Today, DS users need to choose one of the connection options described in this section. Don't know it? Call tech. Unsure if your account qualifies? DSL and U-verse subscribers can call 1 for help. In early , they threw in the Wi-Fi account for medium speed customers. Qwest offers free McDonald's Wi-Fi for all of its customers.

Just don't rely on their instructions for connecting to it. All Qwest DSL customers qualify. Qwest's instructions are extremely inaccurate in describing how to connect to McDonald's Wi-Fi. McDonald's is by far the biggest chain in Qwest's Wi-Fi network. You'd think one of the technical writers might have tried following their own instructions at their local Mickey D's.

Their lack of due diligence is truly a disservice to their customers. If you get stuck anywhere along the way or if your login is rejected, call up Qwest's technical support line at They can help you troubleshoot the problem. Occasionally McDonald's has a free Wi-Fi promotion. When it does, McDonald's distributes free Wi-Fi coupons good for a free Internet session to its restaurants.

Often, these coupons sit behind the counter many months after the promotion. These tickets expire January 18, No word on which Monopoly piece wins you Wi-Fi. In addition, some restaurants reportedly keep a coupon supply on hand to compete with its free Wi-Fi neighbors. Recent photographic evidence shows this practice alive and well.

Staci D. Kramer at paidContent. She reports they offer one free hour. Freelance writer Susan Breidenbach interviewed a McDonald's franchise owner in the Austin, Texas area who instructs his employees to hand out free Wi-Fi coupons to laptop-toting customers.

It's worth asking your cashier if he or she has free Wi-Fi coupons behind the counter. You may get lucky! McDonald's franchisees aren't required to install the type of Wi-Fi described here. Some McDonald's restaurants set up their own wireless router but these are becoming rare.

Not that Wayport-based hotspots preclude a store from offering free Wi-Fi: Some give out coupons for free access. The moral: It pays to ask. With persistence and a little luck, you may find an always-free Wi-Fi at a McDonald's near you and we love hearing about such locations. Starbucks locations make up several thousand more free iPhone hotspots. Presumably, the unlimited data plan will be required for free Wi-Fi. Logging on to McDonald's Wi-Fi is a tricky process.

If you are in a 3G area with a 3G iPhone, you must be determined to get the moderate bump up in speed to make connecting at McDonald's worthwhile. However, these instructions are slightly incorrect for McDonald's Wi-Fi. You're now authorized to use the Internet for the next 24 hours at this McDonald's location. You must go through this process again if you visit a different McDonald's location or the same one more than a day later. With the introduction of the 3G iPhone, many wonder why anyone would bother using Wi-Fi at public hotspots.

Here are several reasons:. Even older Zunes qualify. Surfing the web isn't an option since the Zune doesn't have a web browser. The free Wi-Fi offer coincides with Zune's "3.

It is available to all Zune owners free of charge. As we learned with the Nintendo DS , these partnerships don't last forever. Microsoft can call an extension after the three years are up.

Wired's Gaget Lab notes this deal is similar to one Apple made with Starbucks. Like the Zune arrangement, surfing the web as a whole isn't covered. It's also not clear if the iPhone will be eligible. Logging on at McDonald's is fairly automatic:. Verizon is offering its customers free Wi-Fi at 14, locations. None are McDonald's. Not so. In July , the deal came to fruition. Notably missing was McDonald's locations. Boingo must pay McDonald's for each subscriber that has access to its Wi-Fi.

With Verizon dependent on Boingo, they must be willing to buy McDonald's Wi-Fi for all of its subscribers, whether they use it or not. For now, Verizon customers are left in the dark. Just enter your credit card number it's secure and you're on the 'net. If you find yourself frequently paying for Wi-Fi hotspots or hotel Internet connections, a subscription may work out better for you. But if you just want to hop on McDonald's Wi-Fi every now and then, a single connection is probably the best deal for you.

However, fast food restaurants seem to be trending toward free Wi-Fi , which may someday make McDonald's paid Wi-Fi less attractive. Sorry Discover Card and PayPal users! Do you need constant Internet access where ever you go? Several providers offer unlimited Internet access at hotels, airports, coffee shops and restaurants including, of course, McDonald's. Each plan has its advantages and disadvantages.

Skip ahead for an in-depth comparison of each company's offerings. There's not much dirt on McDonald's Wi-Fi. After five years of offering its customers wireless Internet powered by hotspot heavyweight Wayport, McDonald's has a mature and smooth-running Wi-Fi network.

Then again, nobody's perfect. Here are the shortcomings Knowzy found. Please write in if you have others to report. McDonald's started offering Wi-Fi in an era when wireless hotspots were less common and free Wi-Fi was even more rare. Today, free Wi-Fi isn't difficult to find. Jack in the Box is rushing free Internet to its restaurants. While there are opportunities for free Wi-Fi at McDonald's , in general, you need to pay for it.

The main " Connection Options " page has six choices. The roaming partner choice leads to four more choices. Which ones will save you money? Are any of them free to you? Your food is getting cold while you try to decide. Luckily you found this guide! Your Nintendo DS works too with some extra hardware though not for free anymore.

These devices do not have a web browser to sign on to McDonald's Wi-Fi. Three companies can get you unlimited Internet access at McDonald's and many other places for a fee.

Plans vary widely in price and locations and services offered. You should also avoid sharing or uploading files and try to keep downloads to a minimum, while taking care to only download files from trusted sources. Try to avoid using your main email address as much as possible. It may be sensible to set up a temporary email address to use while you are connected to the public WiFi hotspot. You should also be especially careful when opening emails from unknown senders.

Never follow suspicious links or download any suspicious email attachments. If you are using websites that require you to enter login credentials or other important information, make sure you have connected to HTTPS version of the website, as this allows for secure and encrypted communication. This will allow you to benefit from an added layer of encryption, will grant you anonymity, and will hide personal information from snoopers.

Then open the Welcome page and accept the terms to connect. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.

These cookies do not store any personal information. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Skip to content Be the First to Comment.

May 5, May 18, Open an internet browser. Last updated on January 12, pm. Was this article helpful? Yes No.

Need to chat with an expert? Can't find the answer you're looking for?