plan and since there is only one data plan you get the free wifi. If somehow you don't have a data plan with your iPhone, then you don't get the free wifi. Seems clear.

[NinjaHERO]

I will be interested to hear how this works. I have had some wonky stuff happen with my wifi. I know when I use my iphone on a 'free' connection where I have to click I accept the terms of service. The next time I return my phone 'remembers' the wifi site and tries to use it. But without the accepting of terms of service I basically don't have any internet access because the phone won't use its 3g connection when wifi is 'available'.

I just hope the AT&T auto log in doesn't end up with some similar glitch.

But I am excited to try it out. Although I have no idea where an AT&T hotspot is.

[twoodcc]

now this sounds great. i have an iphone, but have never used at&t wifi hot spots before

[jonessodarally]

According to the article, the first time you connect (manually), the auto-connection is established for that network.

I wonder if this works for any network with HTTP authentication (where you are sent to a web page to log in). Right now my iPhone will say it's connected to a WiFi network in these cases, but if you aren't using Safari, like say you're in maps, stocks, weather, or some other application, it'll just spin its wheels forever, never indicating any error, never prompting you to open Safari to log in, never falling back on EDGE even (I have the 2G model).

I know exactly what you're talking about. Incredibly frustrating. Heading to Starbucks now though, so I'll report back on how well it all seems to work for me.

[Willis]

here in the UK, any hotspot provided by The Cloud or BTOpenzone had a 1 time setup then every hotspot you feel into, it connected.

Never knew AT&T had a 2 step process everytime...

[syklee26]

I guess I will be drinking a lot more starbucks coffee.

[ghileman]

I'm pretty sure you can connect directly to those WiFi hotspots from your laptop without using a phone, as long as you have an iPhone account. I can't remember if there was some trickery needed to log in that way though, but I definitely remember reading it's possible.

Can anyone confirm this?

[Flowbee]

I will be interested to hear how this works.

Works like a charm. Just returned from my local Starbucks and, until I saw this article, didn't even realize that I hadn't been prompted for my phone number when I was there surfing. Seamless.

[Farani]

I don't see how you couldn't leave wifi on. I always leave wifi on and haven't found it to be a huge drain.

I guess I just got used to leaving it off 2 years ago with my first iphone. It never switched between the cellular network and wfi seamlessly so I ended up just using edge all the time. It seemed to drain my battery faster too. I guess I'll turn wifi on and see what happens. Thanks a lot!

[NinjaHERO]

Works like a charm. Just returned from my local Starbucks and, until I saw this article, didn't even realize that I hadn't been prompted for my phone number when I was there surfing. Seamless.

Okay, that's great to hear. I can't believe they didn't even prompt you or let you know. Pretty wild.

[tumblemonster]

I'm at the local barnes & noble with the new firmware just installed. The join was seamless and automatic. The only limitation is that it seems you have to launch safari once first before other services (mail, FB app, etc) become available.

A very nice change from the irritating process from before. What I'd like to see is ATT free wifi access extended to iphone customers for laptops too. It's silly to provide full access for the iphone but not the laptop sitting right next to it.

[HiRez]

Can anyone confirm this?I did a little reasearch and while there was a way to do it (http://lifehacker.com/386168/get-free-wi+fi-access-on-your-laptop-at-starbucks-barnes-and-noble), it seems AT&T shut it down. Back to the tethering thing though, wouldn't it be better for you to use bandwidth off a WiFi router rather than using the more limited and more precious (especially in AT&T's case) wireless bandwidth? I'd think AT&T might want to encourage people to conserve wireless bandwidth by letting them use the relatively cheaper and wider wifi bandwidth, but maybe not. Anyway, who uses laptops anymore? That is so 2000s.

[Airforcekid]

I don't see how you couldn't leave wifi on. I always leave wifi on and haven't found it to be a huge drain.

I leave mine off unless im home I get 2MBPS on 3G 250-400KBPS on school wifi take your pick!

