Confirmation: Starbucks hotspots not free?

[Deleted member 4644]

Its though T-mobile right?

 

[Wahsapa]

yes, t-mobile set them up, and im pretty sure you have to pay them to use it. i remember reading about some hacks to break in and surf for free, not sure if that can still happen. maybe if you buy a really big cup of coffee they'll give you 15 mins free

 

[erikistired]

yeah, that sucks. all of the taco macs around here are offering free wireless access while you dine (altho i wouldn't take my laptop into a sports bar) which is cool. i can understand having to pay for it i guess, but it's kinda goofy to offer an incentive to come to your place over another and then charge you for the incentive. i guess with starbucks tho there really isn't any competition.

 

[z0mb13]

yeah its not free..

 

[0roo0roo]

it should be considering the coffee prices

 

[virtuamike]

Free at my cafe

All our regs love the free wireless

 

[Heifetz]

Well, they should make it free. How much would it cost for a starbucks to subsidize it? A wireless router/AP and some sort of cable/dsl service. They can easily make up for the cost by the increase in sales generated from new customers. Wireless companies need to get out of their a$$ and start offering services that take advantage of the technology today. I find it unfathomable that T-Mobile charges $10/month for wireless instant messenging.

 

[Freejack2]

Panera is free. Got myself a sandwich, went out to the car to eat it and find a hotel for the night. Was nice.

 

[Fenixgoon]

my brother's professor at UMD was one of the first people to hack wireless network technology.. so least to say, my brother knows how

 

[InverseOfNeo]

Originally posted by: Heifetz
Well, they should make it free. How much would it cost for a starbucks to subsidize it? A wireless router/AP and some sort of cable/dsl service. They can easily make up for the cost by the increase in sales generated from new customers. Wireless companies need to get out of their a$$ and start offering services that take advantage of the technology today. I find it unfathomable that T-Mobile charges $10/month for wireless instant messenging.

I totaly agree with you. I would have no hesitation to stay there a bit longer studying and whatnot if it was free; because I was there I would be drinking more coffee and generating sales for them.

 

[gopunk]

just go to an independant coffee shop that has free wifi... just as good, cheaper, and free wifi

 

[UNCjigga]

I just paid $39.99 for it (1 month)

Its the only broadband I can get close to home at the moment.