Has anyone on here taken uo the BT Fon offer where you add a WIFI hotspot to your home connection and get free wifi roaming nationwide?

http://www.btfon.com

If so, any comments on use of bandwidth/security etc…

It seems to me that £29 would get me access countrywide for life which would really help as I am in Devon a lot and there is a FON hotspot where I stay.

it is my belief that no-one – and I do mean no-one – has ever managed to connect to with BT Fon or OPenzone for the purposes of browsing the internet. Garbage. Avoid.

I use it, works in loads of places. Including the pub over the road from the Wyre Forest which is useful for your post ride beer.

I had BT broadband for years which included ‘free’ BT Openzone but I never managed to connect, ever.

orange do this by default on business routers in france – not sure about the uk… like a previous comment I could never get it to work on my iphone in other places….

would i do it? depends on where you live and the amount of traffic your likely to receive.

If I thought I lived somewhere that not many people would use it then I’d go for it… if however you live on a highstreet or by a pub… nochance.

Most mobile providers offer this and yup I’ve never been able to connect.

With the fon spot app ive managed to connect once to. Fon spot – it was my own one mind …..never been anywhere that has a fon spot – i mean do you regularly cruise round residential areas looking for wifi ?

Openzone is a pile of shite unless you pay – the open zones you get accesss to are worthless as most folk can get on them for free !

Aberdeen airports supposed to be an openzone access point provided by boingo – can you access it can you **** !

Wouldnt pay for either but they are free so shant complain

I’ve never managed to connect to it either.

I use it all over the place. All you need is your bt internet username and password. There’s a BTfon app for the iPhone (I guess android too), which makes it really easy.

Also, you don’t need to have your router setup as a btfon hotspot – I don’t.

I’ve only recently discovered how to stop my computer from connecting to it when i’m at home! a major PITA! Why would you pay to access Wifi hotspots when you can generally find free ones in most independent coffe shops!

Most mobile providers offer this and yup I’ve never been able to connect.

Same here. I’m supposed to get 1GB of WiFi using BTOpenzone with my Vodafone contract. I think I have only once managed to actually connect to it using my Vodafone username and password. Other than that, I’m never given the option when I click on the wireless network. Pain in the arras. The Vodafone forums are full of people whinging about this but nothing changes.

Got BT broadband at home and downloaded the BT-Fon app and can connect at home no problems….if i leave WiFi on my phone switched on then it will randomly flag up BT-hotspots when i’m out and about that i can connect to.
Pretty good app in my opinion….that said the 3G network from ‘3’ is so good that i often turn WiFi off (to save battery) and just use a 3G connection for internet use.

I’ve tried connection to Fon and Openzone, and even though I get a wifi connection icon on the phone, it’s never been able to actually open a web page. Utter crap.

Same here, no luck with it at all & but my laptop decides to use it instead.. Avoid.

user error?

dont avoid, try it and see how you get on.

Been playing a bit with it today.

With my provide, Vodafone, you have to enable it in your account if you have it on your contract. Done that.

Then you can only use Openzone and to BTFON. Done that.

Then you have to login with your browser using your Vodafone account. It’s that rubbish it won’t even load that up.

So in conclusion it’s not user error it the fact it’s really not very good.

Thanks for the feedback. But I have been using it here in Brixham for three days and the bandwidth and connection is great. If I leave the laptop to sleep it drops, but log back in again and I am good to go. We will spend at least three months a year at this house and a broadband connection is £20 pcm minimum (with phone line) and BTFON £29 forever. Seems to make sense to me?

So in conclusion it’s not user error it the fact it’s really not very good.

Maybe if you are using it from a Vodafone username and password.

On three, its a piece of cake.

I signed up my work for btinfinity for business so got the username and password for btopenzone etc etc, have just tried the Bt fon app and connected first time. Speed seems pretty good. The area I’m in doesnt have 3G so data was non existent otherwise

Just did a speed test – 3mbps