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AT&T Disables Free iPhone Wi-Fi (For Now)

They probably disabled it because people were finding ways around the authentication process. Specifically ATT was checking the Agent Profile on the browser to see if it was running Mobile Safari. It was simply a matter of tweaking one's Browser Agent to emulate this and BAM. You are in. I never tried this but its all over the place for those who did.
I did this when T-Mobile was offering 3 free months of WIFI to Windows Vista users....change your Agent to Emulate IE 7 for Vista and create an account for 3 free months. My guess is ATT is not happy about this, DUH, and is now implementing an actual DBase that verifies through a proxy if you are running a cell # that has an iPhone. Which the logon initially suggests they were trying anyways...
att_wifi.jpg


*shrugs* Security through obscurity is always a crappy way of handling things. Someone will always figure out what you are pulling. In this case they did in all of 1 day. :rolleyes:
 
Stampyhead said:
Good job, cheaters, ruining it for the rest of us. There are always people trying to get something for nothing and now everyone suffers for their dishonesty. Thanks a lot.
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Umm hi. I would like to introduce you to the real world. Real World meet Stampyhead. Stampyhead, Real World. Seriously you are surprised by this?

PS- I know more then my fair share of Mac Users who did the same with T-Mobile promo for 3 free months of WIFI if you are running Windows Vista. Can you say you wouldn't have done this if this was a Windows promo deal? Just asking.
 
Wierd. DSL subscribers (as long as it not the basic DSL package) get access to AT&T WiFi Hotspots.
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They do? I never knew that. I guess I need to call them up and check on it. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Free Wi-Fi for AT&T DSL customers

savanahrose said:
They do? I never knew that. I guess I need to call them up and check on it. Thanks for the heads up.
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I've had DSL and free wi-fi access for a long time. Here's what they say at attwifi.com:

AT&T Wi-Fi Basic service is FREE and already included if you subscribe to AT&T High Speed Internet, AT&T U-verseSM or AT&T FastAccess® DSL with a speed of 1.5 Mbps or higher. No ordering required! Simply use your AT&T high-speed Internet membership ID and password at any AT&T Wi-Fi Basic hot spot.
 
MacPapa said:
I've had DSL and free wi-fi access for a long time. Here's what they say at attwifi.com:
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Well, it's not even true that 99% of the US population has home broadband, let alone DSL from AT&T. So I don't think somehow that 99% of the US population has free AT&T Hotspot access.

Most people in the US probably have some location that provides free Wifi within driving distance. I would guess not 99% for that, either. Certainly not within walking distance. I would be surprised if even 99% of Manhattanites have free Wifi within walking distance of where they spend most of their day.

The logic behind that original comment is: "I have free Wifi access where I go, so everyone else in the country must be exactly like me." :rolleyes:
 
thevofl said:
As someone who used to work for AT&T, I can personally attest to the truth behind the sarcasm.
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I am also an AT&T Bell Labs ex ... here are some of my favorites:

AT&T, yesterday's technology tomorrow ... AT&T
AT&T on the tail of the leading edge
AT&T, we ignore new technology, so you don't have to!
 
MacPapa said:
I've had DSL and free wi-fi access for a long time. Here's what they say at attwifi.com:

AT&T Wi-Fi Basic service is FREE and already included if you subscribe to AT&T High Speed Internet, AT&T U-verseSM or AT&T FastAccess® DSL with a speed of 1.5 Mbps or higher. No ordering required! Simply use your AT&T high-speed Internet membership ID and password at any AT&T Wi-Fi Basic hot spot.
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Thanks for the heads up.
 
ALT-255 said:
I got an email from ATT about two days ago talking about Free Wi-Fi at these locations, but this could also be because I have there DSL service as well.
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thats either a sign its been postponed, or that theres even more entanglement their goona have to back out of. good post.
 
chickenninja said:
Do we know if this was AT&Ts decision or a Starbucks one? Im guessing theyve postponed it because of the non AT&T phones that could still access it, wendsnesday was probably a test. I seriously doubt theyll pull the plug altogether. Starbucks hasnt updated their page since last week so it may still be a go. http://www.starbucks.com/retail/wireless.asp
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One, it quit working now for me here, too.

Two, everyone is blaming everyone else. Sort of. Starbucks says they don't know. T-Mo says ATT blah blah, although they couldn't explain why their access points are still hot at a client who is no longer a client.

