Verizon 3G Customers Get Free Wi-Fi — But There’s a Catch
It looks like Verizon is following T-Mobile and AT&T into the deep end of the hotspot pool. In July of this year, the carrier began to offer free Wi-Fi access on the Boingo network to Verizon home broadband customers. Today, that privilege is granted to its mobile broadband consumers as well. This means that if you have a qualifying Verizon DSL, FiOS or 3G plan, you’ve got a warm hotspot waiting for you at over 100,000 locations. And now for the catch.
The free access is only supported on Windows computers, just like it was back in July. Although I often travel with a netbook running Windows, I also take my MacBook computer with me on the road. But I’ll have to keep paying Boingo the $9.95 monthly fee to use Wi-Fi on my Mac, even though I’m both a Verizon FiOS and 3G customer. The funny bit about all of this — Verizon says that 3G customers must use the VZ Access Manager software to hop on the free Wi-Fi train.
That software is already supported on the Mac, although you don’t need it to connect to the EVDO network. And you can already use it to manage either your 3G or your Wi-Fi connection. You’d think that the already existing Verizon software for Mac would provide an on-ramp to the web over Wi-Fi, no?
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Yes, but you might also think your Droid could both navigate your vehicle and answer phone calls.
If I had 3G, I wouldn’t need the Wi-Fi access. It’d be nice, but I wouldn’t need it. On the other hand, as a more basic Verizon wireless subscriber, the free Boingo access would be lovely. Quite useful, in fact.
KT,
The company that writes the software for Verizon’s Access Manager is Smith Micro. They are more or less always trailing in what they make for the mobile operators, preferring to see things shake out.
My guess is that Verizon HotSpot access program will be Mac ready sooner than we all think.
Yup, but what I don’t understand is: what needs to be different in the client app to support a connection to the Wi-Fi network? I can’t think of anything major on a technical level — the software already supports signing in and connecting to a wireless network. ;)
I’ll bet it’s more of a support thing. VZ probably doesn’t have many Mac support folks. That’s my guess, anyway, as there is no other reason this wouldn’t work today.
As I recall, the Verizon MiFi couldn’t be activated using the Access Manager on a Mac, even though the program is as full-featured as the PC version. Sounds like a similar situation.
When I picked up my MiFi, the Verizon folks activated using my Mac (I didn’t have Parallels yet). It went fine, so I guess this is fixed. Now I’m wondering if I can use the client app in Parallels running Windows 7 to connect to the hotspot — I’ll have to give it a try…..
I just turned off Airport,activated my MiFi with my Mac, and being surfing the web using MiFi. It has apparently been fixed to activate on a Mac.
That’s good news, it was a pain back when I bought my MiFi. The recent MiFi firmware upgrade required a Windows PC to apply. It would not even notify of the existence of the firmware update on the Mac, as per Verizon. Maybe that’s fixed in the new s/w version, too.
Catch? The only “Catch” I see is that MAC’s are currently not supported for Access Manager 7.2 This is a great deal for me as I am a Dell PC user. Now I can conserve my 5GB allowance for when I really need to connect to VZW’s mobile broadband service. I’m in and out of Starbucks all day..so now I can use their WiFi network for Free with using my 5GB Allowance! Not to mention Marriott Hotel properties for when I travel. Thanks VZW!!
JKontherun..what am I missing???
Or you know… you could just install windows through a virtual machine or Bootcamp.