McDonald's To Offer Wi-Fi

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=528&e=2&cid=528&u=/ap/20030311/ap_on_hi_te/mcdonalds_intel' target='_blank'>http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...mcdonalds_intel</a><br /><br /></div>Some low-budget competition is coming to Starbucks/T-Mobile: McD's.<br /><br />"Would you like super-sized Internet access with that burger and fries? In a further sign of the spread of wireless Internet technology, McDonald's restaurants in three U.S. cities will offer one hour of free high-speed access to anyone who buys a combination meal. Ten McDonald's in Manhattan will begin offering wireless WiFi, or 802.11b, Internet access on Wednesday, McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa Howard said."<br /><br />I like the sound of that - one hour with a purchase. This should be a model that Starbucks/T-Mobile should offer as well -- how about 15 minutes with your cup of coffee? It would ensure the consumption of lots of coffee, at least. ;)<br /><br />Incidentally, this announcement is timed to coincide with the <a href="http://news.com.com/2100-1006-991566.html?tag=fd_ots">debut of Centrino products</a> - Intel's new portable wireless-enabled processor/chipset solution.

[Macguy59]

Also announced today was Border's chain of bookstores to offer wi-fi 'hotspots' in all of it's stores across the US :D

[Macguy59]

Since we can't seem to attract a Starbucks franchise in my town, this is exciting news for me coupled with the Border's announcement.

[Chris Spera]

Mmmmmm!

McWi-Fi!

Wonder if I can get that SuperSized...


Christopher Spera

[bdegroodt]

Can't wait to see the troubleshooting stories that come out of this one. I really hope the network is as solid as can be. I get nervous about asking for them to modify their standard menu. Can't begin to imagine what would happen if a user needed assistance in logging on :P

But, I say good for WiFi and good for Borders & McDonalds getting on the program. Good work Intel. More! More! More!

[dh]

All these new people allowing access can only be good.
Hopefully the pricing will be sensible, the McD scheme seems to be a good deal.

[rubberdemon]

What's odd about this is that McDonalds has traditionally designed their stores so that people don't linger - hard seats, bright lighting, etc. They're all about volume. Do they really want tables full of laptop toting geeks taking an hour of their space? Cafes have traditionally been more lingering spots, which makes sense for them to offer WiFi.

I wonder if this proliferation of hotspots will be like the dotcom boom of a couple of years back - people jumping on the bandwagon because it sounds sexy, and then a shakeout when lots of them can't make money doing it, which then could lead to some smart company buying up all the hotspots cheaply and offering a semi-seamless network... At least putting up a hotspot is pretty cheap...

[sneech]

at this point, I think Mcdonalds will take whatever customer they can get.

they've reported substantial losses over the last couple of quarters. I'm surprised they would invest money in this project.

[Bob Anderson]

I think this is awesome news... no, not that I really want to surf all that much at McDonald's, but.. because of the business model they are using.

I love the idea of restaurants, coffee shops, et. al., giving you free access when you buy/use their services. It's a win-win situation. With WiFi devices slowly growing in acceptance, this is a perfect pairing of old line businesses with new-line technology.

I was using MobileStar (predecessor to T-Mobile's HotSpot business with Starbucks) for quite a while... but then the newness wore off and I couldn't justify spending $30 bucks a month for unlimited use... even the per minute charges were ridiculous, given that they had to be pre-paid, and your pre-paid acct had to be used or minutes forfeited. With this new business model, I can do a little bit of computing, and still support the merchant.

Let's pray that those market tests McDonald's proposes pan out and that we ultimately get this type of business model throughout North America. It would be so convenient!

[SnAPPUrU-nyan-ko]

Hmmph, I'd start hanging out at Mcdonald's, but I do't eat meat. I do like the sundaes and breakfasts, though =>_>=

[dh]

Hmmph, I'd start hanging out at Mcdonald's, but I do't eat meat. I do like the sundaes and breakfasts, though =>_>=

You trying to say that stuff they sell at MacDonalds is supposed to be meat? Who would have thought?
I guess it's right, you learn something everyday.

[Steven Cedrone]

Hmmph, I'd start hanging out at Mcdonald's, but I do't eat meat. I do like the sundaes and breakfasts, though =>_>=

Can you say "Filet-O-Fish Sandwich" (Do they still have that???). They sell salads too don't they??? :lol:

Steve

[T-Will]

That pricing scheme sounds like an awesome idea! More places should follow this lead, offer a certain amount of free wireless with a purchase.

[bdegroodt]

Hmmph, I'd start hanging out at Mcdonald's, but I do't eat meat. I do like the sundaes and breakfasts, though =>_>=

Can you say "Filet-O-Fish Sandwich" (Do they still have that???). They sell salads too don't they??? :lol:

Steve

It all went down hill after the environmentalists made them get rid of the McDLT (The hot side stays hot, the cool side stays cool) and when they changed to baked apple pies instead of those fried babies!

[bdegroodt]

That pricing scheme sounds like an awesome idea! More places should follow this lead, offer a certain amount of free wireless with a purchase.

I woudln't be too surprised to see this start happening at more places as WiFi makes it's way into the normal business machines in a store. Rolling out a connection or 2 for customers will be a no brainer.

[Sven Johannsen]

I'm curious. How do you manage this sort of access. Do you get a computer generated IP on your receipt that a computer automatically shuts down after an hour? The WEP key must be the same for all hosts on a network AFAIK.

I could easily see how you could manage access for an hour based on a MAC address, but that would be pretty tough to get a customer's MAC and get it into the scheme to allow it for an hour.

Don't the Starbucks things work like a subscription where you get a key that is good up to a certain day or something and then everybody has to change? You can pro-rate the fee if you join in the middle of the month, but how do you work it if you are trying to give an individual host an hour's worth of time?

[R K]

As far as I know, they (T-Mobile) give you an account name and password. When you try to access the Internet at Starbucks, the first thing you'll see is a website that asks for a username and password. If you don't have one, you'll be able to access their WiFi but not their Internet connection.
Someone with greater knowledge on this subject can give you a more technical rundown.

[Fzara]

Hmmph, I'd start hanging out at Mcdonald's, but I do't eat meat. I do like the sundaes and breakfasts, though =>_>=

Yup, welcome to the world of mine and Janak's.
Of course, i'm assuming Janak doesnt eat meat, since hes Indian.

[Janak Parekh]

Yup, welcome to the world of mine and Janak's.
Of course, i'm assuming Janak doesnt eat meat, since hes Indian.
The conclusion is correct in this case, but the assumption is not. :) A lot of Indians are non-vegetarian. Some even eat beef. 8O

(BTW, I'm actually American, but eh. ;))

--janak

[Fitch]

Someone with greater knowledge on this subject can give you a more technical rundown.

Yeah, it's an open network, no WEP, but thier DHCP server routes all your web requests to a log-on page. But after you login, you're routed correctly to real web pages. Then, when your time's up, it's back to the login pages.

obscure They Might Be Giants reference: when I read the article, in my head, I was thinking "I'll Sync Manhattan"