Hello. I'm new to wifi having never used a laptop wirelessly to connect to the internet. I tried today to connect to a wifi hotspot at Bluewater in Kent using my new N80. It did some sort of search and seemed to identify a provider, but it was asking me details which I didn't know. I have read the instruction manual but this is not really clear to me.
Can anyone help explain to me how I can sit in a cafe or elsewhere and just connect to the internet using wifi ? Do I need to pre-register ? Also, would it be just as good (or cheaper/dearer) to connect using 3g or gprs ? I'm on Orange if that matters ?
Any info is geatly appreciated.
Thanks.
It depends on the wifi connection and the security they have enabled. If the wifi network you are trying to connect to is completely open - i.e. no security settings enabled then you should be able to just connect and use it. However if they have basic security (usually a password at least) you will need to know this before you can connect. If you are at say a cafe or something, ask the people who work there and they'll tell you what it is.
Wifi is free (if you're using someone else's). 3G and GPRS cost, and are slower.
Let's take Starbucks as an example. They have tmobile wireless LAN running in their coffee shops and there is no security encryption or network password required. The way it works is that you have to register on the T-Mobile web site to use tmobile WLAN, and either pay up-front or get the usage charged to your tmobile mobile phone account (the former if you are using Orange of course as you won't have a tmobile account!).
When you have registered, you get a username and password.
On your N80, go into Connections, Connection Manager and select Available WLANs. You should see tmobile listed. Select it and then go into Options, Define Access Point. You now have the tmobile WLAN access point defined.
Now you start the Web app (or whatever needs wireless access) and when you get the list of available access points and you select tmobile.
What happens is that whenever you launch a web browser on the tmobile WLAN, you get redirected to a web page that asks for your username and password. Enter the ones you got when you bought your WLAN time at the beginning. You should now have internet access.
Simon
Many thanks for the info. So does this mean that I have to pre register for all service providers before I can use a hotspot? In other words, I'd have to plan in advance when I intended to sign in, where I'd be at that time, and locate hotspots and service providers before I go ? In other words, I can't just use the N80 to search for a wifi connection and just sign in to it...
Thanks again.
James
jfant1 wrote:So does this mean that I have to pre register for all service providers before I can use a hotspot?
In theory, yes. All commercial providers of WiFi hotspots probably have a similar method of pre-registration & sign-in, although I've not actually tried any of them because I can't be bothered. 😮 The market is quite fragmented at the moment, but as phones with WiFi capability such as the N80 come onto the market, we should see providers consolidating & sharing hotspots, and providing wider coverage in general. But not yet.
Alternatively, some places do provide "free" WiFi hotspots for public use. The Apple Store in Regent Street in London springs immediately to mind, and there may be others. But of course, remember you'll get no guranteed quality of service or level of privacy/security.
Finally, although of course I wouldn't reccomend it because I don't think it's strictly legal, if you found a WiFi hotspot that someone has set up and been too lazy/stupid to set any encryption or access restriction, your Nokia N80 could connect to that. Again, the issues about QoS, Security and Privacy still apply... even more so.
And if you've got ADSL at home, for about �60 you can get a combined ADSL Wireless modem/router. Instant personal WiFi Hotspot!
HTH
SL
jfant1 wrote:So does this mean that I have to pre register for all service providers before I can use a hotspot?
Normally when you first connect to a WiFi hotspot that you have to pay for, whatever web site you try to go to you get automatically re-directed to their sign-up page. There you can enter your credit card details and so on.
I've seen one of these pages at a hotspot at London Waterloo station and the Nokia web browser displays it okay, but I didn't try filling it in so don't know for sure whether it will work on the phone.
Make sure you use the full web browser and not the "Services" WAP browser and give it a try.
A lot of places (e.g. cafes, bars) do offer free WiFi access with no need to preregister - you just need to hunt them down. 😊
And some people have a wifi connection at home and don't have any security 😉
so if you happen to stumble across one :icon14: but don't go re-configuring their router :icon13:
There are some free WLAN hotspots, such as at major international airports. Many have to be paid for outside of these. I personally have an ADSL moden with 4-port router at home so I have WLAN around the house.
Brilliant. Thanks for everyone's help...
James
To avoid costly online time with your provider, you can first set your profile to offline and then start looking for available WLAN/WIFI etc and connect directly with them.😊