[Rorikynn]

Did anyone test to see if the iPhone / iPod touch finally got LEAP / PEAP support?

[CBJammin103]

Hm. I work at a hospital with a wifi system that forces you to just hit a "I accept these terms blahblahblah" button in your web browser every 12 hours or so, but today when I got to work with the 3.0 software, my iPhone didn't have to do that.

Does anyone know if this new "automatic authentication" is smart enough to work with things besides the AT&T hotspots? If so that would be pretty cool!

[ghileman]

Can anyone confirm this?

I found a bunch of articles from a year ago like the below one that suggest a workaround involving tricking the wifi spot into thinking your laptop is an iphone. does this still work?

http://lifehacker.com/386168/get-free-wi+fi-access-on-your-laptop-at-starbucks-barnes-and-noble

[ghileman]

I did a little reasearch and while there was a way to do it (http://lifehacker.com/386168/get-free-wi+fi-access-on-your-laptop-at-starbucks-barnes-and-noble), it seems AT&T shut it down.

hilarious, same article i just found. but where did you hear about this being shut down?

[tumblemonster]

I also just saw this:

http://macmegasite.com/node/7173

[NinjaHERO]

Hm. I work at a hospital with a wifi system that forces you to just hit a "I accept these terms blahblahblah" button in your web browser every 12 hours or so, but today when I got to work with the 3.0 software, my iPhone didn't have to do that.

Does anyone know if this new "automatic authentication" is smart enough to work with things besides the AT&T hotspots? If so that would be pretty cool!

That would be the coolest thing ever. I hate hitting the accept button. What a pain. And the phone goes stupid till you hit it.

[Doctor Q]

Here (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/10/29/atandt-finally-offering-free-wifi-for-iphone-users/) are the old instructions for hotspot access.

It certainly got easier! :)

[kas23]

Hm. I work at a hospital with a wifi system that forces you to just hit a "I accept these terms blahblahblah" button in your web browser every 12 hours or so, but today when I got to work with the 3.0 software, my iPhone didn't have to do that.

Does anyone know if this new "automatic authentication" is smart enough to work with things besides the AT&T hotspots? If so that would be pretty cool!

I'm at my hospital (work) right now. In the past, everytime I opened up Safari to surf the net over their wireless, we would have to hit "accept" on a policy page (basically telling them we would download illegal things, look at porn, etc.). Now, we don't have to do that everytime we open up Safari! It asked me once (when I first connected) and that's it! This seems like the best thing I have found in 3.0 so far.

[8CoreWhore]

There's been an app for many months that does this for att - it's called "Easy Wifi".

[Mr. Gates]

I guess now I can delete Easy Wi Fi Fi ..... Why did I pay in the first place?

[jstigall]

According to the article, the first time you connect (manually), the auto-connection is established for that network.

I wonder if this works for any network with HTTP authentication (where you are sent to a web page to log in). Right now my iPhone will say it's connected to a WiFi network in these cases, but if you aren't using Safari, like say you're in maps, stocks, weather, or some other application, it'll just spin its wheels forever, never indicating any error, never prompting you to open Safari to log in, never falling back on EDGE even (I have the 2G model).

This is exactly what it's for. When you attempt to use the wifi, it slides up a safari window with the page asking you to login to accept the terms, just like before, but now when you login, it just slides out of the way and never asks you again. Unless the authentication method changes of course.

[jonessodarally]

I know exactly what you're talking about. Incredibly frustrating. Heading to Starbucks now though, so I'll report back on how well it all seems to work for me.


...Didn't have any luck. It loaded the new 3.0 login screen on top of the safari page (nice replacement for the redirect it did before) but i still had to enter my phone number and get a text before it would connect.

Works like a charm. Just returned from my local Starbucks and, until I saw this article, didn't even realize that I hadn't been prompted for my phone number when I was there surfing. Seamless.


Maybe it's some sort of rollout that isn't automatically available everywhere immediately? Are you sure you were using wifi and not just edge/3G?


Has anyone else had success yet?

