'Free' WiFi??? Puzzled..

[Winter Snow 10]

Hi

 

Can anyone tell me the deal with WiFi and mobile phones please?

 

I've been offered a great deal on a Blackberry Pearl 8220 mobile and everything looks great on the deal except the WiFi part which they're going to try and charge me £7.50 p/m to use for 'free' (if I wanted the bolt on that is).

 

If I log onto my wireless router, or say in a coffee shop, how can the O2 charge for me connecting when I'm not acutually using O2's services?

 

Are there 2 kinds of WiFi? One that is chargeable and one that is free?

 

If anyone can shed some light, I'd be very grateful.

 

O2 have said I can log onto my wireless router at home for free, but in places like Starbucks, they'd charge me without the 'free WiFi' bolt on.

 

Thanks..

 

Snow x

[willman 10]

The only FREE wifi i've ever found is McD's. Startbucks charged me last time i used their connection. £5 for 30 minutes i think.

[DaFoot 10]

I wonder if they are using the term WiFi in the sense that your handset is wireless, but you would actually be connecting through the mobile network rather than a wireless LAN.

 

EDIT:

Modern handsets will be able to use both to get online...

[Winter Snow 10]

The only FREE wifi i've ever found is McD's. Startbucks charged me last time i used their connection. £5 for 30 minutes i think.

 

Ahh, so you pay Starbucks before using the service?

 

I can understand that part.. But why do O2 want to charge me £7.50 p/m for using the service at Starbucks? And how can that make it free?

 

Thanks for the reply

[Winter Snow 10]

I wonder if they are using the term WiFi in the sense that your handset is wireless, but you would actually be connecting through the mobile network rather than a wireless LAN.

 

EDIT:

Modern handsets will be able to use both to get online...

 

Well the deal they've offered me is totally free internet access included with the price (using their Wap or 3G reception or whatever it is). It's a Blackberry which apparently is designed for the internet services but they want to charge me £7.50 to make WiFi free..

 

It's puzzling me! I've asked them 3 times now and they don't seem to know themselves..

[melthebell 862]

my mate has a wifi dongle on his pceee that he brings in to work, i believe he connects it to the net using a mobile phone wifi connection he pays for, someat like £15 a month or someat..............different from a normal free public wifi connection i think

[willman 10]

I think the £7.50 would enable you to connect to all wifi's free - in that you won't pay the provider/facility directly.

[MuteWitness 10]

If you don't take the £7.50 package you can still go to any weatherspoons, mcds or use your home wifi - this wont cost you. If you want to use internet anywhere it will cost you £7.50 paid to o2.

[Icklespud 10]

O2 aren't charging you for connecting to a WiFi service say in McD's or Starbuck, or the pubs that you get WiFi in - what O2 are charging you for are the time you can't pick up a seperate WiFi signal and therefore you connect using the mobile network - so in theory, connection to O2 WiFi service can be done anywhere, whereas the free services you have to be within that versinity

[Winter Snow 10]

If you don't take the £7.50 package you can still go to any weatherspoons, mcds or use your home wifi - this wont cost you. If you want to use internet anywhere it will cost you £7.50 paid to o2.

 

So O2 would pay Starbucks etc.?

 

That explains a lot f_g, thanks..

[Winter Snow 10]

O2 aren't charging you for connecting to a WiFi service say in McD's or Starbuck, or the pubs that you get WiFi in - what O2 are charging you for are the time you can't pick up a seperate WiFi signal and therefore you connect using the mobile network - so in theory, connection to O2 WiFi service can be done anywhere, whereas the free services you have to be within that versinity

 

That does make perfect sense and that's what I thought it would be, but they've made me an offer of totally free internet access using their services other than WiFi..

 

So your theory means that Starbucks would still charge me even with the Free WiFi bolt-on from O2?

 

Thanks..

[melthebell 862]

That does make perfect sense and that's what I thought it would be, but they've made me an offer of totally free internet access using their services other than WiFi..

 

So your theory means that Starbucks would still charge me even with the Free WiFi bolt-on from O2?

 

Thanks..

only if you connect to THEIR wifi connection

not sure on mobiles but i know on windows you can select from a list of available connections so you could just slect the o2 one and use what you pay for.

or you could use a found starbucks one and use that...but youd have to pay for it