IPad connection to free WiFi hotspots

You need to go to Safari and accept the terms & conditions of the free WiFi service. In many free hotspots, you can not use other web-hungry applications except Safari.

Same exact problem (but with iPod Touch). i have no problem using home wifi, school wifi, etc, but when I try to utilize NYC public free wifi, I get "Cannot access the Internet" message. The signal seems strong but it just wouldn't let me access the internet at all (including the Safari registration page that someone mentioned).

Is there some kind of wifi accessing set up that can help??? Pretty desperate since I'm planning to travel soon and would want to access public wifi.

Yes, Yes, I'm having the same problem! My iPhone will open the terms and condition wifi login page but my iPad won't. Others nearby with iPads at my location had the same problem.

Since auto wasn't working, I tried copying the ip address of the various pages but it still wouldn't open. I copied the router settings and made them static to no avail. I changed the HTTP proxy and set the URL but nothing. Not opening a Wifi T and C is an old school problem you'd see with WebTV.

C'mon Apple!! You're better than this.


In reference to:
offered free wifi, but required an agreement to terms and conditions on a couple of pages. I couldn't get the T&C pages to load. Rather just got "can't connect" messages. The pages loaded just fine on our XP laptops.

If others in this thread are talking about the same thing I've been experiencing for months, I found an explanation: http://www.nycwireless.net/2009/07/psa-free-public-wi-fi-is-not-a-free-wireless- internet-hotspot/

I selected "Forget this Network" for the "Free Public WiFi" option in the provider list on my iPhone and iPad and the option doesn't automatically come up. If you're a Windows XP user you definitely should read the article.

There is actually free wi-fi at many of the public parks in Manhattan. In lower Manhattan I often use several Downtown Manhattan Alliance hotspots at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Water Street and the English garden at Pearl and Hanover. The signal may load a little slowly, but those spots do work. I also use the one in Madison Square Park that appears as nyc.wireless.net in the provider list. You need to register for a free account, and the signal works best near the router, which is atop Shake Shack.

As another poster mentioned, Starbucks now offers free unlimited wifi with any purchase, and at public libraries and at all Apple stores in NYC wi-fi is always free.

A bit of background. My existing computers WiFi has worked well for a while. Still one can connect any device to it and have that device browse the internet. However not so with my new iPad. It is the up market one with WiFi & G3. Had similar problems as other users above. During my quest for an answer I upgraded to version 4 software on my iPad.
No joy. Mine says "Cannot Open Page Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the internet". Bull!!! As luck would happen, one day my ISP redirected the page because my subscription had run out. To my amazement this redirection brought up the ISP page asking me to buy more download allowance.
From this I gather that something is blocking the TCP packets form getting to the iPad screen. But were. I even tried turning off my desktop's Firewall to see if that would help. Still No Joy. (Desperate measure. Don't You try it.) I also installed Apache webserver to try and see what was happening. Well it worked with other devices connected to the WiFi but not the iPad. Even tried doing the reset suggested by some of the helpers on other discussions. That didn't work either. It definately is not a virus. My desk top is running windows vista ultimate. The WiFi is ASUS built in on the motherboard. So we have narrowed it down to the iPad. If I find a solution I will try to get back to this discussion with it.

I have trouble connecting to free wifi spots as well. The cafe near me has open wifi, no login required, the ipad (model without 3G) sees it and connects to it yet Safari will not bring up anything, says no internet connection. Rebooted ipad, still no luck. Yet the New York Times app seems to load articles but not photos. So what is that, half an internet connection? Confusing.
Curiously enough, I can connect fine to my library's wifi, which does require me to log in. So maybe the ipad is unhappy with certain routers or something?