DBMandrake
18th August 2011, 03:36 PM
Skype have just released an iPhone app called "Skype Wifi". What's this you ask ? Is it another version of the Skype VoIP application ?
Apparently not, it's an interesting and innovative solution to the problem of trying to make use of paid Wifi access when away from home.
We all know the scenario - you really need data access but you're somewhere where you can't get 3G data or you're on holiday overseas and can't or won't pay the exorbitant roaming charges to get data access, so your only options are free Wifi (good luck finding that in most places) or to pay for Wifi access.
The problem with that is you usually need to pay in big chunks like hourly, and every single paid wifi provider seems to have their own separate system, so you'd have to mess around entering your credit card details into some stupid web form (probably on your phone) of a company you've never heard of before and may never use again. In a foreign country if you're not familiar with them, who knows whether they're even legitimate and won't abuse your credit card at a later date.
If you travel a bit you could be dealing with half a dozen independent Wifi providers, each with their own separate login processes, billing and so on. Logging in from a mobile device like a phone can also be a challenge from a user interface perspective as most login pages are designed for full size screens and are loaded with javascript.
Far too much hassle, to the point that I've never really attempted to use paid Wifi access, and I think as a whole its use is not very popular due both to lack of convenience and cost.
Enter Skype Wifi. A small app that you install on your iPhone and enter your Skype login and password for it to remember. Next time you encounter a pay-for public Wifi access point, connect to it via Settings->Wifi and if necessary turn off "auto-login" to disable iOS's built in auto-login system.
Launch Skype Wifi and it will scan the connected access point, figure out who they are and whether they're affiliated with Skype, and assuming so present the user with information about the provider, their terms and conditions, and their rate per minute. Below that is a nice big "Go Online" button to authenticate, at which point you can commence using the connection.
When you're finished you can return to the Skype Wifi app and terminate the session to prevent any further billing, and they also auto-terminate it after 30 minutes in case you wander out of Wifi range or forget to manually terminate it.
So where do the charges go ? Why to your Skype account of course :) Anyone who uses Skype in or Skype out (like me) will have a credit/debit card registered to their Skype account for PSTN calls, and it's from here that you will be charged for Wifi access.
The advantage being that you have your credit/debit card registered only with Skype (which you had probably done already if you are a serious Skype user) and not with all these random third party providers, with Skype acting as a "trusted" middle man much like Paypal does for online purchases.
The application has a built in database of all the different providers they have agreements with in each country, so that you know who to look out for in your Wifi scan, with the app doing all the work of verifying, authenticating and starting/stopping billing for you.
Here's a list of providers supported in the UK as an example:
https://talk3g.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=1170&d=1313677482
Although I haven't tested it, the reported charges at the login screen are per minute, so for example with BT Openzone it lists 11p per minute - the implication being that you can use only the number of minutes you want and then terminate the session, rather than paying for a minimum length block like 1 hour for £3 on BT Openzone's website.
If this is true it makes a massive difference. If I urgently needed to send a few emails I'm not going to pay £3 for an hour of access when I only need 5 minutes, but if I can pay 55p for 5 minutes, without messing around with credit card details and then log out again, that is an entirely different proposition.
(Edit: reading the FAQ confirms that you only pay for the number of minutes that you are connected)
After all this praise, my attempt to actually use it has thus far been unsuccessful. I only have one listed hotspot reachable at home (BT Openzone) and although the Skype Wifi app detected it and told me their rates, attempts to log in failed with the following error:
https://talk3g.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=1169&d=1313677482
I'm not sure if this is due to the weak signal, or some other glitch but it's a little disappointing. However I will be keeping the app on my phone and trying it next time I'm out within range of a hotspot. I would be interested to see if anyone else has better luck than me.
I can see this being really useful overseas and in conjunction with Skype. Imagine you were somewhere where you couldn't get cell phone coverage but there was paid Wifi - use this app to deal with the hassle of connecting to the wifi, then use skype itself to make a PSTN call via wifi. Certainly a good backup plan whilst overseas.
