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The Starbucks/AT&T Deal To Change Perception of Public Wi-Fi?
ericatcw writes "According to ComputerWorld, with two hours of free Wi-Fi soon to arrive at Starbucks consumers should expect more hotspots to go free as well as more attractive bundles from the likes of AT&T, Verizon and providers. While T-Mobile is hurting, indie coffeehouses and chains such as Caribou Coffee, Tully's and others that already offered free Wi-Fi, insist they are not, saying their ambiance and superior brew will help them retain customers."
"Up to two hours of free Wi-Fi service per day will be available for Starbucks Card holders"
If I understand this correctly, if you go get yourself a card, fill it up with a minimal $5, you pretty much can get 2 hours of free wireless anytime?
Sounds like a good deal, most of the time you really only need to check your mail or "look something up" quickly anyway... and with Starbucks being pretty much everywhere, this seems like a nice convenience. Great for people like me with an iPod Touch.
- Establish layer 2 connectivity (connect to the wifi network)
- Populate your arp cache with other MACs/IPs on the network (nmap -sP 192.168.1.0/24 works nicely..substitute the proper subnet of course)
- Pick a MAC/IP pair at random, and set your MAC/IP to these values, but don't use the MAC/IP of the firewall
- Test connection (ping google.com or try browser)
- Repeat the last 2 steps as necessary until you get past their firewall
- ...
- Profit!
The idea here is that you're going to keep tryign MAC/IPs on the network until you find a pair that belongs to someone that's already paid for a connection, thus their IP is already being let through the firewall. The MAC spoofing is necessary because eventually the firewall will refresh itself based on a list of MACs that are registered as having already paid for a connection. Enjoy!$2? Where?
A tall(10/12 ounces) is about $1.67 I think. If you bring your USED Starbucks cup or a starbucks mug it's a $.35 refill. Did you know that?
Where are you getting $2???? I live and work in Boston/Cambridge area and that's what I pay. Well worth it for free wi fi. ALL StarBucks I go to the service is so friendly and helpful it's crazy. Places I go to routinely know me and are even more friendly. I don't even go everyday, I mostly brew starbucks or other brands at home. But when I have to go into a starbucks, I don't mind it at all.
Starbucks will always get my money because of the user friendly attitude and many other things they do right.
All these people talking about the Starbucks elitest mentality need to lose it. Not everyone gets a double fat chai triple shot espresso macchiato.
I won't even go into a Dunkin Donuts. Half the staff sometimes doesn't even speak ENGLISH and the coffee is NOT the same everywhere you go.
In fact, I've heard that a sure way to open a successful independent coffee shop is to open one right by a Starbucks. They've already done all the research on the location for you, and given a choice, I think a lot of people prefer to support the little guy and enjoy a less commercial atmosphere.
That is funny since where I live, Starbucks is the little guy. In Anchorage, AK the big coffee shop player is Kaladis Brothers. Kaladis has been offering free wireless to anyone since I came to Anchorage seven years ago. They also have a nicer atmosphere with big over stuffed couches and chairs, plenty of tables, and power outlets for computers every where. Most of the local restaurants and grocers feature "Kaladi Coffee" instead of Starbucks.