I tend to lean toward ATT on this one, because it makes the most sense, and because I know someone at ATT who should know something about. T-Mo is throwing a hissy fit and when people call into complain they can't use their T-Mo WiFi service at Starbucks anymore, T-Mo is blaming Starbucks rather than just saying SB changed WiFi services. So Starbucks is placating T-Mo customers and giving it like 30 days due notice, so if you have a T-Mo plan or time, you can cancel the plan and switch to ATT (or go free if you're an ATT broadband or wireless customer) or burn up all your T-Mo time. SB went to ATT with hat in hand and asked if they'd shut it down for a little while. On merit of already having the future service agreement locked up, ATT consented, considering you can still login into ATT WiFi at SB view other means, such as already being an ATT broadband customer or paying for their WiFi service.

So why the iPhone focus. So my friend says, ATT was rock-bottom choice for iPhone and T-Mo was first choice, and they are terribly bitter that when Jobs came calling to work out an iPhone exclusive carrier agreement with them they told him T-Mo customer were happy with what they offered and wouldn't want his iPhone. My wife an I bought our iPhones 2 months after release, right before the price drop -- although I got credit for the drop -- and when I called to cancel our contract-fulfilled T-Mo service, I had to call twice -- I bought an iPhone and then my wife had to have one a day later -- and both agents said every other cancellation call was because of iPhone.

Oops. So T-Mo is, as business is wont to do, blaming everyone else for their own either a) lack of foresight, or b) timidity in taking a calculated risk.
 
Why is everyone so crazy about (public) WIFI when they have a flatrate on the mobile net?

Yes, maybe its faster.

But a lot of people always ignore WIFIs problem: security.

This system would make it easy to spoof the phone numbers of everyone at a specific location. I have even seen paid hotspots that ask for your credit card number without any encryption. And a lot of people use that. Why not write this information on your t-shirt?
If you do mail or VoIP over a public hotspot, this can be captured by everyone.

Its possible to gain security by using a VPN. But hardly anyone does.

So EDGE (or 3G in the near future) may be slower, but better for your privacy.

I think the least AT&T could do is not to use your phone number to auth but send you a one time login via SMS, use a custom auth (or better: VPN) app or something.

Christian
 
Sad

It was a short, but intense romance, and it took place entirely in East Coast airports. I should have realized such intensity could never last. Alas.

But seriously, can't they just tack on the wifi for free when we are already paying for a data plan?
 
SiliconAddict said:
Umm hi. I would like to introduce you to the real world. Real World meet Stampyhead. Stampyhead, Real World. Seriously you are surprised by this?

PS- I know more then my fair share of Mac Users who did the same with T-Mobile promo for 3 free months of WIFI if you are running Windows Vista. Can you say you wouldn't have done this if this was a Windows promo deal? Just asking.
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Oh my god, I was gonna scream if someone else didn't mention this point. Seriously guys, you act like people have been trying to scam and rip people off since last Tuesday, - people have always been this way.
 
deftdrummer said:
Oh my god, I was gonna scream if someone else didn't mention this point. Seriously guys, you act like people have been trying to scam and rip people off since last Tuesday, - people have always been this way.
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I guess that is the logic that drives you to be one of the crowd. But not everyone looks to rip off people, Some people spend their lives helping people or earning money and donating it to charitable causes. I would say that the rip offs are a small minority with a large impact.
 
No mo fo sho

I was at the $$bucks yesterday and this is what it told my iPhone:

IMG_0001.png


Maybe they'll figure out some way to lock it down with logins.
 
BadPirate said:
I was at the $$bucks yesterday and this is what it told my iPhone:

IMG_0001.png


Maybe they'll figure out some way to lock it down with logins.
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I don't go to Starbucks very often but I went yesterday as well and found that exact same screen

I really didn't know too much as to whether WiFi was free or not so it wasn't a big deal
 
I did a search and found this thread :)

Curious about why the wifi in the B&N in Holyoke Ma. was not working I did a search and found this thread. Go figure the search thing works. Anyway, just curious why when in the B&N that does have a Starbucks in it my iPhone shows ATT in the wifi available but never will open. Just kicks me to the safari can not open, blah blah blah? I do have it set to ask to join but it does not even bring up anything. I asked at the customer service desk at B&N and they just said youhave to pay for it. So is this issue still dead and not free or why is my phone not even giving me an option to log in. Just curious and hate to bring up and old thread but it seemed close to answeing my question.
 
westernmass said:
Just curious and hate to bring up and old thread but it seemed close to answeing my question.
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This issue is still dead. This is actually a newer thread...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/525211/

See comments (e.g. my post) on page two of the thread; this most recent announcement, about three weeks ago in July, was a repeat error by AT&T and retracted again (I think this is time #3).
 
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