[Trimmer2]

So, if I'm connected on the 3G network and I come in range at Starbucks it seamlessly connects to their Wifi and then when out of Wifi range it seamlessly connects back to 3G\g? Nothing to type in? ... or refresh?

[jonessodarally]

So, if I'm connected on the 3G network and I come in range at Starbucks it seamlessly connects to their Wifi and then when out of Wifi range it seamlessly connects back to 3G\g? Nothing to type in? ... or refresh?

That's how it's always worked on, for example, your home wireless network. Apparently they say it should work like that at AT&T hotspots now as well. I personally tried (see above) and didn't have any luck, waiting to hear from someone who has.

[kyleaa]

It may be great for AT&T hotspots, but it completely breaks HTTP authenticated wireless. Our school uses HTTP authentication, and with 3.0 you can't get on the network at all. :mad:


The Wifi Hotspot auto-login will pop up and warn you that it cannot complete because the server has issued a HTTP authentication request. It will then leave you with a white screen with the only option being a cancel button. Upon pressing cancel, you are disassociated with the access point. This is going to be a huge problem if it isn't fixed by August when students come back.


With regards to PEAP, I have been able to connect to a PEAP secure network - I used the iPhone configuration utility to set it up before trying to connect, so I don't know if it would have prompted me for all of the settings on the device if I hadn't prepared in advance.

[iPhoneNYC]

I've been using the free app "Easy Wi-fi" for the past couple of months and it seems like they've incorporated such a program in to 3.0. You sign in once and it remembers you. It cool but super easy to come up with.

[Lara F]

I'm at my hospital (work) right now. In the past, everytime I opened up Safari to surf the net over their wireless, we would have to hit "accept" on a policy page (basically telling them we would download illegal things, look at porn, etc.). Now, we don't have to do that everytime we open up Safari! It asked me once (when I first connected) and that's it! This seems like the best thing I have found in 3.0 so far.

I'm jealous - none of the 2 hospitals I work at have wifi and my current one pretty much blocks any non medical website. The other has a PITA login process. I'd go crazy without my iPhone.

[lunarmac]

Yup.
Noticed this last week after installing 3.0GM.
There was a little bit of a stall when opening the browser but now it just logs me in.

This is pretty cool.

[scarletbiro]

I'm switching from an iPod Touch to an iPhone. (In 2 days!!!)

Why will I still care about Wi-Fi hotspots once I get my iPhone? Is it a lot faster? I thought I'd be putting that issue to rest once I switched to the iPhone from the iPod (with which I was always trying to get Wi-Fi wherever I could).

Am I just surfing too late at night to think straight? :confused:

[Enuratique]

I also just saw this:

http://macmegasite.com/node/7173

Sweet, I'm going to have to give this a try! Thanks!

=Eric

[zephead]

I noticed this a few weeks ago. I went to a sushi place right next to a Starbucks, and I noticed my iPhone was connected to a network. I checked which one, and it said "att". I just thought "cool, this works automatically now."

[dissdnt]

Yah this works great. I was at starbucks a few days back with 3.0 and it just joins the network like it was open.

[CBJammin103]

I'm at my hospital (work) right now. In the past, everytime I opened up Safari to surf the net over their wireless, we would have to hit "accept" on a policy page (basically telling them we would download illegal things, look at porn, etc.). Now, we don't have to do that everytime we open up Safari! It asked me once (when I first connected) and that's it! This seems like the best thing I have found in 3.0 so far.

Awesome! Yeah that was exactly my experience; it seems like the first time you do it, it "learns" what's needed to do to get past the "accept" page. But I can see how this might be a problem in some [admittedly fairly unique] situations... they should ideally make Safari ask you after the first time "Do you want to automatically lot into this network in the future?" or something.

Now if I could only manage to make my Macbook learn this new trick... :)

[dwd3885]

now this sounds great. i have an iphone, but have never used at&t wifi hot spots before

well they are few and far between, unless you are at barnes and nobles, starbucks or mcds

[eyefoniac]

I was in a Barnes & Noble yesterday and joined the network, opened safari expecting to go through the "text activation extravaganza" but. . . it just worked!

