Can you log into public WiFi hotspots?

[sjshephard]

I've just bought a Nokia 770 and it connects to my BT Home Hub without problems. I can get onto the internet from anywhere in my house.

However outside, in my local Starbucks or in the vicinity of BT Openzone enabled phoneboxes, for example, is another matter. I can connect to the hotspot, it's in Infrastructure mode rather than Ad Hoc mode, I get non-local IP addresses back and my default router is set to something other than (none) or 0.0.0.0

What I can't get to is the webpage to log in to the WiFi service with my userid. I get the Network Error that others here also seem to be getting.

I'm creating a new thread for this because I'm not asking for help here, as such. I just want a bit of hope.

Is there anybody out there who is successfully using a Nokia 770 to get WiFi access in this way? Not in your home, not in your office, but from a public hotspot where you'd normally have to log into a web page to get access?

If you did, and you had to do something to get it working it would be nice to know what that was, but for now I just want to know that this is possible - and that I shouldn't just give up right now and send my 770 back to the shop.

Cheers

[FirebirdFeuervogel]

I've been able to get to login pages for public wifi before with my 770, no special config, just the latest firmware. I did it at a hotel, think it was a Hilton, in Tampa. I havn't tried to get to a Starbuck's hotspot with it, so I don't know about that. I've never had that network error on a public wifi hotspot, personally, though I've had it other places, it, like most other problems I've had on my 770, just kinda resolves itself after a while for me.

[bac522]

I've been able to get to login pages for public wifi before with my 770, no special config, just the latest firmware. I did it at a hotel, think it was a Hilton, in Tampa. I havn't tried to get to a Starbuck's hotspot with it, so I don't know about that. I've never had that network error on a public wifi hotspot, personally, though I've had it other places, it, like most other problems I've had on my 770, just kinda resolves itself after a while for me.

2nd that, no problems for the most part unless there was something funky with the login web page.

[Arjun]

I've just bought a Nokia 770 and it connects to my BT Home Hub without problems. I can get onto the internet from anywhere in my house.

However outside, in my local Starbucks or in the vicinity of BT Openzone enabled phoneboxes, for example, is another matter. I can connect to the hotspot, it's in Infrastructure mode rather than Ad Hoc mode, I get non-local IP addresses back and my default router is set to something other than (none) or 0.0.0.0

What I can't get to is the webpage to log in to the WiFi service with my userid. I get the Network Error that others here also seem to be getting.

I'm creating a new thread for this because I'm not asking for help here, as such. I just want a bit of hope.

Is there anybody out there who is successfully using a Nokia 770 to get WiFi access in this way? Not in your home, not in your office, but from a public hotspot where you'd normally have to log into a web page to get access?

If you did, and you had to do something to get it working it would be nice to know what that was, but for now I just want to know that this is possible - and that I shouldn't just give up right now and send my 770 back to the shop.

Cheers



You sure can hope.

:) I use the Nokia 770 ( with the last great Nokia released OS ) wherever I go. Using this I have latched on to multiple unsecured private networks and other such WiFi connections available. I have also used Nokia 770 with my phones, a Nokia 3650 and an Nokia 6682 on T- Mobile ).

I can use it at my work where we have a Linksys Wireless Router. I do not use any WEP keys here. The Nokia 770 connected effortlessly the first time I tried.

As far as Starbucks and other such places are concerned I think you need some kind off account ( Username and Password ) or at ( least some more information ) with them. Ad-Hoc connection is when you are connecting from one Computer to another. When you connect directly to a Router it is Infrastructure connection. So I think it is alright if you see infrastructure connection when you try to access Starbucks or BT Openzone.

Also, I have successfully connected and surfed the Internet as much as I wanted for so many months in a Mall that had an Apple Computer Store where they allowed public WiFi Access ( the connection itself was called Apple Public Wifi ).

[sjshephard]

Thanks guys. I've seen a suggestion that maybe the BT Openzone and T-Mobile landing pages cause problems for the 770 web browser. So is there anyone who has been able to access these services specifically? Or maybe with a Nokia 800?

