Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... in Wireless Networking http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20750468 en Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:35:11 EDT Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:35:11 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20928443 dfrandin : Original Poster here... At least in Las Vegas, the long delay seems to have abated, but now I get ssl certificate errors when connecting, as it seems they've switched to over to an "sbc.wayport.com" url for login... ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20928443 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:43:41 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20880187 PeteC2 : Well, good news! They are closing some 600 Starbucks!

Betcha' that will lower the instances of balky log-ons! ;)...(at least at some 600 locations...)
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...something is happening here but you don't know what it is...do you, Mr. Jones?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20880187 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:00:10 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20878765 anon : I, too, get the same problem at least once a day in Oklahoma. I've tried at several different starbucks in the area, and came to the conclusion I just had to put up with a delay in getting to the login page. This delay has been the norm 95% of the time for the past few months.

Lately, however, I'm not getting the login page at all. I'll be working on other things waiting for it to connect, and 2 hours may go by. Never gets there.

I run Dell 1420n/Ubuntu, and have no problems connecting anywhere else. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20878765 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:24:41 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20810417 anon : Just fyi I've had exactly this same problem repeatedly when logging on at my home Starbuck's location in Davenport, Iowa. I'd guessed that it was part of the deal: you can't sit in your car and connect on the run but have to come in, etc. (since part of what Starbuck's is trying to do is to re-create the old feel of a neighborhood coffee house). BUT if some are getting instant connections at other locations, there must be a problem. It's not my wifi, as I'm connecting at a dozen other locations without issue. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20810417 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:30:35 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20790338 NetFixer :
said by dfrandin See Profile :

I asked if there were any tmobile/ATT wifi techs here, as I understand too clearly that the barista at Starbucks is going to give me a blank stare if I tell them theres a problem with the wifi.. So unless you have a constructive tip provided in a non-condescending manner, your replies will be sent to /dev/null...
And I replied that I was an AT&T and T-Mobile contract tech, and I even made special (unpaid) trips to several Starbucks in this area to see if I could reproduce the problem (which I was not able to do). I advised that the proper thing to do if you wished to get the problem resolved was to contact AT&T and/or T-Mobile support when and where you were having the problem. I know that most of the support techs from either company would be glad to work with you and try to trace the source of the problem, and even if you did not wish to take the time to help with the troubleshooting, simply reporting the problem might start the process to get the problem resolved. I have on numerous occasions been dispatched on-site to do testing and troubleshooting for less annoying symptoms then you are having.

Your reply was:
said by dfrandin See Profile :

It does not happen 100% of the time, such that I *have* seen a couple of cases where the login screen appears in a nearly normal timeframe.. The problem is def not critical, just an annoyance.. Since both Ubuntu and XP work just fine once I get logged in, I'm gonna assume its something odd with my Broadcomm wifi card in this system OR there's something fishy in the handoff between tmobile and ATT here in Las Vegas, and let it drop...
I guess that is pretty much the equivalent of /dev/null... :hmm:
--
We can never have enough of nature.
We need to witness our own limits transgressed, and some life pasturing freely where we never wander.
Test your firewall.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20790338 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:32:01 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20790031 No_Strings : We do have some AT&T forums. I'm not sure which would be most helpful given the T-mobile fly in the ointment.
»AT&T

Feel free to stroll around in those and, if you think your thread is better suited to one of those forums, ping me and I'll move it there.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20790031 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:32:41 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20789998 dfrandin : The trouble with asking any "anybody else seeing this problem?" -type questions here on BBR, is that you get these supposedly very technically knowledgable people, who feel the need to talk down to everyone else.. The previous poster, felt the need to "coach" me.. Being that I'm the OP, I can tell you I do NOT need any coaching.. I come here and ask if anyone else has seen a problem that I see..one person replies that they are not seeing it in their area, I have a coworker who also saw the problem several times, and now a poster in another area, says he's seen the problem.. Therefore.. There MUST be a problem *somewhere* perhaps in my system, but more likely in the tmobile/ATT backend. Therefore the previous poster deduces I need "coaching".. I think that poster needs to move out of mom's basement and learn to talk correctly to polite people, and not be so condescending... I asked if there were any tmobile/ATT wifi techs here, as I understand too clearly that the barista at Starbucks is going to give me a blank stare if I tell them theres a problem with the wifi.. So unless you have a constructive tip provided in a non-condescending manner, your replies will be sent to /dev/null...

Now on to tbone in OK.. I've seen the problem both on Windows and Ubuntu, and is seen at all Starbucks in Las Vegas, NV that I have attempted to use the wifi at, and at least one Starbucks in Denver CO. The delay varies up to 5 min, then you get the ATT login box. The hang seems to be on the connection to secure.sbc.com from tmobile. Next time I get a chance to use the ATT/Starbucks system, I'll try to get a wireshark capture of the login sequence, though if its more subtle than something a CCNA can spot, I'm gonna draw a blank... Unless ATT intends on piggybacking on the tmobile backhaul forever, I'd bet *whatever* this is, will go away when when this stops..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20789998 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:25:34 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20785823 anon : I've had the same problem in Oklahoma, using Asus eeePC with Linux. Of about 10 attempts to log on, only twice have I reached the userid/password page. All other times it hung "connecting to secure.sbc.com". I ran out of patience after a measured 2 min and aborted.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20785823 Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:09:09 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20780259 cacroll :
said by dfrandin See Profile :

yes... We BOTH have seen this delay.. and to avoid being excesively wordy in my previous post, I didnt mention that my coworker was in Denver for several days, and used the ATT/Starbucks access points several times during those days, and saw the problem each time.. She brought it up to me.. I'm now starting to regret asking about this here in BBR.. There is a problem *somewhere* in the system, and I think I'm gonna just live with it..


