AT&T is dangling the carrot with free WiFi for iPhone - again
So, AT&T, are you just messing with us again or what? Twice in the last year we discovered free WiFi services for the iPhone but you pulled it just before we could really get into it. What was the deal with that? Now, we’re getting text message notifications that read:
AT&T Free Msg: Your Apple iPhone now has free AT&T Wi-Fi access at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks*. For info visit www.att.com/attwifi
Are you guys doing this for real now? You know, iPhone owners can only take so much abuse and teasing before it gets really aggravating. And to all our readers, did you get your text message this morning regarding the free WiFi? Has anyone tested it out yet to make sure it’s legit? Let us know so we can determine whether it’s here for good or if it’s just another senseless tease.
[Thanks, Giuseppe!]
Just went to http://www.att.com/attwifi and the main page says free wifi for iPhone. This is a great little development!!! Although, I have not been sent the little message on my phones yet.
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Great now I hope we see the blue BB 8320 with wifi…bout this this wifi thing is done with
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I have a question: What happens if you request WiFi access from iPhone, receive that SMS from AT&T, type same link in browser on the PC? If required, I can also change MAC address of my laptop and use my iPhone’s MAC address. Does this news mean free WiFi on laptops as well???
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Say thanks to the G1 for this…. G1 gets free wifi at t-mobile hotspots. This looks like AT&T is reacting to this.
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the fact that all iPhone users having AT&T service by default grant them free access to AT&T Wi-Fi locations anyways?? Looks like a smoke screen, warm fuzzy to me.
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It’s working. Jacksonville @ The Landing!!!!!
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@Jack
The official lit states that it only works for the iphone but i dunno, try it out and hit me up with an email, i would love to know. Or maybe, if it doesn’t work, there’s some hack that mac users could do on their comps to make it work for them only.
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@JackJackEleven: I’m sure they check the useragent of the browser as well, which of course could be spoofed.
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Im in NYC and did NOT receive a text message from AT&T. Why am I not surprised???
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I just got the SMS from Att
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i didnt receive a text message either, but went to Starbucks, followed instructions and IT WORKS!!! Jacksonville, Florida
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@Daviddddddddddddd (I wonder what your signature looks like) Excellent! I hope everyone else gets the same results.
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@JackJackEleven: I can imagine that if you and all the other freeloaders do what you’re implying, that AT&T will shut this down faster than you can imagine, leaving all of us legit iPhone users a little pissed at people like you that screw up everything for everybody else.
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Originally this was supposed to be 2 hours free and you had to have a star bucks card. But it looks like you don’t need the star bucks card and looks good for 24 hours nice!!!
Phone users, get started with Wi-Fi
*
Activate Wi-Fi from the settings icon on your iPhone
*
Select “attwifi” from the list of available networks
*
Enter your 10-digit mobile number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Tap ‘continue’
*
You will receive a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. You will not be charged for the text message.
*
The SMS link will only be valid for 24 hours at the location it was requested. Another request must be submitted when using another hotspot location.
*
Open the text message and tap on the link for 24-hour access to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot
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Thanks Peteo for the step by step instructions.
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Got the text!!! free wifi
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Additional Info: once you leave the WIFI area (like the Starbucks ive been using) and come back to it, you have to follow the process again. You get another text message, etc.. Just FYI
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Diggator… Just reopen the SMS again and reclick the link if it’s the same location and 24 hours haven’t passed
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Just got the message from AT&T. I’d rather use the 3G network than travel for WiFi.
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Works for me in Salem, Oregon!
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i just got the text from at&t today…but yeah i would rather just use the 3G network.
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I cannot get this to work. I see the attwifi network…I connect fine but no web access and I did get a text message but it only goes to the http://www.att.com/attwifi site.
Where do I enter my mobile number as I cannot surf to any web pages in Safari?
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works pretty decent outside a starbucks located in the corner of artesia and western in Gardena, California. Easy to connect and fast speeds, way to go AT&T . This is my report. I’m out.
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I have been to numerous places with AT&T WiFi spots and have found the attwifi network on the iPhone wifi list. I open Safari and the AT&T WiFi page opens saying I am an iPhone user and to enter my 10 digit phone number. I have tried at a few Starbucks around North Atlanta and in Safari, it tells me that my number isn’t a “registered iphone number”.
I spent 40 minutes this morning with Tech Support on AT&T and they think the issue is an “Apple issue” since I cannot connect to the AT&T wifi hotspot(s). If it was an Apple issue, I wouldn’t be able to access any wifi spot - I’m on my office network right now, it works at home, my sister’s house, and many other places with wifi. Sometimes AT&T baffles me with their “knowledge”.
AT&T is going to call Apple support for me to see if they have a fix for me not being able to connect to AT&T’s wifi network. Unreal!
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As alluded on other sites, it is in fact quite simple to use a free wi-fi token on wireless devices other than the iPhone. After a few hours of banging my head against the table at Starbucks, the process came together:
1) Turn on wi-fi on your chosen device but do NOT connect to the hotspot yet. At the same time, make sure your iPhone isn’t connected to the hotspot (I normally leave wi-fi off).
2) Set the MAC address of the mobile device of your choice (a Mac in my case) to match your iPhone’s MAC address (Settings >> General >> About >> Wi-Fi Address).
Mac OSX Terminal Example: sudo ifconfig en1 lladdr 00:21:e9:xx:xx:xx
3) In Safari’s Developer menu, change your user agent to Mobile Safari - iPhone.
4) Connect to the hotspot.
5) From mobile safari, browse any page. You should hit the iPhone-specific landing page. Enter your phone number (doesn’t appear to care if it’s an iPhone or not; further testing needed to confirm).
6) Within a few seconds you should receive a free text message. Enter the URL exactly as displayed in the message(NOTE: due to the iPhone’s font, the capital “i” in “sId” could be confused as an “l”.)
7) If all goes well you’ll be activated for free wi-fi immediately. At this point you may change your user agent back to normal, but you’ll need to switch back if you need to authenticate with the registration servers again.
Minor tweaking and imagination should help you replicate these steps on a PC or other device; the big issue is having the ability to switch MAC addresses.
Hope this helps, and happy surfing.
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