iPhone connection cascade

Question

Level 1

16 points

iPhone connection cascade

Two questions:

1) If I join a wifi hotspot that does lets me on, but not provide me with access to the internet (e.g., starbucks tmobile hotspot without paying), how does the iPhone handle this? Does it wait a certain amount of time to "time out" a connection before trying EDGE, or will it never try EDGE?

2) To access the iTunes store on an iPod touch (or iPhone, when it is released), do you have to join the tmobile hotspot within a Starbucks? Or does it do some crazy auto-sensing under-the-covers networking?

Obviously, these questions are related, because if the iPhone abandons EDGE when connected to a hotspot that provides no internet access, any time you want to surf the iTunes store for free in a Starbucks, you are going to lose access to your email, widgets, etc. until you "Forget this network" or leave the Starbucks.

12" Powerbook G4 1.33 GHZ, iPhone 8GB, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Sep 18, 2007 6:32 AM

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Answer 1

jrussell

Level 1

55 points

Sep 18, 2007 6:48 AM in response to eh270

From experience...if I try to join a wifi hotspot that doesn't let me on the internet, for instance, which happens at one of my local coffee shops, I don't think it lets go of the wireless connection until I let go of it by forgetting this network or leaving. Why would it? The iPhone can't tell you're not getting data. You are connected and have all the bars usually. In other words, your phone is showing you full strength wireless connectivity -- but you can't do anything with it. So the phone holds onto it since you're connected fine as far as the phone is concerned.

And, when you're back on Edge and getting data from Safari, correct, you can't get phone calls.

As far as the Starbucks thing, I have no idea. It's not on the schedule for the Twin Cities as far as they've posted!

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Answer 2

eh270 Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 18, 2007 7:41 AM in response to jrussell

jrussell wrote:
Why would it? The iPhone can't tell you're not getting data. You are connected and have all the bars usually. In other words, your phone is showing you full strength wireless connectivity -- but you can't do anything with it. So the phone holds onto it since you're connected fine as far as the phone is concerned.

This makes no sense, the iPhone should be able to tell whether or not you are connected to the internet. It could be as simple as sending a ping out to Apple.com upon joining a wireless network. On any of their computers, if you join a network that lets you in (but doesn't let you access the internet), the network status prefpane lets you know that you may not have access to the internet.

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Answer 3

eh270 Author

Level 1

16 points

Oct 7, 2007 6:16 PM in response to eh270

Well, for any interested, I have confirmed that joining a starbucks/tmobile hotspot IS required to access ITMS. While connected, widgets like weather and stocks (oddly) work just fine, but web and mail time out.

Bummer.

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Answer 4

Oct 7, 2007 7:11 PM in response to eh270

It is important to realize that 'joining' in this sense me detecting and connecting, not subscribing. The iTunes WiFi Music Store is available in selective markets at Starbucks—initially, in New York City and Seattle—and does not require a T-Mobile HotSpot™ subscription. Most other services available on the internet do: web page access and electronic mail are examples.

T-Mobile subscribers cellular subscribers—these are obviously not iPhone users—are able to add an unlimited $ 19.95 data plan option with unlimited access to all T-Mobile HotSpots. Other users can choose from plans which to not include T-Mobile cellular subscriptions listed on this page.

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Answer 5

eh270 Author

Level 1

16 points

Oct 7, 2007 7:28 PM in response to Michael Lafferty

Even if you have paid for unlimited access to their networks, you have to sign in each time you want to use it. So if you set the tmobile ESSID to be a 'preferred network', any time you are in a Starbucks, your iPhone joins the network, but is blocked access until you open up a Safari browser and sign in (or buy access).

The larger point here is that the iPhone should be smart enough to know when it's connected to a network that is blocking web or email traffic and switch to the EDGE connection every user pays for when trying to access something that is not available.

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Answer 6

Jan 2, 2008 4:28 PM in response to Michael Lafferty

Have any of you guys had any luck actually logging in to the TMobile Hotspots in Safari on iPhone? I cannot. I have a Hotspot account and can log in just fine on my computer, but the same login fails on my iPhone. I have tried 5 Starbucks with Hotspots in two different states, with no luck -- same thing at all of them.

Can you actually use the iPhone with TMobile Hotspots for general Safari browsing, or only the ITMS?

Thanks,

Brads

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