Well, we can maybe coach you through identifying the scope of the problem. This isn't the "ATT/Starbucks Networking" forum, so nobody here can actually run into work and fix it.

You, as the offended party, have to go to Starbucks, and tell them that there's a problem. Since it's unlikely that you will actually speak to a network engineer (no Network Engineering Baristas that I know of), you'll have to convince the manager there that the problem is severe enough that they need to contact Corporate HQ and ask for support.

I'm giving you this answer, as the others gave their answers, given the possibility that you are actually interested in solving the problem (your problem). If you just wrote your report so you could kvetch, and are offended that people here should actually provide advice, please I trust you to forgive our presumptiveness.
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Cheers,
Chuck
MS-MVP 2005-2008 [Windows - Desktop Experience]
Nitecruzr Dot Net]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20780259 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:19:05 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20780140 dfrandin : yes... We BOTH have seen this delay.. and to avoid being excesively wordy in my previous post, I didnt mention that my coworker was in Denver for several days, and used the ATT/Starbucks access points several times during those days, and saw the problem each time.. She brought it up to me.. I'm now starting to regret asking about this here in BBR.. There is a problem *somewhere* in the system, and I think I'm gonna just live with it.. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20780140 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:49:29 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20775089 cacroll :
said by dfrandin See Profile :

OP here... Another data point.. A coworker was in Denver last week and saw the same delay as I see in Las Vegas.. It appears to be a major delay in the handoff between tmobile (whose backhaul is still being used) and the ATT authentication server (secure.sbc.com).. Anybody with tmobile or attwifi that has any knowledge about this??
Def not my machine....


OK, you have TN (above) where no problem is observed. You have NV where, as you state, "It does not happen 100% of the time". And you have CO where the problem was seen (once?).

Is there anything common between your coworker and you?
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Cheers,
Chuck
MS-MVP 2005-2008 [Windows - Desktop Experience]
Nitecruzr Dot Net]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20775089 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:54:51 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20774525 dfrandin : OP here... Another data point.. A coworker was in Denver last week and saw the same delay as I see in Las Vegas.. It appears to be a major delay in the handoff between tmobile (whose backhaul is still being used) and the ATT authentication server (secure.sbc.com).. Anybody with tmobile or attwifi that has any knowledge about this??
Def not my machine....

Dave]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20774525 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:31:04 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20757647 dfrandin : Hi! Since I posted the original question, I've gotten a few more data points.. The laptop in question is a dualboot/XP/Ubuntu, and I see the delay also in Ubuntu, so if its my machine, its gotta be a wifi/nic h/w problem, so it would seem. As for checking with other users, I'm usually at Starbucks right after opening at 5-5:30am, and I've yet to see anyone else using the system to ask.. It does not happen 100% of the time, such that I *have* seen a couple of cases where the login screen appears in a nearly normal timeframe.. The problem is def not critical, just an annoyance.. Since both Ubuntu and XP work just fine once I get logged in, I'm gonna assume its something odd with my Broadcomm wifi card in this system OR there's something fishy in the handoff between tmobile and ATT here in Las Vegas, and let it drop...

Thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20757647 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:38:03 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20753814 cacroll :
said by dfrandin See Profile :

I can't imagine that something in my wifi setup is causing this, so I thought I'd run it by the experts...


said by dfrandin See Profile :

Well Mr LLigetfa.. You just had to come back with a snarky post, didn't you... I guess I should remember I *am* posting on the internet where people like you who have no answers, ie: what might be *causing* my machine to delay like this, just have to make snide comments to questions.. It only takes one bad apple to ruin a forum thread.. I'm outta here..


Many threads here have at least 1 snarky post. Stick around, you'll probably see a couple more here, before this one goes to sleep.

Bottom line - if you are having problems logging on, look around. Is anybody else having problems logging on? If not, you might want to use your imagination, and look for something in your wifi setup.
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Cheers,
Chuck
MS-MVP 2005-2008 [Windows - Desktop Experience]
Nitecruzr Dot Net]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20753814 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:25:57 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20753696 NetFixer : I had not had a chance to test your theory until today. I had made numerous AT&T connections since the transition started, and I had not noticed any of the delays you reported, but it had been over a week since my last visit, and I thought that perhaps the recent T-Mobile disagreement with Starbucks and AT&T for offering "free" access might have had repercussions.

