Trouble Connecting to Public WiFi

Recently while away from my home network, I tried connecting to the internet at a Starbucks (which I have done at various Starbucks in the past without issue & I am also an ATT subscriber). I unfortunately cannot remember the exact error message - I believe something referring to changing the adapter settings. I chose not to because I didn't know what I was doing and did not want to risk changing my home connections.

I went across the street to a Barnes & Noble and no problem connecting - I did not have to change anything (& this was the first time I was ever at this location - first time at both locations).

So needless to say I worked at B&N that weekend, but I am interested in why this happended and what I might do should I be in this predicament again - never had to change settings before.

I can not remember exactly, but I also believe it said 'local only'.

Appreciate the input

Hi stranger (LOL),

It would help immensely to know the word-for-word message you got, but since we don't here's all I can suggest. It is possible that Starbucks required a separate login (it didn't detect the network automatically or you needed to login both locally (which occurred automatically) and do a separate login to get internet access) - so if it happens again, click on Start - Connect To and see if there is an option there for Starbucks (or maybe two options) and if so, try connecting to it/them to see if that helps.

If not, it's possible that they have their network setup in such a way that it requires some sort of special configuration (though I'm not sure why they would do that as it makes things more complicated for visitors and for no particularly good reason unless it's their equipment or how they have it configured). The change may be simple and of no consequence to your ability to access anything else anywhere else (or affect where and how you can connect now) - or it may be more than that - but without knowing the error or what change it wanted you to make I can't really answer your question. It may be that they merely need to add a new connection. I really don't know. To be honest, I've never taken my laptop out of my house if you can believe that.

I recommend if you go back there and have the same problem (or anywhere else for that matter), talk to someone who works there and request assistance but don't let them make the changes on their own - have them show you what changes they want you to make and then with that information post back here and we'll see how those changes would affect your system and its current settings.

Or you can throw caution to the wind and let them make the changes, get connected, and pray that you can still connect at home and elsewhere. If you do that, ask them what they plan to change, then watch EXACTLY what they change and if you have problems later just change it back to the way it was, reboot, and you should be fine. Maybe even create a system restore point before letting them make the change so going back to the way it was is a simple System Restore away.

I hope this helps. If you get further details, post back and we'll see what they want you to do.

Good luck!

You say you had Local area connection.... Did you have to enter any Credentials like the WEP or security code to access the Internet

Do I sound like I would throw caution to the wind??!! LOL

On the initial question: No, I did not have to input anything - the connection never got that far. I could pull up my local files but nothing came up for sign-in etc. Although at one time you had to be a certain card member of Starbucks to access wifi (I never connected that way so I am uncertain what their protocol or sign-in was). I am an ATT high-speed user so the ATT/Starbucks screen (website) would just come up to log-in. On occassion, I may have been prompted by my computer to choose the connection, but that was it. (OK, all this talk about Starbucks is making my Java this AM a little less enjoyable!)

This particular store was very crowded, busy and too chaotic - so after trying to figure what was needed of me and concerned I would be make a change I might regret, we just packed up and went across the street to the Barnes & Noble. I had connected there a couple days prior and connected again after leaving Starbucks - no problem.

It is very possible this particular Starbucks did have 'some secret' to connecting and may have been an isolated incident (looking across the room, I could see others connected).

The same weekend at the facility we doing business at had a wifi service available for a fee. An employee had to enter the password and also could not get the connection. He was not a tech person, so really could not help - it showed the connection was there, but clicking it - I still could not connect. Again, others were using the same system. My husband dealt with this incident a little more than I did, but to no avail.

I have Defender and McAfee and wondered if a setting there had anything to do with this (no prompts came up to indicate anything); and of course, MS scan for solutions found 'no solutions'.

I don't know enough about making changes to connect (i.e. parameters, adapters - as I seem to remember such words coming up in warning screens). I am going back to this facility in November and may try again if I have some ideas about what to look for or settings to adjust (I was very concerned about making the computer vulnerable).

Too much?

Hi,

Defender definitely isn't the problem. McAfee MIGHT be the issue - what version are you using (the full name and version number) and does it include a firewall and are you using that firewall? Frankly though, I don't believe that's the problem either. I hesitate to suggest you disable either if you're about to connect to the internet, but perhaps doing so BRIEFLY (but just McAfee as Defender isn't doing this) just to see if you can connect wouldn't hurt. But if it works, then turn McAfee back on IMMEDIATELY even it that causes you to lose the connection. If it continues to work, you will have a possible workaround to logon (inconvenient, but at least it would work). In either case, you will know the culprit, but the solution will be to remove McAfee (using the special removal tool on their website - not by uninstalling) and add something else instead - I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials and if you are using a McAfee Firewall, go back to the Windows Firewall (which is perfectly fine and doesn't really need replacement with anything else which is not likely to be much better and may in fact even be worse).

