Free Wifi at AT&T hotspots

[sanity]

I pay $60/mo for unlimited data via my USB card, which is 300% more per month than the iPhone user who pays $20/mo. Is it unfair to expect the same(if not 300% better) treatment from AT&T? Where's my free wifi?

Apparently you do have the same treatment:
http://www.wireless.att.com/busines...?wtLinkName=WifiConnect&wtLinkLoc=LN&WT.svl=5

"In addition to accessing AT&T's 3G and EDGE mobile networks, LaptopConnect customers with a qualified data plan can now get complementary AT&T Wi-Fi Basic access at over 17,000 hot spots nationwide."

 

[manhattanboy]

starbucks isn't free.. you still have to buy something and use the code or w/e it is.. [edit: this is incorrect]

No its correct...
unless your homeless you should buy SOMETHING..

 

[manhattanboy]

Apparently you do have the same treatment:
http://www.wireless.att.com/busines...?wtLinkName=WifiConnect&wtLinkLoc=LN&WT.svl=5

"In addition to accessing AT&T's 3G and EDGE mobile networks, LaptopConnect customers with a qualified data plan can now get complementary AT&T Wi-Fi Basic access at over 17,000 hot spots nationwide."

AT&T did this out of necessity since us iphone users are sucking down a crapload of bandwidth

 

[manhattanboy]

just did it and it works great

I just did "it" and "it" was awesome... but I have yet to try the wifi so stay tuned

 

[sanity]

I'm not clear why I need this when I have a 3G unlimited data plan... But, ok.

 

[skye12]

Although Starbucks is a free ATT hotspot as a DSL or wireless customer,
be aware many of ATT hotspots known as PREMIER hotspots (like airports)
are NOT free.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I'm not clear why I need this when I have a 3G unlimited data plan... But, ok.

1) 3G where 3G is available. Take a look at ATTs 3G service map. Lots of places w/ no 3G service.

2) ATT WiFi hotspots are faster than 3G

 

[sflocal]

AT&T offers free WiFi to iPhone users. Of course, people are given an inch and try to freeload for a mile.

iPhone data usage is much lower than using a laptop. You won't find people trying to email 10MB videos or play some MMOFPS game on an iPhone.

There is only so much bandwidth that can be utilized on an iPhone at any given time. Any wonder why tethering hasn't happened yet from iPhone to laptop now kids? AT&T provides it as a convenience for the iPhone users. It's not meant for users to shack down with their laptops and suck bandwidth all day. And those of you discussing it very well know that.

Yet the questions are already popping up about why people feel they should be allowed to use their laptops to access a service meant for a small-usage device. If that were possible, it would be so ripe for abuse that AT&T would rather shut it down than to have their network bog down. Ultimately, what was an effort to provide a value-added service would once again fail because a few people decide to ruin it for everyone else.

It's no surprise that Safari on the PC/MAC doesn't work. Even if it did, I'm sure that would be a temporary ability.

Nothing is ever truly free. Even if you were able to hack your laptop to work, Starbucks would kick your hide out of there for squatting your non-coffee-paying backside in their cafe.

 

[bassproguy07]

FINALLY!!! My local starbucks doesn't get 3G reception, and I hate not being able to surf the web while sipping my coffee. Thank you ATT!!

 

[vrflyer]

Thank god, took them a while to figure it out, eh?

 

[aethelbert]

I'm not clear why I need this when I have a 3G unlimited data plan... But, ok.

Not everyone has a 3G data plan. Many that do don't get 3G service.

 

[MacPapa]

Although Starbucks is a free ATT hotspot as a DSL or wireless customer,
be aware many of ATT hotspots known as PREMIER hotspots (like airports)
are NOT free.

I think a PREMIER hotspot means it belongs to another provider, but they have a roaming agreement with ATT so you need a premier account with ATT to use those hotspots. I travel through several airports where ATT provides service and only need to use my DSL credentials to use the hotspot. No premier account needed. Sweet!

 

[sonictonic]

I still have not gotten the text message from AT&T telling me I can do this.



UPDATE:
Just got the text message finally.

 

[manhattanboy]

Nothing is ever truly free.

WRONG!
I will FREELY take all of your money. so give it.

 

[bobertoq]

When are they going eliminate the service? haha. anyway that's good for iphone users. I wish I had an iphone now. but it's not t-mobile so i'm not buying it.

WRONG!
I will FREELY take all of your money. so give it.

but that would cost him/her money wouldn't it?

 

[kobefan234]

Are they at all starbucks because I went to one and you had to pay?

 

[SpookyET]

The SMS part sucks. I do have an AT&T number and SIM card, but I don't use it with the iPhone. I have the iPhone on T-Mobile. So, I can't use it unless I have both phones on me.

 

[jnyepu]

I have AT&T-Yahoo! DSL at home, so I'm eligible for free wifi through that, too. Before I got my iPhone I had an iPod touch. I don't know if the login is the same, but I could use the wifi on any device I chose to (iPod, laptop, etc.).

I have AT&T Yahoo DSL at home as well -- how does this work? Do you just put in your home phone# at the log in? What exactly do you do to log in?

 

[Drag'nGT]

Pimp'n. I called about this a month or so after getting the phone and told the AT&T lady it was silly that we couldn't use WiFi at Starbucks and their other places. She said she'd pass it along to the higher ups at the data dept. I know that may have nothing to do with this happening but I like to think so. That or they want us off the network as often as possible to lighten the load.

 

[Shasterball]

Pimp'n. I called about this a month or so after getting the phone and told the AT&T lady it was silly that we couldn't use WiFi at Starbucks and their other places. She said she'd pass it along to the higher ups at the data dept. I know that may have nothing to do with this happening but I like to think so. That or they want us off the network as often as possible to lighten the load.

I heard someone at AT&T say that they did this because of you.

 

[Surely]

I still have not gotten the text message from AT&T telling me I can do this.



UPDATE:
Just got the text message finally.

Thank god! I was wondering when you were going to receive it!!!! Phew.


You know...... I hope that you realize that you didn't need to actually receive the text message to be able to do access the free wifi.....

 

[billyripkin]

I don't understand why anyone would vote this as negative. This is excellent news and it's FREE!

 

[Snide]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

I have AT&T-Yahoo! DSL at home, so I'm eligible for free wifi through that, too. Before I got my iPhone I had an iPod touch. I don't know if the login is the same, but I could use the wifi on any device I chose to (iPod, laptop, etc.).

I have AT&T Yahoo DSL at home as well -- how does this work? Do you just put in your home phone# at the log in? What exactly do you do to log in?

After you connect and open a page, you will be directed to the login page. Simply enter your AT&T/Yahoo login name and password, and account suffix (mine is sbcglobal.net). After that, whenever you're in range of a Starbucks router, your iPhone's cookies will log you in, and no further action is required, no matter what Starbucks you happen upon. This is (or should be) a great selling point for AT&T DSL!

 

[hbunting]

Free?

I brought my laptop into a McDonalds a month or two ago and was able to get online by putting in my telephone number, didn't say it was going to charge me and I didn't get anything extra on my bill, so I guess in a way this is not news to me.

 

[nickXedge]

Pimp'n. I called about this a month or so after getting the phone and told the AT&T lady it was silly that we couldn't use WiFi at Starbucks and their other places. She said she'd pass it along to the higher ups at the data dept. I know that may have nothing to do with this happening but I like to think so. That or they want us off the network as often as possible to lighten the load.

I heard someone at AT&T say that they did this because of you.

I also heard this.