Free Wifi Access Problems

Just because you are connected to a wifi network doesn't mean you can connect to the internet. The wifi network has to be connected to the internet for you to go online. Of course, if it is a protected network, you will also need to key in a password to get connected. It is also true that signal strength on the wifi network may not be strong enough to enable you to go online or stay online once you are connected. Sometimes the signal strength can change after you are already online and you can lose connection (even though you still have bars showing that you have a wifi connection). I have found that when this happens, if I go to the wifi settings and turn wifi off and then back on, the online access will come back. Unfortunately, when using public wifi its not always a perfect world.

 

have you been able to use your wifi anywhere? for instance at home where you know you have full signal and are connected to the internet?

this could mean the difference between isolated incidents (mall and gym) or bad wifi altogether (needing a repair)

 

First off don't listen to anyone else. There is something wrong with your ipod. Take it back and exchange it. How do I know this? Because that is what exactly happened to me. When you take it back don't let them talk you out of it. That's what they did to me. I got tired of trying everything everyone suggested and I took it back and got another one. And guess what? My wifi works great.

One test you can try is go to a local starbucks. Now with them you can't get free wifi but you should be able to get a page asking for credit card info so you can use there wifi. When I had my bad ipod touch, nothing would come up when I went into starbucks. But I just tested it out with the new one today and it works fine.

It's an internal issue. It's happen to other people. Just tell them that when you take it in to exchange it. Hope this helps.

 

I have to strongly disagree that your Ipod is ruined/defective.


First, try a restore
Second, sometimes it is the problem of the Wifi signal. I fix computers for a living and have seen this over and over and over. I bet you $100 if the gym or whereever reset their modem/router, your touch would work

 

True, but even those "free" wifi networks have to be connected to the internet and sometimes they are not. There have been many times that I have had to ask restaurants, stores, coffee houses, etc., who have wifi why I can't connect to the internet, and they sometimes tell me that they just forgot to switch on the online link. I don't know how they configure their system and connections, but they sometimes have their wifi up but not their online connection. But places like Starbucks are probably online constantly. Just something to think about.

By the way, are you aware that on Macrumors you don't have to post separate responses to each poster you want to reply to at the moment? Instead of clicking the "quote" button for each post you want to respond to, you can click the small quotation mark in each of these posts and then click the "post reply" button at the bottom of the page. When you do that, all of the posts you want to respond to will be quoted in the same window and you then can just type in your responses in that one window. This is explained in the MR instructions available on this site. Anyway, I hope you fix your wifi problem.

 

I had a similar problem at Panera recently with my iPod touch. I got a signal, opened up safari, and I was greeted with that log-in page that had a blue cube on it, but there was no way for me to enter any log-in information. My guess was that the webpage was flash-based, and we all know you can't get that on an iPod touch.

I'm interested in your solution for Panera, so please share!

 

At my school I get a free connection non password and I have the same problem.

 

Totally cool! I didn't know that. Now I'm going to have to find those MR instructions and see if there's anything else this site can do. Thank you!