Internet Roaming - Ipass - Reliability Issues - Alternatives?
 

I have been travelling with my laptop for many years, and have used Ipass for international roaming since 2001 (I had an AOL account before that). I generally find that Ipass meets most of my needs in most places - I can access most wifi networks with it, and I can use it for dial-up in places that don't have wifi.

However... in recent months I have suffered reliability issues with Ipass, when all of a sudden the system will refuse to accept my log-in. I don't know if this is an issue with my supplier (a local ISP), or with Ipass generally. Because of these reliability issues I am now looking for alternatives - either a different Ipass reseller (if the issue is with my ISP), or a different supplier altogether.

I am wondering if anyone can offer any advice? What I would be particularly interested in are the following:

1) Has anyone else suffered reliability issues with Ipass?

2) Are there any alternatives to Ipass? (I need something that offers both dial-up and wifi)

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

I tried www.boingo.com Global with varying (excellent to frustrating) results. They advertise 100k locations.

MisterNice

Thanks - had a look, but it seems they only do wifi and not dial-up. I do need dial-up (at least for now) for when I stay at hotels without broadband, or with "non-connected" friends/relatives. The beauty of Ipass is that it does both.

For iPass roaming, I use i2roam. I paid a one time lifetime fee of something like $50 and just get billed on an as-you-go basis. I don't think i've experienced any problems. I also use Boing pay-as-you-go and T-Mobile USA Hotspot roaming. I don't find that I use roaming all that much these days outside of airports. Where do you actually use dial-up? I can only remember a handful of hotels in the past three or four years that haven't had high speed internet in the rooms and thos have all been resorts.

I have twice in the last year stayed at hotels which had high speed Internet in theory but not in practice (i.e., it didn't work, or it only worked intermittently). For occasions like that it's certainly useful to have dial-up as backup.

Also, I have family in other countries - some without Internet access at all (they are of an older generation), some with a secure system that won't allow others to plug in... so it's dial-up or nothing when I stay with them.

Thanks for confirming that you haven't had any problems with Ipass - I actually suspect it's my ISP rather than Ipass, so the solution may be to find another Ipass reseller.

If you are used to dial up, have you considered getting a EDGE/GPRS data card
with international roaming?

I have used GPRS at different times in the past (through UK providers such as Orange, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone). Found it didn't always work everywhere, and came to the conclusion that dial-up is a more reliable backup solution as you can always find a landline and they are generally pretty reliable (at least in the countries that I visit)

I had a similar authentication problem recently in Australia.
But I just kept re-connecting and eventually I got through.
That's the only issue I've ever had in 5+ years using I2Roam like Dudster.

I have not had Ipass reliability issues, but have got very hacked off with my supplier (Iberpass) which used to be great but then started pulling all sorts of stunts, expiring pre-payments and the like.

I noted the earlier post re I2Roam, who I had just sumbled accross from a Google search ! They look just the ticket, with no advance payment, no monthly fees and just a monthly billing for time actually used. They replied to my email query in 5 mins and even offered me a i2roam.co.uk email address as I am UK based. But are they actually the cheapest ?

What I am wondering is whether anyone has compiled a comparison of what all the different Ipass retailers charge as charges plainly vary from one to another.

I've had iPass for several years - as backup/emergency use. Signed on via NetTelCos reseller, customer service from them so-so (I'm mac user and dialer isn't as complete as pc users).

I too only use normally in dial-up mode when nothing else available. Seldom use it, pay monthly $2.40 fee.

Last dial-up from Stratton VT and while slow, solid connection.

Last wifi connection in Feb from StarBuck's in Taipei Taiwan, again solid connection and of course fast.

Every so often get failed connection, forcing me to try 1-2 more times at most.

I have used IPass through Tempest Telecom for several years with no problems. It is pay as you go.

mostly good experiences with iPass
 

I use iPass regularly and get it through green.ch. Mostly good experiences, I only know one hotel which is listed for wired/wireless connections, but is actually not allowing iPass roaming. Overall the information proves reliable.

Rates are quite expensive, but mostly cheaper than the hotel own broadband access if you just need to check your e-mails quickly ...

I have been using iPass in Canada here for just over a year. Not all airports here are covered by iPass. Those that are, I say I struggle about 1/3rd of the time in connecting at all at a given place. I am not too impressed in western Canada at the places ipass has wifi connections.

I have been using attglobal.net for years -- although at the time I signed up over a decade ago it was pretty good, and I used dial-up often, since then, they haven't added very many countries to their list -- 55 in total. Most places I go will have an access number, but many will not. They also never used to charge "roaming" (it's not in fact "roaming" because it's using their own network, not a roaming partner), but a few years ago they split the world into four zones, and when you use the service outside your "home" zone you get charged.

Otherwise, I use Boingo (which now has a flat fee), and my mobile operator gives me access to both their WiFi and UMTS networks, either at home or abroad through roaming. Using GPRS in roaming is a bit slow and a bit expensive, but more and more places are upgrading to UMTS and prices are coming down rapidly.

I also haven't used a dial up connection in some time now (I think last time was 2005 in Montreal). Nowadays, most hotels have wired or wireless broadband, and if they have dial-up, they at least have an RJ-11 port on the phone. About two years ago, I finally stopped carrying my 6 or 7 phone jack adaptors (Danish, Swedish, Belgian, Russian, Polish, Italian, British, French and German), as well as the small screwdriver I have used to dismantle dozens of hotel jacks around the world in the days before they began accomodating lap-top toting travellers.

My main gripe with Ipass is that the data used by their PC app for wifi locations is vague...there is no map or GPS coordinates or other stuff supplied to help narrow the search to someplace close to me...sometimes even the front desk can't identify some of the vague addresses....anyone have a good solution for that?

I am considering signing up for ipass for a month long trip in May to Europe. Ipass seems to have the most affilations with the hotels I will be staying in (versus boingo). In reading this thread it appears some of you have signed up through a reseller. What is the benefit of signing up for ipass through a reseller rather than directly through ipass.com?

Some ISPs offer Ipass as part of a package - in my case signing up through my ISP worked out cheaper as all I pay are the usage charges (i.e., no monthly fee and no sign-up fee).

I think the ipass business model is changing. In the past, if one clicked on links at ipass.com for individual users, one was referred to resellers in your geography. I could never find a way to buy directly from ipass, as an individual.

I see today at ipass.com, I'm referred to a flat fee monthly plan direct from ipass. I've had two ipass reseller plans since 2002, and have never noticed a flat fee monthly plan until now. For my intermittent use an hourly plan may be better, but it's a changing world.

I've had iPass for close to 5 yrs now. In the days when I subscribed, could only go through a re-seller (Virginia location) - had to pay a $25 activation fee and minimum monthly $2.40 charge.

In the 5 yrs, have used it about half a dozen times with dial up modem when nothing else was available. For instance, in the woods of Vermont :)

It has always worked in my emergency situations, which is why I still keep it.

Btw, I am a mac user and re-seller advised me the mac dialer they have is not as extensive as for pc users. Apparently the 'normal pc dialer' has a more extensive network of sites, whether they are wire, wireless or even dial-up. Every 6 months or so I update the dialer but don't see a major difference in past few years. Back then, mac dialer had about 10 countries, now more in Asia (which is where I travel).....