Jul 28, 2014, 1:38 pm
Last edit by: aacharya
Reports starting to appear --- EWR, IAH, SFO, ORD, PHL, JFK, DEN, SEA, LAX, HNL, IAD
Four options
Has a "Remember Me" function for UC members
Note: If you are unable to access the captive portal page, manually enter http://1.1.1.1/ in your browser.
Note on Star Gold login: If multiple people are traveling under the same MP number (i.e. award tickets) only one last name will work with the authentication system.
Four options
- UC Members - MP number and password/PIN
- Star Gold - Confirmation number and surname, or MP number and surname
- Business/First Class - Confirmation number and surname
- Guest/One-time-pass/etc - A fixed "password of the day" which is on display inside the club
Has a "Remember Me" function for UC members
Note: If you are unable to access the captive portal page, manually enter http://1.1.1.1/ in your browser.
Note on Star Gold login: If multiple people are traveling under the same MP number (i.e. award tickets) only one last name will work with the authentication system.
New WIFI Authentication/Sign on at United Clubs (MP#, PNR, or Password-of-the-Day)
Sep 17, 2014, 9:21 am
#76
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IAH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist, DL Plat, UA Silver
Posts: 4,043
3 laptops, 1 smartphone wifi.
Sep 17, 2014, 11:24 am
#77
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,326
Sep 18, 2014, 6:50 pm
#79
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,326
At the UC in Terminal C at EWR (near the 100 series gates) today, waiting to board my flight to Mumbai.
Had problems logging in with MacBook Pro, & iPad using Safari. Problem solved when switched to Firefox.
Somehow, Safari worked on my iPhone 5S and I was able to access the login screen! Go figure
Had problems logging in with MacBook Pro, & iPad using Safari. Problem solved when switched to Firefox.
Somehow, Safari worked on my iPhone 5S and I was able to access the login screen! Go figure
Sep 18, 2014, 9:55 pm
#80
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K 1MM
Posts: 455
Somewhere I was in the past week or two (SFO main pier maybe?) had a sign up suggesting going to www.bing.com first. I guess Bing don't use HSTS (the protocol that causes sites like Google to use HTTPS even if you type in HTTP, thus breaking the redirection to the login page)
Sep 18, 2014, 11:00 pm
#81
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,969
I have noticed this as well, at IAH. When the club was busy, WiFi used to be so slow that it was close to unusable at times. Now, it's very speedy even if there are a lot of people in the club. There used to be lurkers just outside the club sitting on the terminal floor with laptops, presumably using the free signal, and those people are mostly gone now. But I suspect the main speed improvement relates to things inside the club.
It may be that they've had other infrastructure improvements installed at the same time as the authentication. Perhaps they have QoS in the router which will automatically detect people doing large downloads and de-prioritize them. Perhaps the upstream connection is faster. Perhaps the requirement to log in has dramatically cut down the number of devices that people are carrying that passively would connect and start downloading updates even though the user wasn't using them at the time. Who knows. Whatever it is, the 30 seconds it now takes to log in is well worth the result.
It may be that they've had other infrastructure improvements installed at the same time as the authentication. Perhaps they have QoS in the router which will automatically detect people doing large downloads and de-prioritize them. Perhaps the upstream connection is faster. Perhaps the requirement to log in has dramatically cut down the number of devices that people are carrying that passively would connect and start downloading updates even though the user wasn't using them at the time. Who knows. Whatever it is, the 30 seconds it now takes to log in is well worth the result.
Sep 21, 2014, 11:43 am
#82
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: PDX/HIO
Programs: AS MVPG; Hertz Pres; Tanquery Million Minier
Posts: 375
Which login option are people using that prompts you for an account password? Using the wifi in EWR, NRT, and SFO over the last couple weeks I was always entering MP# and last name. None of them asked for my MP password.
Sep 21, 2014, 11:54 am
#83
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC or SEA depending on the week
Programs: UA 1k, Hyatt Diamond (no I will not use the new name), Marriott/ SPG lt Plat, JPM Reserve, Amex Plat
Posts: 303
In DEN, SEA, ORD and I think IAD it asked for MP # and password. Maybe they are using a slightly different authentication method between airports? Or changed it since I actually used the wifi in a UC last (about 2 weeks ago).
Sep 21, 2014, 7:51 pm
#84
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,768
For others it is PNR and surname. See wiki for details.
Sep 21, 2014, 8:30 pm
#85
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,649
I have noticed this as well, at IAH. When the club was busy, WiFi used to be so slow that it was close to unusable at times. Now, it's very speedy even if there are a lot of people in the club. There used to be lurkers just outside the club sitting on the terminal floor with laptops, presumably using the free signal, and those people are mostly gone now. But I suspect the main speed improvement relates to things inside the club.
It may be that they've had other infrastructure improvements installed at the same time as the authentication. Perhaps they have QoS in the router which will automatically detect people doing large downloads and de-prioritize them. Perhaps the upstream connection is faster. Perhaps the requirement to log in has dramatically cut down the number of devices that people are carrying that passively would connect and start downloading updates even though the user wasn't using them at the time. Who knows. Whatever it is, the 30 seconds it now takes to log in is well worth the result.
It may be that they've had other infrastructure improvements installed at the same time as the authentication. Perhaps they have QoS in the router which will automatically detect people doing large downloads and de-prioritize them. Perhaps the upstream connection is faster. Perhaps the requirement to log in has dramatically cut down the number of devices that people are carrying that passively would connect and start downloading updates even though the user wasn't using them at the time. Who knows. Whatever it is, the 30 seconds it now takes to log in is well worth the result.
A *single* slow client (slow meaning that it has a very crappy connection to the access point and therefore transmits at a very low data rate, taking up a lot of time on the wifi channel) will degrade everyone's throughput to something less than that of the slow client. Multiple slow clients make it even worse. Strangely, the way to improve this is to give everyone a fast connection to some access point close to them, in this case, if they had put APs outside of the United Club, connections inside the United Club would probably stop sucking so much. Or, airports should just do their part in providing free wifi in the terminals. Nobody is going to use a connection with a crappy signal if a free connection with a good signal exists at the same location.
It should be noted that the same phenomenon exists with modern technologies (11n/11ac) and even more so, because the range of data rates that the new technologies work at is much greater than the 11:1 ratio of the old 11b technology.
Sep 21, 2014, 8:31 pm
#86
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: PDX/HIO
Programs: AS MVPG; Hertz Pres; Tanquery Million Minier
Posts: 375
That must be it. I was using the *G login, however it was absolutely working with MP# and last name. Never once had to look up my PNR.
Sep 22, 2014, 6:57 am
#87
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,880
Wasn't doing any heavy browsing, but seemed pretty quick to me. Last time I was in the club by the 100s at EWR, I was using my phone and has to switch back to cell data since wifi was hardly working at all.
Sep 22, 2014, 9:54 am
#89
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott-Gold
Posts: 621
Silly move of UA. Many airports offer free wifi already, and within a year or two pretty much all airports will.
I have been in UC's and choose to use the airport wifi because I didnt want to hassle with the password or signin procedures.
I have been in UC's and choose to use the airport wifi because I didnt want to hassle with the password or signin procedures.
Sep 22, 2014, 12:39 pm
#90
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,880
At YYZ, I usually use the free airport-wide wifi since it works pretty well and is strong in the transborder lounge. Iffy for the club wifi there. But if it works, I don't mind signing in - the several seconds it takes to sign in really isn't a big deal.
