Boingo vs. Wayport etc.
 

Wayport (www.wayport.com) is $50/mo or $30/mo with a 12-month contract. They also offer prepaid cards: $25 card: 3 connections ($8.33 per connection); $50 card: 8 connections ($6.25 per connection); $100 card: 20 connections ($5.00 per connection).

Boingo (www.boingo.com) is $22/mo ($10/mo first 3mo, "per-minute charges may apply at some premium locations") with no contract and seems to claim to consist of

iBahn + TMob WiFi + AT&T WiFi + Wayport + Sprint WiFi + some others

so is there any reason I'd want to subscribe to Wayport directlly? I realize a really low-volume or occasional user might prefer Wayport's prepaid cards, but I'm asking about monthly vs. monthly.

Also, what's the coverage like? In Ottawa, it seems to consist of Starbucks, UPS Stores, a couple of hotels, and YOW. Bell Mobility HotSpots but not Rogers?

Finally, is the "Boingo's Free Wi-Fi Software" intrusive?

Thanks!
=aw

Yes! It is VERY intrusive and tries to make the first connection everywhere overriding my preferred connection wants. I had to remove it to get wifi peace and install it only to test or use Boingo connects.

MisterNice

Thanks for the info. Can you clarify "remove and install"? With my ThinkPad, if I wanted to use Access Connections to connect in the hotel, but then wanted to use Boingo at EWR, how complicated would it be to install Boingo software, then remove it again when I leave EWR?

=aw

I had Boingo for almost a year and never needed special software to connect to hotspots at airports or hotels.

This is basically what I did on my T42. Activate the program only when needed rather than leave it active all the time (it took me a while to realize this}. There are (or was) a couple of the Boingo connection programs out there and the fuller one was evil.

MisterNice

That's reassuring. Perhaps it serves a purpose similar to Access Connections, i.e. provides a better interface than Windows's own.

Can anyone suggest a reason why I'd want any of the native networks (e.g. Wayport) instead of going through Boingo?

Thanks!

=aw

Actually I originally thought AC was superior to windows until the last couple of AC "upgrades" especially 4.42. I had to trash it and now am pleased with a fairly rock-hard windows connection.

MisterNice

Interesting, I've seen complaints on the ThinkPad list too. But I'm on AC v4.41 and haven't had (or noticed, anyway) any problems. Just lucky I guess (certainly not skill).

=aw

I used to use Boingo all the time and it worked just fine for me. The company splurged and got us Cingular Cards and haven't used it since (a year ago). But worked well for me. YMMV

I do have trouble getting a Cingular signal at the T concourse CRC in ATL but nowhere else at ATL

Thanks everyone, I guess I'll sign up with Boingo, but will wait until I'm ready to use it (don't want to waste that first 3 months!).

=aw

I hate to drag up this old post, but I've got to ask how did you do it? Did all these places have explicit Boingo logins? So far, I haven't been able to find anything that asks for my Boingo credentials, they all want their own ID/PW.

I used Boingo on two occasions in ATL and MIA last week, ordering their 24h pass. When I now got my CC-statement I was charged twice for each usage. After speaking to their support it turns out that the 24h pass is for one device only! I used both my laptop and my cell phone.. This important information was hidden well in their T&C..

You don't need Boingo software, but it simplifies the process. Devicescape's client also works with Boingo.

I have a Dlink travel router that I use to rebroadcast wifi connections from notebook to my PDA, etc. It is no bigger than a standard pad of Post-It Notes.

It is also for one hotspot only, but how they define a hotspot is not how I would: I used my laptop at 2 locations in ATL and was billed twice: "ATL - Atlanta International Airport (Concourse)" and "ATL - Atlanta International Airport". That's pretty shady practice IMHO.

I will for sure avoid this company in the future..