Using Starbucks' free internet for iphone on a laptop

[MOSHO92]

So AT&T and Starbucks graciously allow us legit iPhone users to siphon off the internet for free. When connecting, I'm guessing that the web reads the user-agent of the iPhone and redirects to a page where you enter your phone number.

I thought I'd be clever and use my firefox user-agent switcher addon to fool the system and get some free net. Much to my suprise, it didnt work!

Has anyone had any success using the iPhone freebie on their laptop? Any idea's?

Thanks.

[gQstatus05]

I would imagine using an Ad-Hoc Setup may work. That's what I use when I tether. Maybe someone else could have a better direction for you to go in.

[boxxa]

The theory is that you might be able to connect and authenticate with your iPhone. Once you are in, put your MAC, IP, and hostname from your iPhone on your laptop and you might get by. Also might need to push the user agent as the iPhone.

You might be able to make some type of AdHoc network if there was a way to SSH through the USB cable to your iPhone and give you some type of IP connection but until that is out, you might be stuck.

[MOSHO92]

Nah. I really dont think it's that complicated....

Somehow the wireless network can tell the difference between a computer and an iPhone via the mobile safari browser. If we can identify what bits the network uses for that identification, we can replicate them on a computer.

If it was simple, it would just look for the iPhone user-agent. But I can fake that in firefox or safari, so it looks for at least one other trait to distinguish iPhone from PC. Anyone know what that is? Resolution maybe? There's only so much a network can tell about a browser...

[boxxa]

In order for us to figure this out, someone needs to take their iPhone into Starbucks and explain the steps to get access to their WiFi.

Connect your WiFi to theirs and look at your IP address and write this down. Then go through the steps to get access and write them down. Lastly, look back at your IP address and see if it changed.

This info will help us. I highly doubt its something pure software becuase once a iPhone authenticated, any iPhone would be able to just hop on and last I heard there was some type of process to get this working.

I am willing to bet your MAC address of your iPhone is associated with you connecting similar to how hotel wireless networks works.