Free Wifi Adventure at Starbucks

Finding wifi on the go is not always easy. I have debated, over the years, of paying for the T-mobile service or for getting a cellular modem so I could be online more regularly. But the extra money for Internet on the go just never seemed worth it. But then Starbucks announced Free wifi for registered starbucks gift card users.

So today is the day of my adventure to get free wifi at my local Starbucks.

Round 1

It turns out the brand new Starbucks does not have free wifi. It doesn’t have wifi at all. They are not expecting it for several more weeks. hmmm…..

But the store just up the road has free wifi so I’m off. It’s a good thing there is a Starbucks on every corner of the civilized world.

Round 2

So the deal, apparantly, is this. You need to buy a Starbucks card. Minimum balance, $5. So my $1.50 coffee cost me $5 today, but if this works out and I get free wifi in more places, what is $5 every 30 days or so.

The catch, though, is you have to register your card online to get the free wifi.

Round 3

Well maybe my mobile browser will work… nope.

Round 4

Wait… there is a phone number on the back of the card. I’ll just call.  Nope.

Round 5

But it turns out that all you need to do is go to starbucks.com from the attwifi wireless Access Point. You would think the lady at the counter would have known that.

The registration process isn’t very hard. Either their site or their wifi is really slow. I am hoping it is their site and as soon as this is done I will but blazing onto the web to get some stuff done before work.

Round 6

It is asking me to check my email in order to verify my account. Now for me, no problem. I have my cell phone complete with email to check it all if necessary. But how would an average user get past this point.

Nevermind… I am online, my email is downloading… I have verified my email

Speed Test

I am here by myself and the speed test came back at 1439 kbs down and 1155 kbs up. I suppose this isn’t horrible (I should check a few of my regular hotspots), but no where near the speedy downloads I get at home.

Final Thoughts

This was a fairly easy and painless process. If the lady at the counter had known the easy answer (just connect to the attwifi Access Point, go to starbucks.com, then register), it would have been easier and I wouldn’t have had to wait on hold.

One of the rumors floating around in regards to this whole process was that it was going to be Windows only. I am happy to report that it is not true. I am online with my Mac, no problem.

I wish the speed were faster, but it certainly isn’t sluggish. I wish I didn’t have to work later. I would love to see exactly how long I got and how quickly they locked me down after my two hours were up.

So if you are lucky enough to have one of the 7000 Starbucks that are currently offering free wifi, check it out. If not, be patient. At the rate Starbucks is expanding, the whole world will have access to free wifi and Frappuccinos in just a few short years.

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OH Yeah!!! Just in case you are ever wondering what to get me for my Birthday, Christmas, or just a random Tuesday in July. Starbucks gift cards definitely work. (I wonder if you can email Starbucks gift cards like you can Amazon Gift certificates?) You can never have too much coffee (and now free wifi).

Tags: starbucks, free wifi, coffee