[kironin]

Can anyone confirm this?

confirmed. has been possible for quite a while.

done it with my Macbook at both Starbucks and McD's

[iphones4evry1]

This feature makes a lot of sense for AT&T. It frees up 3G network bandwidth by getting the iPhones off the 3G network and onto WiFi while people are sitting in Starbucks. The WiFi network is already going to be turned on anyways, so it doesn't cost AT&T anything, and it helps free up the 3G network. Smart move.

now this sounds great. i have an iphone, but have never used at&t wifi hot spots before

Go to Starbucks, pay $5.00 for a cup of "coffee" and you can sit there for several hours connected to their WiFi for free. Or, you can stay home in your nice comfy house and use your own internet connection. :)

[brownieguy19]

I call BS. :rolleyes: This CANNOT be the same At&t we were talking about last Monday.

Regardless, thank you At&t.

[iphonemania]

Official instructions from AT&T how to connect to AT&T hot spots with iPhone 3.0

http://www.wireless.att.com/answer-center/main.jsp?t=solutionTab&ft=searchTab&ps=solutionPanels&locale=en_US&_dyncharset=UTF-8&solutionId=KB103010&isSrch=Yes

[MacSlut]

Yes, the MAC hack still works. On a Mac, it's really easy, you can even create a nice little AppleScript to turn it on, and then reset your Mac's MAC when you're done.

I call BS. :rolleyes: This CANNOT be the same At&t we were talking about last Monday.

Regardless, thank you At&t.

It's not the same AT&T, it's the other one...the one that today said we can now upgrade to the 3G S with full subsidy if we were early buyers of the 3G.

I like this AT&T better and hope they're the ones who give us a decent Tethering plan.

[kas23]

I'm jealous - none of the 2 hospitals I work at have wifi and my current one pretty much blocks any non medical website. The other has a PITA login process. I'd go crazy without my iPhone.

Oh gosh. I would lose all sanity if I wasn't allowed to look at non-medical websites at work.

Here, they actually have 2 wireless networks set-up. One is the medical, highly encrypted one (God only knows how to access this one) and the other is for guests/patients/family members/anyone. We use this one because the security to access it is non-existent.

Awesome! Yeah that was exactly my experience; it seems like the first time you do it, it "learns" what's needed to do to get past the "accept" page. But I can see how this might be a problem in some [admittedly fairly unique] situations... they should ideally make Safari ask you after the first time "Do you want to automatically lot into this network in the future?" or something.

Now if I could only manage to make my Macbook learn this new trick... :)

Usually we would have to "authenticate" ourselves everytime we opened Safari. I just tested it again after not using my phone for a while. No more authentication page!! It did prompt me to ask what wireless network I wanted to use (because there are multiple ones here) and all I had to do was click on it. Next, I'll try powering my phone down to see if it remembers it. This is the best thing since sliced bread.

[modernmagic]

I guess I will be drinking a lot more starbucks coffee.

I think all I had to do was type in my cell number and I got free wifi. But automatic is a bit better.

As for starbucks, what I was told, and did, was buy a $5 gift card. Register it online, and then used that account to login for free wifi access on my macbook pro. And never use the card again, just keep the $5 balance. I threw the card in a drawer.

So no need to buy more coffee then you need. :-)

[revs]

We have this in the UK with The Cloud/BT Openzone. You simply enter in your phone number once on the first connect, and then from then on it auto-connects when it finds a hotspot.
Unfortunately the BT Openzone auto-connect is awful, as the free wifi zones are named exactly like the non-free ones, so the iPhone ends up auto-connecting to a wifi zone that turns out to be a non-free one.

[DELLsFan]

Now I wonder why it has taken so long for this to happen? No, I don't think the new software makes this possible. I think an exclusivity contract nearing its end makes this possible. :cool:

[YMI]

I cant wait to update to 3.0, but need the jailbreak to get released. Using a 2G iPhone in Australia (2G version not supported in Australia)
cant wait for jailbreak this update looks so awesome

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http://twitter.com/yannim

[Versus]

I have two stupid questions. Bear in mind I've never had an iPhone or any other similar device, so I apologize if it all sounds naive.

