Let me tell you after spending hours yesterday with out being able to make a connection to my Router (every configuration you can imagine) I woke up this morning and changed the wireless router from Channel 11 to Channel 6 and everything work. I hope this helps someone . That's on an N800 by the way

I thought I was going nutz. I also have this problem on open public hot spots.

A lot of times, the hot spot provider wants you to click on a button to agree to a usage policy and there's this catch 22. You can't see the policy page until you get a connection, but you can't get a real ip address until you agree to the policy. I had some success by editing the advanced properties to allow for a proxy server and make it auto-config. That way, I can open a browser first and try to go to google.com. Then, the proxy redirects the browser to the policy agreement page. I cannot connect to my email pop server when I have the connection set up for a proxy server, though. I'm still fiddling with it...

Could you tell me how to do that? I have no idea where to change channels on the N800.

@XeQtoR: You can't change channel on the N800, it's at he router (access point) that the channel is set.

@revwillie: It sounds a bit strange to me.. to see the policy/login/pay-me-by-credit-card page there must be an IP address already.. if you could explain further it would be great. For those kind of hotspots the first thing to do is always to use a browser, only after that will other things (like pop, vpn etc.) work.

Using a new N800 with a Netgear router. It was all in the WEP key for me. I entered it wrong at the start and it screwed me from there. I was fooled by the fact that I looked like I had a connection BUT I did not. Removed the connection, and did it from scratch and Bingo.. it worked.

I've been using both a 770 and an N800 at home (Linksys 1st generation AP and Netgear 54g) and at work (many different Cisco AP's scattered through several buildings) and have never had a problem. All are open AP's, though the Netgear is set up with MAC filtering. I usually have Bluetooth disabled. I don't doubt that others are having problems, but I suspect it's more subtle than what everyone is suggesting.

Maybe some particular combination of things, even the software you've been most recently using on the Nokia, is causing a deeply-buried bug in the WAP drivers to surface? Just throwing that out, not that there's any evidence to support it...

Trying to make a list..

1) - Wrong WEP key, the error symptoms aren't obvious so may look like network problem
2) - MAC filtering, the network isn't truly open
3) - Bluetooth interference, needs channel change on AP
4) - Access points interference, i.e. some other network nearby, needs channel change on AP
5) - Configuration problem inside roaming network, e.g. one AP has incorrect ESSID - works occasionally but isn't stable. AP must be reconfigured
6) - Occasional problem inside the AP, this is the nature of cheap APs - need to restart AP (yank the power cable for a few seconds)
7) - Some early 802.11g routers are slightly outside spec, they work with some equipment but not with others. If it works ok in 802.11b mode this is it. Be wary of "108Mbit" APs.
8) - Since the N800 is so sensitive it may see an AP but the AP doesn't see the N800. Move closer to get a stronger signal.
9) - Some unrecognized/non-understood 770/N800 problem.

Of the above I've experienced 5 and 6, others have reported the rest with the possible exception of 7 - I think so, but I'm not certain. However, I've seen this with other (non-tablet) equipment. 9 is speculative at this point, but cannot be dismissed yet.

Did I forget anything?

Got to work this morning and tried the 800 on a Apple Airport connection. Same problems as yesterday. The link seemed up, but network problems. Removed my initial WEP key, scrubbed the setup and started again. VERY pricise entering the new WEP key and it all worked fine.

Convinced that some kind of error key should be involved in the setup of secure networks. Thats hours I have lost because I have been under the illusion of a connected network when I'm not.

Looks like the latest OS fixed this local link IP address issue (when Bluetooth radio is on) for me? (If not sure what I mean browse through some of my previous posts in this thread.)

Oké it's been months now...

I still don't see any answers to this problem. In all that time I haven't been able a single time to connect to an open wifi. (I mean non WEP password secured wifi's out of the house)

So this makes the nokia the perfect device for home. And i mean it, i truely love it at home. To me it's better than having a laptop. But out of the house it isn't worth anything for me. And that is after all the reason i bought it.

So if anyone is intrested in a N800... it's out for sale.

(PS: don't blame anyone of the user community for still having this problem. But it's a shame Nokia doesn't seem to care a bit on this issue)