Posted on May 21, 2007
At Starbucks in Germany, as in the US, the wireless service is provided by T-Mobile/T-Com. The network name (SSID) is different here though: T-Mobile_T-Com. Devicescape is able to log you in at these hotspots using a variety of T-Mobile/T-Com/T-Online credentials, but be warned you will be paying roaming fees if you are using ones from outside of Germany. Starbucks in Paris doesn’t have working Wi-Fi yet, though it is clearly on the way. I stopped at two locations near the Les Halles area and both had Wi-Fi hardware running. One had the SSID Starbucks and the other notready – both responded with a page (in English) stating that the wireless network was not available yet.
Posted on May 20, 2007
The newest hotspot to be supported by Devicescape is the Milano Caffe in Aachen, Germany. In addition to free wireless access, they have very reasonable food and drink and a pleasant location on a busy little square filled with cafes, bars and restaurants. Oh, and McDonalds is next door too. Add Milano Caffe to your Devicescape account and all your devices will be able to get online while you sip on an espresso, a beer or even a cocktail. I’ve been using it to make international VoIP calls from my Nokia N95 (using the VoiceStick account I have), and uploading my photos including this one directly to Flickr from the phone.
Posted on May 19, 2007
In addition to the commercial hotspots I’ve already mentioned, there are a number of places that I found with free access. The Hotcafé locations all provide free access by means of a code you get from the bartender. There is free wireless access in the Pompidou Centre as well, though you have to register for a free account. That same account appears to work at some of the OzoneParis.net locations as well. Then there are places, like Quigley’s Point in the photo or the Hotel Novotel Paris les Halles, that provide open access to the internet.
Posted on May 19, 2007
Another Hotcafé location, this one directly opposite Gare du Nord, and right next door to the hotel I was staying in while here in Paris. As with the other Hotcafé locations, this one accepts WiFi Smart Pass credentials too.
Posted on May 18, 2007
Next stop in my first day of looking for Wi-Fi in Paris was the Leonard Café (57, Rue de Turbigo). Here the Wi-Fi service is free, but requires an access code from the bar. The service is operated by Hotcafé. You can also get online using WiFi Smart Pass. WiFi Smart Pass is now a Devicescape supported credential provider, although only Hotcafé locations. If you find another location that accepts WiFi Smart Pass, or a Hotcafé location that does not work, please let us know through our web form for new hotspots.