1-What is the benefit of wi-fi over 3G? I mean, I'm buying the iPhone because I can have the internet wherever I go. Why would it excite me to get free wi-fi when my unlimited ATT data plan is already giving it to me internet for "free". I'm guessing it's faster and less strain on the battery?

2-Would wifi be considered as secure as 3G? Say I want to check my bank statement and I unknowingly (okay that's streching it, but let's just talk theoretics here) enter a wifi hot spot and log into my account. Wouldn't I be more succeptible to someone gleening my information then if I was on 3G. The word "automatic" just freaks me out, I guess.

I dunno, I don't really know what I'm talking about...

[mathgeek82]

Anyone have any idea if this would work for overseas customers?

What I mean is that once I get my iPhone 3G S tomorrow in the UK and fly over to the US next month will I be able to auto conect to the AT&T hotspots as if I were a domestic customer?

[LukeHarrison]

Anyone have any idea if this would work for overseas customers?

What I mean is that once I get my iPhone 3G S tomorrow in the UK and fly over to the US next month will I be able to auto conect to the AT&T hotspots as if I were a domestic customer?

I'm unsure about this, but I would imagine that you'd need an AT&T data plan to qualify for this. It'd be the same as an AT&T customer coming over here and connecting to an O2 hotspot with their AT&T account. I don't think it'll work.

You never know though.

[weave]

I'm sitting in PHL airport and my iphone just picked it up with no additional steps. I had used at&t wifi before so the access point name was already known to my phone.

My browser screen did dim out while a connecting cog wheel was spinning for a bit -- which I've never seen before.

[Tim2.0]

well they are few and far between, unless you are at barnes and nobles, starbucks or mcds

I see what you did there.

[kmcrawford]

I noticed this yesterday. It works great... I just thought it was a bug with the starbucks I was at. But nope, it's a great new feature!

[billchase2]

I'm very excited about this feature. There were a number of times where I ran into errors trying to log in to one of the hot spots. This should eliminate the issues and save quite a bit of time!

[bobbleheadbob]

Using it this morning at my local Starbucks coffice. Seems to work flawlessly so far. No issues here! :)

[rgreer]

Was at a McD's in NC about an hour ago and it took me about 10 going through hoops to get connected, so the direct connect didn't work there.

[RobCat]

This means there should be free Wi-Fi at every StarBucks and almost every Airport. That is a big plus.

[stainlessliquid]

In all my time using the Touch at lunch, both downtown and uptown, I have NEVER seen a single ATT wifi signal. Im convinced they dont exist outside of starbucks.

[FIJIGabe]

Was at a McD's in NC about an hour ago and it took me about 10 going through hoops to get connected, so the direct connect didn't work there.

Happened to me yesterday at McDonald's. still had to go through the authentication process. i'll try starbucks today.

[aristobrat]

1-What is the benefit of wi-fi over 3G? I mean, I'm buying the iPhone because I can have the internet wherever I go. Why would it excite me to get free wi-fi when my unlimited ATT data plan is already giving it to me internet for "free". I'm guessing it's faster and less strain on the battery?
The last sentence is correct. :)

2-Would wifi be considered as secure as 3G? Say I want to check my bank statement and I unknowingly (okay that's streching it, but let's just talk theoretics here) enter a wifi hot spot and log into my account. Wouldn't I be more succeptible to someone gleening my information then if I was on 3G. The word "automatic" just freaks me out, I guess.
IMO, it's theoretically easier for someone to capture your data packets when you're on WiFi vs 3G, however, stuff like banking is encrypted (https://), so even if they capture your data, they're not going to be able to make any sense of it (unless they trick you with a man-in-the-middle attack .. so no matter what you're using, if you get a certificate error when you connect to a https:// website, make sure you understand it).

