ah, i see. think the pret thing is probably the difference.

I have an O2 contract which includes cellular data & wifi bolt-on. The inclusive wifi is provided by BT Openzone and The Cloud.

With an iPhone, the hotspots just recognise it (maybe the safari/iphone browser id string?) but with my N900 i get the regular login page. Then I have to select O2 as a partner login, then a new page asks for my mobile number. when i submit that i get the error message.

it's a right pain!

P.S. I believe Voda have a similar agreement with BT Openzone (but not The Cloud?) and other Voda users have reported the same prob when logging in as a Voda partner at BT Openzone hotspots. http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=51278

Thats my thread on VF.

Yep, saw that. Any progress on this issue with Vodafone? The more I think about it, it seems like it's one of two things:

You enter your phone number on the BT/Vodafone (or O2 in my case) login page and the system goes off to try and do its check that you've paid for inclusive wifi and either,

a) something's wrong with the account at the mobile provider's end so it's denying wifi access to the account defined by this phone number from the N900 (but O2 insist that everything's setup properly and data/wifi are allowed).

b) the N900 is blocking sending some required information that is causing the check to fail.

As mentioned before, it seems to be all Javascript doing the checking at the browser end - so not a Java problem. But it could be that the Javascript can't send required data to the server (problem b above) for checking. Anyone clever enough to figure out what the Javascript probe from BT is attempting to send and what the N900 might be blocking?

Rich

hm?! sorry i have a BTOpenzone here in my local starbucks (in germany) and my N900 is working fine.

Hmmm, sounds like it's just a UK issue then. And only if logging in as a mobile partner to BTOpenzone (with O2 or Vodafone) using your phone number and no password.

hm maybe something changed? i will there tomorrow anyway so i could check out the hotspot.

OK i sit in my local starbucks right now...

hmm maybe the different is that i use the "free WiFi" function at the moment, because the OpenZone function is disabled here.
but the free wifi also needs a login which requires a javascript to run, to show you how much time is left. that work.

maybe there is a different significant between these two functions... or it is because it is BT-Germany not BT-UK.

I have a UK-firmware N900 and can authenticate successfully using my BT Total Broadband credentials on a UK BT OpenZone hotspot.

Thanks for the info. Definitely sounds like this is specific to wifi access granted by mobile operators' contracts rather than a general inability to logon at BT hotspots.

a) If you have a logon thru BT (Openzone or Total Broadband) with a password, then fine.

b) If you rely on your mobile operator's contract (Voda or O2) and just login as a 'partner' with your phone number, then no dice.

Anyone managed to do a successful b) type login?

Rich