Has anyone tried Starbucks free Wi-Fi and how does it work now that it's free? How free is it really?

I have tried to use Starbucks "Free Wi-Fi" but to no avail.. there is no Wi-Fi and there are no Starbucks employees that can explain this. My Starbucks Wi-Fi brings me to a log-in screen and it asks me for a Starbucks card number..seems okay right? Buy a Starbucks prepaid card for the amount of money that I would have spent on coffee anyway and use that number to log in right?

I asked the manager and this is how it is supposed to work.. but does not. The login screen never goes away and the internet never comes up. "Sue" the manager of the Starbucks in my area says that on July 2nd, yesterday, the Wi-Fi would be up and running for everyone and there would be no requirement to purchase a Starbucks card any longer.. but again... no Wi-Fi... card or no card.. the same BS nonsense continues.

Any other employee will say.. and I am sure they are lying "We can use the Wi-Fi just fine" but when I ask them to log in from my iPad they try and cannot and just shrug their shoulders in confusion. I ask them to show me the computer they can log in from and they say every time .. "I do not have it with me" .. and so begins my distrust of them and this supposed "Free Wi-Fi" I give up and will not be brining my iPad to the Starbucks any longer. There is a Denny's in the same mall parking lot and their Wi-Fi really is FREE and really does WORK, their coffee is cheaper and the employees actually have a clue as to what is going on.

Starbucks = Fail.

I have used the Starbucks 2-hour free wi-fi and now the totally free wi-fi, both with no problems. I don't use it for downloads or video streaming, so I'm not sure what kinda of bandwidth you have available, but everything seems to run fairly fast. The wi-fi is free, well not as free as say, oxygen, because most people will buy a drink and babysit it for a couple hours to have access to the internet.

I'm sure you could get away with connecting and not buying anything, but most people don't.

I have used the Starbucks WiFi with the gift card several times with no problems but you have to download something first to get it to work. I know "something" is vague but it was over a year ago that I did it but I remember using my broadband card to download whatever was needed so the giftcard wifi hook up would work. I have a broadband card but was trying to get a college kid set up to use it when needed.

I was not aware they had changed it to free so I will have to give it a shot when I am out this week.

My friends always try to work at a starbucks that's next to a location that actually provides free WiFi that way they get the best of both worlds-- good coffee and actually free WiFi!

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