[spazattack674]

Worked well in Starbucks today. It just connected and started working, no glitches or anything. Very happy about this improvement, it makes me actually want to use the Wi-Fi now.:)

[Deefuzz]

How does news like this get voted negative? This seems like great news to anyone with an iPhone who could possibly find themselves near a hotspot. The process to access the hotspot before was such a huge pain that I just didn't even bother half the time I was in a Starbucks or something.

[brownieguy19]

It's not the same AT&T, it's the other one...the one that today said we can now upgrade to the 3G S with full subsidy if we were early buyers of the 3G.

I like this AT&T better and hope they're the ones who give us a decent Tethering plan.

Start praying.

[Tbone999]

Tried to connect in my local Starbucks this morning. Opened Sfarai and got a "connecting" message on my screen . . . that never went away. I was there for about five minutes and it simply didn't work.

The previous way (getting the text message) was awful, but at least after a while I was connected . . .

I blame AT&T.

[Doctor Q]

I'm not surprised that Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T iPhones (http://appshopper.com/utilities/easy-wi-fi-for-att), which used to cost up to $3, is now free.

[RonD69]

When AT&T first offered free wifi access about a year ago, I quickly went to my local Barnes & Nobles bookstore to test it. I was greeted with a sign-on, and a confirmation text message to activate the free access. After that experience, I stopped trying to use the the free wifi; it was more of a hassle than a convenience.

After this latest news that the 3.0 OS automated the sign-on process, I once again made my way to the bookstore to test this new capability. I'm pleased to report that my iPhone detected the AT&T hotspot and switched from 3G to wifi.

[modernmagic]

When AT&T first offered free wifi access about a year ago, I quickly went to my local Barnes & Nobles bookstore to test it. I was greeted with a sign-on, and a confirmation text message to activate the free access. After that experience, I stopped trying to use the the free wifi; it was more of a hassle than a convenience.

After this latest news that the 3.0 OS automated the sign-on process, I once again made my way to the bookstore to test this new capability. I'm pleased to report that my iPhone detected the AT&T hotspot and switched from 3G to wifi.

I totally agree! One time, I needed to go pee. I had to turn on the light and then lift up the lid, it was such a hassle I just stopped going to the toilet. LOL

Here was my starbucks experience in the past: I typed in my cell number in the safari screen, then I received a txt message about 3 seconds later, then I typed in the code and then I smiled because I was getting FREE wifi access. I was willing to type in 15 characters and wait 3 seconds for FREE wifi.

I think this is why this 3.0 feature is not highly publicized, its just a nice convenience but would not matter to the majority of people.

[chimerical]

You need a qualifying iPhone data plan and since there is only one data plan you get the free wifi. If somehow you don't have a data plan with your iPhone, then you don't get the free wifi. Seems clear.

Note that you also qualify for AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots if you're part of a service like AT&T DSL, in which case you're brought to a page where you log in with xxxxx@sbcglobal.net or whatever's appropriate.

[dialed1]

My airport where i work is getting free wi-fi on july 1st woo hoo.
:D

[DipDog3]

Sorry, to point this out, but this is very very old news.

[kas23]

Are other people's Starbucks Wi-Fi working today? For the past few days, I didn't even have to go through the authentication process. It just worked when I walked in. Now, today, I've already had to authenticate twice. What gives?

[DiamondMac]

Are other people's Starbucks Wi-Fi working today? For the past few days, I didn't even have to go through the authentication process. It just worked when I walked in. Now, today, I've already had to authenticate twice. What gives?

Mine did work automatically two days ago

[kas23]

Mine did work automatically two days ago

What about today? Anyone try? Is AT$T already recanting?

[iPhoneNYC]

I had been using the app "Easy Wifi" but I that one is obsolete.

[Drag'nGT]

I was at B&N/Starbucks yesterday and it would kick me to the AT&T WiFi log in page if the phones screen went dark. Shut Safari off and logged back in and worked fine.

[rarity]

Thumbs, up...bout time!