It might be that once one of these Mozilla projects has been ported to the 770 that I can use these hotspots, but unless they get ported soon then I think I may have to return my 770 now and check out the situation again in a few months. Ideally the WiFi providers should fix any incompatibilities they have but practically unless/until they do my 770 will be of little use.

[TA-t3]

I've used my N800 with T-Mobile (in the US and in Europe), and with lots of other simillar hotsptos. No problems. For these kind of (pay-spots) I connect, after the connection is OK I just click on the 'tableteer' bookmark (because it's there). The browser pops up, and then it's redirected to the hotspot's https: login page. Even though I haven't actually _used_ many of these hotspots (except for T-Mobile) I did get to the login page (often you don't know if it's free or not until you try, that's where I hit tableteer).

[sjshephard]

Well, I've tried a different branch of Starbucks and managed to log into the T-mobile hotspot with no problems (and no special software/config required). I've still not been able to get into any BT Openzone hotspots though.

As the places I travel to regularly have a Starbucks in town/at the airport/station then it makes the 770 useful enough for me to keep. It would be nice to be able to use it with BT Openzone too though. Has anyone else been able to do this?

[tablettalk]

I have a similar issue. I am able to connect to any public Wifi except the recent ATT-Starbucks. I was also able to get to T-mobile hotspot username and password opening page. But I can't get to ATT wifi opening page after authenticating to its hotspot. This is the link which gets an error and can't be displayed :
https://secure.sbc.com/outbound_login.adp?NetworkURL=https%3A%2F%2Fservic e1.hotspot.t-mobile.com%2Fclickthrough%2Finbound%2FpartnerLogin&RemoteHostName=attwifi&NetworkName=T-Mobile&LocationDescription=Starbucks&AssociatedSSID=attwifi&ReturnURL=https%3A%2F%2Fservice1.hotspot.t-mobile.com%2Fhome

I am still searching for a post that can help me with this.

[geneven]

And you have a 770?

[tablettalk]

Yes I am using Nokia 770

[sparkling]

...except the recent ATT-Starbucks. I was also able to get to T-mobile hotspot username and password opening page. But I can't get to ATT wifi opening page after authenticating to its hotspot.

I spent 20 minutes this morning trying to connect to a Starbucks ATT/T-Mobile site using N810 with OS2008. I have both T-Mobile and AT&T accounts.

If I connected to the AT&T SSID the browser hung after loading 3/4 elements of a page titled "Javascript probe".

If I connected to the T-Mobile SSID the browser displayed the Starbucks welcome page, but the element where I would click to login using my existing T-Mobile User ID and Password was missing. I have experienced the same at DFW airport, and T-Mobile tech support did not know why it occurred or a way to work around it.

If I connected to the T-Mobile SSID and then chose the orange AT&T button I reached the same login page shown in your message. It would allow me to enter my AT&T User ID and Password, and to check that I accepted the terms, but clicking the Login button had no effect.

[danielsdad]

Could you share how you managed to get your 770 to connect to your home hub as I have the 700 and a HomeHub 2 and I cant get the 770 to connect to it!!
thanks.............

[allnameswereout]

Try Devicescape (http://tableteer.nokia.com/tableteer/os2008/feat_devicescape.xhtml). IIRC it runs on 770 too.

[danielsdad]

thanks.....i have downloaded devicescape to my pc, how do i install it on the 770 please? apologies but im a 770 newb ;)

[geneven]

To answer the question posed in the header: Sure, I and practically everyone can log into public wifi. I have an N800. Specifically, I have connected to Starbucks wifi, among many others. I didn't have to do anything special, it just worked.

[allnameswereout]

thanks.....i have downloaded devicescape to my pc, how do i install it on the 770 please? apologies but im a 770 newb ;)I don't know because I don't know how your OS on 770 works. I see here (http://www.internettablettalk.com/2007/10/10/auto-connect-to-wifi-via-devicescape/) it is supported on 770.