The new WiFi Phone

Posts: 12 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Posts: 12

It's finally been released and I am expecting my WiFi phone tomorrow, just in time for a business trip. Having read the user's manual, I have one concern about the ability to use this device in most hotels.

Most hotels direct you to a login page before they let you have internet access, even if it's free in many cases. When I use the Linksys Vonage adapter I sign-in to activate the internet connection with my laptop, which causes the hotel's system to allow my laptop's specific MAC address to have internet access. I then configure the Linksys adapter to use the same MAC address as my laptop, and it works.

Any ideas on how this will work with the WiFi phone? I assume I may have to set my laptop to use the same MAC address as the WiFi phone and then sign-in to the hotel system to make it work. However, most end-users won't know how to do that and therefore they would be pretty upset when they discover that their WiFi phone won't work in most hotels and other hotspots.

Am I missing something here?

-Sebastian

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:23 pm Post subject:

you can give that a try, but I doubt it will work. if it does, good, but yeah, it basically won't work in most hotels and other hotspots.

Posts: 12 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Posts: 12

reebok wrote:

you can give that a try, but I doubt it will work. if it does, good, but yeah, it basically won't work in most hotels and other hotspots.

Well, I'll be taking it around the world with me over the next few weeks and I'll let you know how it works out.

If it doesn't work at most hotspots and hotels, it seems like it will not be a useful product if the target audience is people who are on the move looking for a compact and portable Voip phone. I did pretty well carrying around the linksys adapter and using it at hotels.

I'll remain hopeful and we'll see how it goes.

-S

Posts: 1424

sebgood wrote:

If it doesn't work at most hotspots and hotels, it seems like it will not be a useful product if the target audience is people who are on the move looking for a compact and portable Voip phone.

That is not the target audience, the target audience is the user who is making more than $10/month in long distance calls from their cell phone while covered by their own/their corporate WiFi.

However, according to rumors UTStarcom is (has been) working on a script capability for the phone that would allow you to configure it to log into WiFi portals both paid and free.

Posts: 12 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Posts: 12

scerruti wrote:

That is not the target audience, the target audience is the user who is making more than $10/month in long distance calls from their cell phone while covered by their own/their corporate WiFi.

However, according to rumors UTStarcom is (has been) working on a script capability for the phone that would allow you to configure it to log into WiFi portals both paid and free.

That script capability would be great!

I don't think this device is necessary to save $ on calls at home and work. I really think most of the appeal here is if the unit can be used at the airport, hotel, starbucks, anywhere in the world.

-S

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Posts: 1

I just got the wifi phone. I'm thinking about cloning its mac address to my laptop to authentic on the hotel wifi network and then attempting to use the phone. Ill let you know if it works.

Posts: 448 · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:36 pm Post subject:

And from the description at http://www.vonage.com/device.php?type=F1000 .......

"You can also set Anonymous Call Block to reject any callers without Caller ID, or blacklist specific phone numbers to prevent unwanted calls. You'll get the same great Vonage pricing with exciting new features."

Hmmmmmm. I wonder how long they'll make us suffer without anonymous call block and blacklists on our non-WiFi phone service.

Posts: 12 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Posts: 12

ipsa wrote:

I just got the wifi phone. I'm thinking about cloning its mac address to my laptop to authentic on the hotel wifi network and then attempting to use the phone. Ill let you know if it works.

I think this should work. I've done it plenty of times with the hardwired linksys adapter.

I would shut down the laptop after authenticating to avoid IP address conflict.

-S

Posts: 605 · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:48 pm Post subject:

I think this product would work great if you have WIFI at work and at home. This way you can have this device as your primary phone. Just turn the device off when you are at a bar and hopefully your calls can then be forwarded to a cell phone.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Posts: 1

Since I'm already a Vonage customer, can I use my existing Vonage number or do I have to get an additional line?