This morning I made test connections at several Starbucks stores with no problems or any discernible delays. I got associated with the AP almost as soon as my WiFi card initialized. The log in page appeared in under two seconds, and the actual authentication process took less than a second at each location I tested. All the locations here are still using T-Mobile infrastructure.

Either you have a network/WiFi problem, or there is a very peculiar problem specific to NV. If you are really troubled about this, I suggest that on your next visit to Starbucks, inform the local manager of the problem and/or call T-Mobile and/or AT&T support. I am not a T-Mobile or AT&T statutory employee, but I do contract network support for both companies, and my experience is that they actually want their customers to be able to use their respective networks without problems (otherwise they would not pay me for "boots on the ground" field support).
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History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Test your firewall.
Smell the flowers.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20753696 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:08:51 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20753375 PeteC2 :
said by LLigetfa See Profile :

If my hotspot had a 5 minute delay, ALL my users would complain to me and to my coworkers. That sort of thing would not go unnoticed either by users or the staff.
Egg-zactly so! I did not read anything overly sarcastic in your initial response, nor in that...just a statement of facts. If there was a systemic problem, causing such a delay, damn near every single patron using their wifi would be all over them about it...so if that is not the case, then it is unlikely to be an issue with their ISP/Network...
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...something is happening here but you don't know what it is...do you, Mr. Jones?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20753375 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:04:46 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20750503 LLigetfa : Obviously the OP just wanted to perpetuate his conspiracy theory and slander T-Mobile. As he said, "I can't imagine that something in my wifi setup is causing this...".

If I was having a problem at Starbucks, I'd ask around at the time, not post some conspiracy theory on the internet.
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Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and formal education positively fortifies it. -- Stephen Vizinczey]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20750503 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:31:55 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20750468 stevech0 :
said by LLigetfa See Profile :

Well... I did have an answer, just not what you want to hear. If you can smell shit everywhere you go, it's time to look at your shoes cuz you probably stepped in some dog shit.

If my hotspot had a 5 minute delay, ALL my users would complain to me and to my coworkers. That sort of thing would not go unnoticed either by users or the staff.

99% of the complaints I do get are customer hardware/software problems and the customer ALWAYS thinks the problem could not possibly be on their end. I don't run a coffee shop but rather a full service IT department with thousands of dollars of diagnostic equipment.
and if the above opening sentences are representative, your non-IT-pro users must just love to call for help.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20750468 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:20:44 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20748277 LLigetfa : Well... I did have an answer, just not what you want to hear. If you can smell shit everywhere you go, it's time to look at your shoes cuz you probably stepped in some dog shit.

If my hotspot had a 5 minute delay, ALL my users would complain to me and to my coworkers. That sort of thing would not go unnoticed either by users or the staff.

99% of the complaints I do get are customer hardware/software problems and the customer ALWAYS thinks the problem could not possibly be on their end. I don't run a coffee shop but rather a full service IT department with thousands of dollars of diagnostic equipment.
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Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and formal education positively fortifies it. -- Stephen Vizinczey]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20748277 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:46:30 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20748196 dfrandin : Well Mr LLigetfa.. You just had to come back with a snarky post, didn't you... I guess I should remember I *am* posting on the internet where people like you who have no answers, ie: what might be *causing* my machine to delay like this, just have to make snide comments to questions.. It only takes one bad apple to ruin a forum thread.. I'm outta here..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20748196 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:10:07 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744906 LLigetfa : OK, next time you're in Starbucks, ask some of the other patrons if they too are having the issue. My guess is it will put the blame squarely on your PC.
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Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and formal education positively fortifies it. -- Stephen Vizinczey]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744906 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:44:29 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744729 dfrandin : Interesting.. I've now seen it on 5 diff Starbucks in the Las Vegas area... All do it.. I can put the laptop down, bring up Firefox, click on home, see the "connecting to secure.sbc.com", walk over to the counter, order my drink, go stand at the delivery window and.. if I'm lucky, when I get back to the laptop, it's up to the login screen.. A couple of times, I've timed it with a watch.. varies between 4-5 min... I guess its just an annoyance..

Dave]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744729 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:39:50 EDT Re: ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20741268 shutrbug : I don't have any such trouble at the San Jose Starbucks stores. It seems to connect fairly quickly... certainly not five minutes to get the login screen.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20741268 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:47:33 EDT ATT/Starbucks Wifi... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20738309 anon : Has anyone else experienced the nearly 5 min delay from connection to an attwifi accesspoint at a Starbucks until you get the ATT login screen? I've been using these for the
free 2hr/day at several local Starbucks, rather than driving to one of the few truely free wifi coffeeshops here in Las Vegas. On the connection bar of Firefox I see a momentary connection to the tmobile backhaul then for nearly 5 min, I see "connecting to secure.sbc.com" and a blank white page... Finally the ATT login page appears and the connection works fine from that point... I understand that ATT is sort of piggybacking on tmobiles backhaul, so I wonder if they are fooling around with the connection to piss off ATT customers... I've seen this at several diff Starbucks.. I can't imagine that something in my wifi setup is causing this, so I thought I'd run it by the experts...

LVDave]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20738309 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:50:09 EDT