Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

A nice step forward for the Wifi ecosystem!

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

:confused:

i'm still confused about what this software promises.

does it store my (i.e. already-paid-for) passwords and user ID remotely? Or, does it provide me with passwords and IDs for (selected) fee-based networks? Both?

:confused:

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Unfortunately all this offers is a means to avoid entering a username and a password - you register your T-Mobile/BT Openzone/Cloud/whatever username/password with Devicescape and whenever you connect to one of those networks (which are just 3 from 300 according to Devicescape) the software automatically presents the appropriate credentials. That's nice, but not a great step forward for pervasive WiFi access - it's just a minor convenience but not really a substantial value add. You still need to have accounts with the network vendors (T-Mobile/BT/The Cloud etc.) and if there is a cost for access that's between you and the network vendor nothing to do with Devicescape.

The WiFi hotspot market is so fragmented that if I want to have access to WiFi everywhere in the UK (and by this I mean most large connurbations) the reality is that I need to have monthly contracts (or pay as I go) with at least 3 different network providers (T-Mobile, BT Openzone and The Cloud). Sod that for a laugh!

Where Devicescape could clean up is by offering a service where I sign up with Devicescape and gain access to ALL public WiFi networks EVERYWHERE. Each month I pay Devicescape for the networks and bandwidth I have used (plus a small amount to Devicescape for providing the service) and Devicescape handle appoprtioned payments to the individual networks.

Until someone offers such a single service (maybe someone does already? It seems incredibly obvious though a substantial challenge due to the vested network interests) for all the disparate WiFi networks I'll stick with my 3G cellular network - 3.6Mbit/s £10/month and it works worldwide (although when I'm roaming my cellular speed may be much reduced and the cost much higher, which is where a global roaming WiFi account would really pay off!)

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Well, I did say nice, not great. :p

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

thx. it sounded too good to be true....

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

I've just found this forum post on the Devicescape site suggesting precisely what I have outlined above - the response from Devicescape is positive (as it should be - it's a blinding idea! :)) but unfortunately the response is not indicative of any future direction. Perhaps they are keeping their cards close to their chest until deals are in place... :)

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

isn't this old news? i think thoughtfix covered that before.

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

This is nothing new, sorry to be a party pooper...but well spotted though :)

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Yeah it's old news, but back then I thought it was a beta and assumed that this was now an official release announcement, however the Devicescape site still has beta plastered all over it... :confused:

Anyway, I think it's mostly a solution looking for a problem - if it brought seamless roaming across all hotspot networks then Devicescape would be onto something huge. Halfway there! :)

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

The problem is, any device identified by mac address can be duplicated
as wifi routers allow entering any mac address.
Identification by mac address + OS + ..
only complicates the identification problem, as any upgrade, reflashing your system voids your authorization.

Any third party, middle-man involved gets access to identification data coming from millions of users of GSM phones.
Any such database should be run full-year without any interruption, service hours.

Darius

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

I think bt openzone subscription includes roaming and use of tmobile and cloud. There is a free vchr from bt openzone to try, i found link from nokia website, n800 broadband promo.


Rich

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

That's good to know, and a sensible policy from BT however those three were just the first hotspot networks I could think of off the top of my head (being the most common) - ideally you want a situation where it's possible to connect to _any_ hotspot network irrespective of network provider and irrespective of any inter-network roaming agreements that might also be in place, because you're always going to be stuck connecting to a hotspot without any roaming agreement that you have signed up to!

Hotspots need to be seemless in order to be truly accessible - if the network providers can't accomplish this between themselves, then maybe a third party is needed to broker the necessary deals.

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Has anyone actually tried this? I'm curious about how it works. I thought I understood from reading the original press release but this thread has me confused.

The press release today says things like it allows "users to connect swiftly and invisibly to Wi-Fi networks whenever they're in range" and "it allows seamless, automatic Wi-Fi connections on the fly and in the background."

Those quotes make it sound like I can walk into a Starbucks with my N800 already turned on and it will "invisibly" connect to the T-mobile network, assuming that I already have a T-mobile account. To do that the Devicescape software must be a stand-alone, local client that finds the proper login form and submits the appropriate data, then keeps a browser window open.

But the message at the top of this thread says "your device will send a brief message to one of our web servers. The message identifies the device and the hotspot it's trying to access. Our server will answer back with instructions on how to login, and the username and password for that hotspot if needed. Your device will then use the information from the server..."

That sounds like nonsense. How could your device reach the Devicescape web server to access credentials before it's logged in to Starbucks or whatever hotspot?

Also, I'm not sure all this "convenience" is such a good thing while most of these hotspots charge by the minute. I'd rather take the extra few seconds to log on/off as needed.

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Hmmm.

Legalities aside - I wonder if there's a way to get the N800 to connect to ANY open non-Ad-hoc wifi hotspots available automagically (assuming it's not connected already.)

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

There is technology such as AOSS around which allows a device to authenticate with a secure WiFi router when a button is pressed on the router, but I don't know if this technology can work continuously (ie. without intervention at the router). Even if it could be made to work continuously, would that be a good thing? I can imagine many man-in-the-middle attacks would use this technology in order to steal information from devices which auto-authenticate without the owner being aware of what is happening.

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

I'm in the center of London and I'm surrounded by public fee based hotspots, and I enabled WiFi on my N800 the other day, performed a scan and connected to one of the available hotspots (I can't remember which one it was, The Cloud I think). While connected my RSS home page applet kicked in and actually pulled down an update, however when I opened the browser I was presented with a login page for the hotspot (I don't have an account). I've no idea how the RSS managed to get an update, so I'll try it again this lunchtime just to confirm when I'm out and about (where I work they actually jam the 2.4GHz signal inside the building - bastids!). Maybe UDP is allowed through the hotspot without authentication, but TCP is blocked. But then I'd expect the RSS app to be using TCP and HTTP.

Even if I imagined the RSS app updating, it's possible that hotspots have an agreed standard to allow certain unauthenticated requests through precisely for the kind of purpose being touted by Devicescape, or perhaps devices have a small request quota (eg. 5KB) which is allowed through when they first attach prior to authentication being enforced.

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

I must have imagined the RSS refreshing as I just connected to a Starbucks T-Mobile hotspot and I'm unable to get any packets out - the RSS app goes through the motions of refreshing but doesn't update any feeds or the last update time. The Cloud hotspot which is listed by my N800 only gives me a link-local connection :(

I'd consider running Kismet as there's a handful of WEP networks in the vicinity (purely out of curiosity only, I'd have no interest physically connecting to them for legal reasons...!) but of course Kismet doesn't work too well on the N800 (Nokia: please sort out the WiFi/kismet problems in the next release!)

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Yeah, I've noticed the RSS app doing that when I connect to networks that won't let me use it (for one reason or another). Even when the DHCP sequence fails (where you get the dreaded 'local IP').

Re: Auto-connect to WiFi via Devicescape
 

Interestingly, McDonald's is apparently going to roll out *free* wifi across the UK. Hopefully this'll shake up (no pun intended ;-)) the market here as - like Mil - I refuse to pay $12 an hour or more.