I've noticed the last few weeks a Free Public WiFi connection available in Zugerland but despite being able to connect to it it doesn't seem to be working. My iPad shows a 3G or WiFi icon dependent on which one I'm connected to at the time. When I go into my settings I can see the connection, I can also connect to it but my connection icon never switches from 3G to WiFi so obviously the WiFi connection isn't working.
Does anyone know of any online information available for this connection or who I might contact?

thanks..

Be careful, could easily be a connection solely to access your information and personal data......

The one called "Free Public WiFi" is almost always a sniffer, and is very often an "ad-hoc" connection, not "infrastructure" as it should be.

Just someone hoping to lure the unsuspecting into trying to access their bank or credit card provider through them...

Also explained here:

http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/arch...ublic_wif.html

http://wlanbook.com/free-public-wifi-ssid/

Blame Microsoft Wireless Zero Configuration
The answer to why this SSID seems to be everywhere can be blamed on Microsoft, more specifically a Windows feature called Wireless Auto Configuration (aka Wireless Zero Configuration). Wireless Auto Configuration “provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters”. In an attempt to make it extremely easy to connect to WiFi networks, Wireless Auto Configuration does the following when an 802.11 adapter is enabled and starts to scan for WiFi networks.

I might agree with you if the signal was weak but this signal is strong like it's coming from within the mall. Even Migros (password protected) wireless network from their electronics department doesn't show half the strength this open connection does and I'm only 10 meters from Migros now.

hmmm..

Just had a look at those links and that might be what I'm seeing.

The IP is 169.254.45.143 which I couldn't find any info about.

IP 169.x.x.x assigned b your system when it fails to get an IP address. 169.X.X.X is a private IP address assigned when it cannot send a request to a DHCP server. It would most likely be either a Connection problem or DHCP isnt turned.

APIPA ie no DHCP server found. More.



http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1920

Isn't that an address from a temporary pool of I.P.'s whilst you are DHCP'ed a more permanent address, I see these all the time on my network, mainly because I cannot see the DHCP server or the DHCP settings are misconfigured on the client. Maybe no spare i.p.'s in the DHCP pool etc.

They could also have turned off WPA encryption et in favour of MAC address authentication, much stronger security at layer 2.

If the wireless network you get on is bridged to another wireless network that has stronger security, and the DHCP server is on that network, that would explain your address in the 169.254 range. (you need this temp address, otherwise how can you access the DHCP server over i.p. if your client doesn't have an i.p. itself)


That's what I think anyway. There are DHCP issues on that 'free' network'.