Happened to me yesterday at McDonald's. still had to go through the authentication process. i'll try starbucks today.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AT&T Makes Hot Spot Usage Much More Convenient with iPhone 3.0
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Happened to me yesterday at McDonald's. still had to go through the authentication process. i'll try starbucks today.
The last sentence is correct.
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).
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.
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.
Not So Great Yet
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.
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.
Free WiFi
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.
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.
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.
