Canadians: iPod touch can't connect to datavalet wifi in Air Canada lounges

This does not work for me. I'm wondering if it has to do with certificates? I see some sites on the iPod Touch struggle with such things. Datavalet is using one that requires me to approve it (I can't remeber what it says - something about not being sure of if it is trusted or not).

If anyone knows how to make it work, please tell us!

Hello,

My name is Brian and I represent DataValet.

We have an upgrade to our system that is ready to go. I invite anyone who is experiencing any challenges connecting to the DataValet network at a Maple Leaf Lounge to please call into our support desk, toll free, at 1-800-642-3958. We would be more than happy to assist.

Thank you,
Brian
DataValet

Thank you Brian!

I'll look forward to trying it on Friday!

I failed to connect up in Halifax on Thursday, and will be trying at Pearson on Sunday. Has anyone tried Brian's fix yet? I shall call his support number if it doesn't work again.

Chris

Hi all

Here's the text of a letter I sent to Canwest (a Canadian news corporation) about an article written regarding various handhelds, cell phones, etc..

+Certainly, with data rates still through the roof in Canada, nobody is going to be happy with multi-tasking products like the iPhone (no wonder it probably won't see the light of day here). But wi-fi-based communication is obviously the future and any handset that functions in that medium will be the more valuable tool. Apple has another product, the iPod Touch (which is effectively an iPhone without the phone) that has huge potential: there is talk about third-party development of a headset and software that would permit Skype communication, but I wonder if Apple's relationship with AT&T in the US would be compromised by the possibility of nearly-free, world-wide wi-fi based telephonics!+

+But these dreams will never come to fruition as long as rival communications companies put walls around their wi-fi hotspots. Have you ever tried to send email with your Sympatico smtp at a Rogers hotspot?+

I have had no end of trouble getting connected around Montreal's hot spots when I try to use Apple's Mail app. Even Bell (i.e. Sympatico) hot spots refuse my iPod Touch's attempts to gain access. Gmail is looking more and more appealing but I find its smtp seems to be refused by the servers.

I specifically set up the iPod Touch with Gmail so I could access email when traveling later this spring.

Any words on this from my fellow Canadians? Bell bosses? Rogers reps?

Hi Brian,

Last night while walking past the lounge I tried quickly. It did not work. I did not get a login screen, nor was I able to browse.

Unfortunately I was unable to hang around, but will perhaps try again in a couple of weeks.

I rang Brian's 1-800 number, gave them the IP address given me on connecting to the datvalet wi-fi, the lounge I was in ( Pearson) and my name and they connected me manually. Then they asked me to test the connection with Safari and it worked! I'm posting this now via datavalet and the Touch. Very pleased.
Chris

Further to my post above, I found the connection was lost once the iPod was allowed to sleep and re-awakened (must have been given a new IP). On the assumption Brian's username above might just be his e-mail address (support -at- datavalet.com) I have mailed and asked if it is possible for him to give us a URL of the log-in page that Safari would normally be redirected to if using a MacBook. This might save Datavalet support a lot of phonecalls! I assume the iPhone has the same issues, so there must be a lot of us waiting for a solution here.

Chris

I was in Pearson on Monday and tried this and could not get the service to work. WiFi on the Touch is a joke.

I disagree - I am very happy with WiFi on the Touch. Clearly there is a compatibility problem here, which I hope can be resolved.

I suspect you are encountering networks that do not require 802.1X authentication. In that case, I agree that the WiFi works fine. Unfortunately Apple's refusal to support 802.1X makes the WiFi functionality useless in many university and corporate networks. ANY WiFi product that does not support this basic standard is a joke in my opinion. I would be less agitated if Apple's documentation made it clear that this shortcoming existed, but it does not. As a result, many people including me who purchased this product for its WiFi capability feel mislead and let down.

In addition, Apple is hurting their revenue stream due to this. There is no point in buying the new $20.00 applications if the underlying WiFi cannot connect to the networks that are typically encountered by the user. I think they sound great, but they would be useless to me as things stand now.

I have had no reply from my mails to Brian, so I cannot say if the problem is to do with lack of 802.1X support on the Touch, or whether there is a problem redirecting Safari to a log-in page. Since 802.1X seems to be gaining ground and becoming more frequently used for securing wireless networks, I assume Apple must be going to support it with a firmware upgrade, or risk having iPhones and iPod Touches become practically useless for wireless access.
The one hopeful thing in all this is that Brian indicated they had an upgrade 'ready to go' that should help. I was also able to be connected manually with no problem by calling Datavalet, which is clumsy but at least you get connected. (kthacher, I was in the Terminal 1 Maple Leaf lounge, joined the datavalet wifi in my settings, then called them and gave the IP I had been given by the Datavalet router, along with my name, and was then told "Try it". It worked.)

Chris

I don't want to take over this thread, but I have found an e-mail address at travelnet.ca which is the firm operating Datavalet. I have sent the following:

"Sirs,
Perhaps you could forward this to the appropriate department - a humane soul in support would be a good choice!.
Like many others, I have bought an iPod Touch in order to access e-mail whilst travelling. This is essentially an Apple iPhone without the phone or the camera. It accesses wifi networks very nicely, for the most part, but there is a problem with the Datavalet networks in Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges. My iPod can see your wifi network and join it and be granted an IP address. Opening the built in web browser should then cause me to be redirected to your log-in page - this is how things work using a laptop, and it works this way with the iPod on other networks (eg the iBahn network used at the hotel I stayed at last weekend). Unfortunately this does not happen with Datavalet. In an Apple discussion forum a gentleman called Brian indicated he represented Datavalet and that the problem could be worked around by calling your support number, giving the assigned IP address and then one could be connected manually. I did this last weekend from the Maple Leaf lounge at Pearson and it worked (until the iPod was allowed to sleep, at which point it no longer worked, presumably a new IP address was given). Two theories are current as to the reason - some believe that the lack of support for 802.1X access control in the iPod Touch and iPhone is responsible, but your travelnet.ca document about access control mentions only redirection to a log-in page ( http://www.travelnet.ca/datasheets/DVPlugNGo.pdf ), so it seems a simple way around this would be to give out the log-in URL so that I and other potential customers could access it directly with our devices' built-in browsers if we are not redirected. I could then enter my Datavalet username and password and be up and going (if I could remember them, that is - more likely I would use the log in page to open a new account!)
This would save your support agents a lot of phone calls, and your customers a lot of frustration. When the iPhone is sold in Canada the number of calls about this problem will skyrocket, so something ought to be done about it in advance.
I would really appreciate a reply on this matter - even if it is an 802.1X problem I can then push for Apple to do their part, but if it is simply a failure to redirect a browser we can fix it between us very easily!
All the best,
Christopher Moss"

I'll post any reply I get from them (if I even get one!)

Chris

kthacher wrote:
I was in Pearson on Monday and tried this and could not get the service to work. WiFi on the Touch is a joke.

Could you elaborate on how the Wifi on the Touch "is a joke"? I'm considering purchasing one and want to know its Wifi abilities. Thanks!

I consider it a joke because it does not connect to most networks that I encounter. The reason for this is that it does not support a common security protocol - 802.1X. This means that all kinds of users cannot connect to networks at their university or company. Lots of us have provided feedback to Apple and they have done nothing.

It is beyond me why Apple chose to neglect such a common security standard. So if you want the buy the Touch for its WiFi capability, then I would be very careful if I was you. I wish someone had warned me about this, because Apple's specifications show nothing about this limitation. As a result, they have mislead many customers who bought the product, expecting it to be a competent WiFi device when it is not.