Wireless@SG questions
 

Is there a convenient way to get a Wireless@SG password without having a Singapore mobile phone number? I know the website says you can "can visit any of the operators' customer service centres to register and collect their passwords". But is it a hassle? I assume these centres are more interested in selling their products than dealing with clueless tourists looking for free wi-fi.

Is there any reason to choose one of the three providers (iCell, QMax, SingTel) over the others?

If you want a username and password for using WiFi while on the airport, just go to any information booth. They will issue you one that;s good for six hours on the basis of your passport.

How about outside the airport?

I have a regular StarHub post paid mobile number but was told by CS at airport that SG won't give me permanent ID/PW using my passport....the only way is to ask a local to subscribe for you.

I plan to check next visit but assume CS is correct - tried to sign up long distance but got a 'call center' message.

You can't seem to register foreign phones until inside Singapore from what I experienced.

Once in the country, you can via.......

Qmax: You can sign up at the airport customer service desks.
iCELL: call iCELL Helpdesk at +65 63094525 for further assistance.
Singtel: You can sign up directly from the phone when in a hotspot for SGD10.70 a day.

Anyone have more up to date knowledge?

The speed of Wireless@SG is 512kbps, which can be quite a pain. And you've to be in "public places". And most "public places" have Macdonalds or Starbucks, which offer free wifi anyway.

If surfing on the fly is needed, go for M1 prepaid broadband. At the very least, you have 3 days of unlimited surfing at a speed up to 7mbps for a mere S$18.

Yeah, but you need a modem! Unless you can tether yr lappy to yr HP...

Update
 

Visited Singapore this weekend and decided to call Qmax to clarify. As long as you have local post card mobile, you can get a permanent user account. Somehow when I registered, the system screwed up but I now have it set up correctly.

Works well in airport, haven't tried anywhere in the city. Stayed at Four Seasons and they charged outrageous S$36 per day - next time will see if qmax available in the area!

I've been a wireless@SG user for about 2 years now and found it to be convenient (if somewhat occasionally flakey) as a frequent traveller to Singapore...

I also had problems initially registering... Gave up with Singtel and Qmax... but eventually I managed to sign up successfully online through icell with my Australian passport and a prepaid Singtel number.

(I say its flakey as sometimes it hasn't allowed me to sign in at the airport giving some error message but usually when I try again on another trip it works... never bothered to contact the helpdesk to find out why)


I'd also recommend getting a prepaid 3G broadband for those times you can't find a wireless@SG or for use in your hotel (or both!).

I haven't tried the M1 offering but StarHub now has a new flexible offering if you have a 3G modem or a 3G phone that you can dedicate to tethering (the sim card doesn't allow calls but you can sms).

Otherwise StarHub also sells a kit for $SIN99 which includes a Huawei E1550 HSDPA usb modem plus a $SIN18 sim card with starting credit.
I picked one up at the UOB Forex place in Terminal 3. They took my passport and registered the sim card for me and it was ready to go!
It seems a very good price especially considering the included sim card and credit and the also fact that the modem isn't locked so you can use it elsewhere! (It is cheaper to purchase a usb modem in the Philippines but those modems are locked which you have to pay to get unlocked)
The software is loaded from an virtual disk image on the modem itself.. It worked pretty much out of the box on my Macbook and also in Windows.

I was able to get an account via SMS when I was in Singapore last year. I found these instructions online, and was able to get a login/password. I don't know if this still works. It did take them a while (a day or two) before I received the login/password.


Signup using Mobile Phone
Another way is probably easier. Just manually select the network you are roaming on to SingTel Mobile (See How to roam in Singapore). Next key *186 and dial. You should expect to receive a FREE SMS displaying your FREE WiFi account. The account should show your mobile number as the User ID and an automatically generated password.

Next, select the wireless network with the SSID defined as Wireless@SG, and launch your browser. Select SingTel as your service provider, key in your FREE account and you are ready to go!

This is a extension of the already publicly known Wireless@SG initiative to offer free WiFi to travelers roaming and/or transiting to/via Singapore. One of the Wireless@SG providers, QMax, has now partnered Starhub Mobile and this of course has made the process of obtaining a free wifi account easier.

Earlier I mentioned dialing *186 while roaming on SingTel Mobile. This is now also available in a similar offering from Starhub Mobile.

By dialing *9434 (*WIFI) while roaming with Starhub Mobile in Singapore, you get your account over SMS free.

Both accounts define your mobile number as the User ID, with an automatically generated password, to log on to Wireless@SG hotspots for free. Just make sure you dial the right request code based on the Singapore mobile network you are roaming with: *186 for SingTel Mobile, *9434 for Starhub Mobile. Do make sure that you are connected to the right WiFi network "Wireless@SG" before launching your web browser. Now, just key your User ID and password and get surfing right away.