[O2 PAYG] Free WiFi in own home? Or not?

[JamesFBLucas]

I passed on my original iPhone to my Mum when I upgraded earlier this year. She has been using it with an O2 iPhone PAYG sim but doesn't really make calls or texts as she has another phone on contract to do that with.

What she does do, however, is access the internet via our own home's WiFi. Originally she had O2's web and WiFi bolt on (at £7.50 a month) but dropped this after about two months as she realised the only real time she was using the internet was at home, when it would be free anyway.

However, O2 now insist that this isn't free at all - despite the fact we own both the WiFi network and the iPhone - and are charging her some sort of rate to access our own wireless network.

Is this right? They say that it is a ruling imposed by Apple, not O2, interestingly. All data roaming is turned off so there is no chance that she is ever using the internet anywhere or anytime other than where/when she thinks she is - i.e. in the home.

 

[Eraserhead]

That sounds very dodgy, the WiFi bolt on is for using hotspots out and about.

Internet at home or the library etc via WiFi should be free without the bolt on.

Are you sure the O2 staff aren't just misinformed?

 

[JamesFBLucas]

That sounds very dodgy, the WiFi bolt on is for using hotspots out and about.

Internet at home or the library etc via WiFi should be free without the bolt on.

Are you sure the O2 staff aren't just misinformed?

You'd think so. But she'd noticed her credit evaporating and then couldn't access the internet, so called O2 and after much toing-and-froing between departments, they informed her of this new policy.

I've had a go myself and have noticed her credit going down after a session on Safari or Mail.

 

[Eraserhead]

You'd think so. But she'd noticed her credit evaporating and then couldn't access the internet, so called O2 and after much toing-and-froing between departments, they informed her of this new policy.

I've had a go myself and have noticed her credit going down after a session on Safari or Mail.

Is that even legal?

Ask to talk to someone senior about it.

 

[runplaysleeprun]

Are you sure you're actively connected to the WiFi in her home? O2, as far as I know, shouldn't even be aware if you are using your own home wireless network, let alone be able to charge you for it.

 

[Eraserhead]

Are you sure you're actively connected to the WiFi in her home? O2, as far as I know, shouldn't even be aware if you are using your own home wireless network, let alone be able to charge you for it.

Good point, are you sure its using WiFi not the 3G connection?

 

[defender]

Turning data roaming off does not turn off data services. Data roaming is for when you go abroad. Sounds like your not actually connected to your home wireless to me and the phone is defaulting to 02's network internet.

 

[JamesFBLucas]

Cheers for the points, people. I've deleted all the PAYG settings from the iPhone so that it shouldn't even be able to access Edge if it can't get hold of the WiFi for whatever reason. Will keep an eye on the credit to see if it goes down at all.

 

[Tokiopop]

You could have just taken the SIM out?

 

[fabian9]

have you tried putting it into flight mode and then turning the wifi back on (it turns off automatically when enabling flight mode can can be re-enabled). Are they still charging for it then? There definitely is no way they could so if it still happens something very dodgy would be going on...

 

[TheMBC]

^ or Airplane Mode.

 

[ec51]

They should not be and should not be ABLE to charge you to connect to your own WiFi. As others said, turn your phone into Airplane mode and access the WiFi, make sure it is working.

At&t use to try to explain that even home WiFi wasnt free when the first WiFi blackberrys came out. It was funny. You should be able to connect your home WiFi in airplane mode. It is the iPhone connecting to WiFi alone, not O2.

 

[Eraserhead]

They should not be and should not be ABLE to charge you to connect to your own WiFi. As others said, turn your phone into Airplane mode and access the WiFi, make sure it is working.

At&t use to try to explain that even home WiFi wasnt free when the first WiFi blackberrys came out. It was funny. You should be able to connect your home WiFi in airplane mode. It is the iPhone connecting to WiFi alone, not O2.

Airplane mode should disable WiFi too...

 

[226896]

Airplane mode should disable WiFi too...

I'm pretty sure you can switch WiFi on again once you enable Airplane mode.

 

[sparkyms]

They shouldn't even be able to tell if you're on home WiFi, just to make sure you're not using o2's data network delete the settings if she is not going to use the internet whilst away from home wifi:
http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI...E=0000000002128295255,K=4679,Sxi=6,CASE=19041

then check whether they are still charging your mum for WiFi.