Apparently not, it's an interesting and innovative solution to the problem of trying to make use of paid Wifi access when away from home.
We all know the scenario - you really need data access but you're somewhere where you can't get 3G data or you're on holiday overseas and can't or won't pay the exorbitant roaming charges to get data access, so your only options are free Wifi (good luck finding that in most places) or to pay for Wifi access.
The problem with that is you usually need to pay in big chunks like hourly, and every single paid wifi provider seems to have their own separate system, so you'd have to mess around entering your credit card details into some stupid web form (probably on your phone) of a company you've never heard of before and may never use again. In a foreign country if you're not familiar with them, who knows whether they're even legitimate and won't abuse your credit card at a later date.
If you travel a bit you could be dealing with half a dozen independent Wifi providers, each with their own separate login processes, billing and so on. Logging in from a mobile device like a phone can also be a challenge from a user interface perspective as most login pages are designed for full size screens and are loaded with javascript.
Far too much hassle, to the point that I've never really attempted to use paid Wifi access, and I think as a whole its use is not very popular due both to lack of convenience and cost.
Enter Skype Wifi. A small app that you install on your iPhone and enter your Skype login and password for it to remember. Next time you encounter a pay-for public Wifi access point, connect to it via Settings->Wifi and if necessary turn off "auto-login" to disable iOS's built in auto-login system.
Launch Skype Wifi and it will scan the connected access point, figure out who they are and whether they're affiliated with Skype, and assuming so present the user with information about the provider, their terms and conditions, and their rate per minute. Below that is a nice big "Go Online" button to authenticate, at which point you can commence using the connection.
When you're finished you can return to the Skype Wifi app and terminate the session to prevent any further billing, and they also auto-terminate it after 30 minutes in case you wander out of Wifi range or forget to manually terminate it.
So where do the charges go ? Why to your Skype account of course :) Anyone who uses Skype in or Skype out (like me) will have a credit/debit card registered to their Skype account for PSTN calls, and it's from here that you will be charged for Wifi access.
The advantage being that you have your credit/debit card registered only with Skype (which you had probably done already if you are a serious Skype user) and not with all these random third party providers, with Skype acting as a "trusted" middle man much like Paypal does for online purchases.
The application has a built in database of all the different providers they have agreements with in each country, so that you know who to look out for in your Wifi scan, with the app doing all the work of verifying, authenticating and starting/stopping billing for you.
Here's a list of providers supported in the UK as an example:
https://talk3g.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=1170&d=1313677482
Although I haven't tested it, the reported charges at the login screen are per minute, so for example with BT Openzone it lists 11p per minute - the implication being that you can use only the number of minutes you want and then terminate the session, rather than paying for a minimum length block like 1 hour for £3 on BT Openzone's website.
If this is true it makes a massive difference. If I urgently needed to send a few emails I'm not going to pay £3 for an hour of access when I only need 5 minutes, but if I can pay 55p for 5 minutes, without messing around with credit card details and then log out again, that is an entirely different proposition.
(Edit: reading the FAQ confirms that you only pay for the number of minutes that you are connected)
After all this praise, my attempt to actually use it has thus far been unsuccessful. I only have one listed hotspot reachable at home (BT Openzone) and although the Skype Wifi app detected it and told me their rates, attempts to log in failed with the following error:
https://talk3g.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=1169&d=1313677482
I'm not sure if this is due to the weak signal, or some other glitch but it's a little disappointing. However I will be keeping the app on my phone and trying it next time I'm out within range of a hotspot. I would be interested to see if anyone else has better luck than me.
I can see this being really useful overseas and in conjunction with Skype. Imagine you were somewhere where you couldn't get cell phone coverage but there was paid Wifi - use this app to deal with the hassle of connecting to the wifi, then use skype itself to make a PSTN call via wifi. Certainly a good backup plan whilst overseas.