Business News--Free WiFi
- Thread starter bobwg
- Start date
There was a brief mention of that on the news last night. Starbucks as well.
EdgarBaker
Not a Member
That is rather great news. The internet brings me such joy and less time searching for a good wifi signal, equates to more time to play at cyberland.
transporter
Expert Expediter
was that their whole chain or just select few stores.
canada also or us only. this could be great news
canada also or us only. this could be great news
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
Hmmmm.... i can't even tell you the last time i sat down in a Mcdonalds......well except in the rest room.....
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
these 2 articles say US and no mention of CA...
McDonald's to Offer Free Wireless Internet - WSJ.com
McDonald's to Offer Free Wi-Fi Internet Access - PC World Business Center
McDonald's to Offer Free Wireless Internet - WSJ.com
McDonald's to Offer Free Wi-Fi Internet Access - PC World Business Center
EdgarBaker
Not a Member
Maybe the major truck stops will follow suit.
aileron
Expert Expediter
Dont hold your breath.
Mc donalds has found there growth this year has been in there new coffee cafes.So therefore it only makes sense to have free Wi Fi. As far fetch as this may sound I think there will come a time when they built a test store that is tradional MC D s and maybe a seperate cafe area . With sofa etc Like Starbucks. They always seem to be on the leading front ,when trying new things in Fast Food. Actually there coffee is good and reasonable.So you can scan the net sip your coffee and if you choose eat a burger.
jrcarroll
Expert Expediter
As long as the Manager does not mind you sitting there hours on end, online.
There maybe some limits they will impose upon us as to using there free wifi
There is someone here on EO who was tossed out of a McD's that has Free WiFi.
For a limited time Flying J is free every day from 0900 to 1000...
They're calling it Happy Hour.
They're calling it Happy Hour.
Jack_Berry
Moderator Emeritus
course we won't be there for hours unless we carry powered back up batteries. the couple macs i took a laptop into did not have a lot of plugs for computers.
EdgarBaker
Not a Member
I was thinking more along the lines of parking near enough to pick up their signal from the truck. There's more and more free wifi spots and even more on the way. McDonalds will be a huge asset for me. I have gotten free wifi from hotels Burger kings some Taco Bells Chic Fila panera bread and many times late at night I just cruise through strip malls slowly until I find one. soon I believe, one of the big truck stop chains will go to free wifi and the rest will eventually follow along.
Those with a Verizon Aircard should upgrade their VZAccess Manager. After doing so, you will find a new tab for Verizon Wireless WiFi Hot Spots. Once only available to home subscribers of Verizon High Speed Internet, the service is now a part of the Mobile Broadband plan.
Verizon "Mobile Broadband" customers now get free access to hotspots across the country. The advantage is, for the same price you were paying yesterday, you can now transfer more data without worrying about the 5GB per month limit since none of the hotspot transfers count against your monthly limit.
The bad news is, being a Verizon smartphone owner doesn't get you any of these benefits. It's probably because VZAccess Manager doesn't run on a smartphone, but hopefully they'll get that worked out where a simple login/password to use the hotspots will work.
You need a monthly Mobile Broadband plan and one of the approved devices associated with that plan, like a USB dongle, the MiFi, a PC Card or a netbook you've purchased through Verizon. To access the service requires a series of steps, mainly upgrading the VZAccess Manager (Options, Preferences, Update), letting it update the roaming capability, and then letting it download the latest hotspot data. Once that's done, click the Hotspot tab to search for hotspots. Easiest way is to pick a state in the drop-down, then click the heading to sort locations by city.
This will give you a preview of the locations:
Search HotSpot Tool
You can let VZAccess Manager update itself (recommended) or you can download it from here:
VZAccess Manager
Verizon "Mobile Broadband" customers now get free access to hotspots across the country. The advantage is, for the same price you were paying yesterday, you can now transfer more data without worrying about the 5GB per month limit since none of the hotspot transfers count against your monthly limit.
The bad news is, being a Verizon smartphone owner doesn't get you any of these benefits. It's probably because VZAccess Manager doesn't run on a smartphone, but hopefully they'll get that worked out where a simple login/password to use the hotspots will work.
You need a monthly Mobile Broadband plan and one of the approved devices associated with that plan, like a USB dongle, the MiFi, a PC Card or a netbook you've purchased through Verizon. To access the service requires a series of steps, mainly upgrading the VZAccess Manager (Options, Preferences, Update), letting it update the roaming capability, and then letting it download the latest hotspot data. Once that's done, click the Hotspot tab to search for hotspots. Easiest way is to pick a state in the drop-down, then click the heading to sort locations by city.
This will give you a preview of the locations:
Search HotSpot Tool
You can let VZAccess Manager update itself (recommended) or you can download it from here:
VZAccess Manager
WiFi Service provided by: Flying J
Welcome to HAPPY HOUR at this plaza! During this complimentary time (9:00 AM to 10:00 AM) you can create a new account with us and get online... for FREE! When your time is up you can purchase any of our subscription products (day, month or year) to continue your Internet experience. Enjoy your hour compliments of Flying J!
Welcome to HAPPY HOUR at this plaza! During this complimentary time (9:00 AM to 10:00 AM) you can create a new account with us and get online... for FREE! When your time is up you can purchase any of our subscription products (day, month or year) to continue your Internet experience. Enjoy your hour compliments of Flying J!
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
Thanks Turtle, just finished the update....and it also opened a vcacess update that wasn't done with my "auto updates" so again, thanks....