If that doesn't work (and I don't think it will because I don't think it's the problem), it is almost certainly some setting in how your network is configured or secured that is the "problem." The fact that it works in some places, suggests there's nothing wrong with the hardware or even your general network connection or settings. Something about these two locations, however, is different from other places where it does work fine. They require a setting that the others don't or require removing a setting that the others may either require or not use anyway. Whatever it is, it is most likely to be in the Network and Sharing Center in Control Panel.

Although I personally would ask for assistance from an employee (someone who knows more than just the password), you can try to set up a new connection yourself if you understand how their network is configured at least a little. I assume clicking on Connect To does not work - but does it bring up a new option for you to choose or does it show the normal options you have everywhere else? If it brings up a new connection, skip the next step - otherwise do it to create a new connection. Go to the Network and Sharing Center and click on Manage Wireless Networks. Click on Add and then click on Manually create a network profile and fill it out as best you can.

If you can't get an emplyee (or the manager - I would personally ask for the manager but that's just my style), then bother one or more of the people who are connected (people who look like they might be willing and perhaps even honored to be asked) and ask them if they can show you the connection settings they are using and try to check them all in detail (they may even offer that they too had problems and know how to fix it and then show you the "secret") - start with the nework connection you just created by going to the same location and viewing their settings to see if they match yours and if not, change yours to match what they are using, then go to those involving how the adapter is configured (since from what you've said that seems to be the key), but as this will apply to all your connections, be careful about noting exactly what changes you make in case you need to return them to the original settings (as may be quite possible) - write them down if necessary to be sure to remember them (or you may need to do a System Restore to get them back should the new settings prove a problem in other places like your home or office or B&N or other places where it worked before - in efffect, if it made things worse and maybe didn't even help resolve the problem in these two problematic locations).

I wish I was there to just do this myself, but this doesn't work that way and even if I could connect remotely to your computer to help you, it wouldn't be possible in this situation if you can't connect.

Remember, if you keep track of any changes you make, you can always change things back to those original settings and restore things to normal if required (whether the changes helped or not at the problem locations). Just be careful not to uninstall any of the options (though most can easily be readded without problem) as then you may (and I only say may as in general you can easily restore the options and I'm just being a little over-cautious here as I actually think you can restore any you delete) require a System Restore to get them back. It's one thing to change or deactivate an option (or even add an option) but quite another to remove one. In any event, removing an option should not be the answer anyway - though changing one could very well be the answer.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but without knowing the specific error message word-for-word or what they want you to change, I can't help guide you on how to do it or evaluate the risks of making the change(s). Try making a new connection, talking to the manager (or their tech guru), or asking around to see if you can find a way to get it to work or at least learn the "secret" or what adapter change they want you to make. There are way too many configuration options involved to guess at which one might be the cause (and it may be more than one) - guessing wll take forever. You need (or at least I need) specific information about what is required to access those sites in terms of setting up the connection (and I don't just mean the password but the rest of network settings). SOMEONE there must know or you should be able to figure out how those that work differ from yours and that's probably the answer.

I hope this helps. If you learn more about the specific error message or exactly how they want you to change your adapter or configuration, then post back and we'll see what that means and try to figure out how to do it.

Good luck!

Good afternoon!!

Locating McAfee version I thought would be easy - like in the 'about' but that didn't happen - how do I find the full name and version #?

Additional Info:
Went to McAfee site and followed instruction on locating this info - but I still do not see 'Name' and there are version numbers for each aspect of McAfee. Unless the full name is McAfee Security Center?

If it's the Security Center, then it probably has the firewall activated and I'd bet that's what's causing the problem (especially if it worked OK before you installed it - though it could still be the reason if they made changes causing McAfee to block it). Next time, try disabling McAfee as indicated above and see if that resolves the problem. If so, reactivate it but then switch off the firewall and use Windows Firewall instead (it's every bit as good) and see if you can still connect. If so, the problem is solved. If not, go ahead with the other suggestions.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Good morning!! Hope you are well this fine day?

I suspected McAfee's firewall might be the culprit. McAfee was installed when I received the computer and updates constantly. Sadly there are so many aspects of this computer I don't understand i.e. the Network and Sharing. always so concerned about dropping the security when in a public place. This issue confused me because it never happened before on this computer and over the year we have been to several locations. I'm typically not too shy and would ask someone around me, but the place was mobbed and there didn't seem to be many happy faces around me - it actually stressed me out so went across the street (at that point I wanted to certain it wasn't my card 'gone bad').

Is defender satisfactory for public locations? I just went looking at Defender and noticed Defender with Advanced Security - I don't remember seeing that before - but I need to switch to look at those settings (not signed in as administrator).

No, Defender is only for anti-spyware - it does nothing to protect you from viruses, malware, worms, trojans, bots, and all the other nasty stuff that can infect your system. It is definitely not sufficient on its own anywhere - even at home.

Personally, I do not like McAfee (but nowhere near as much as I dislike Norton). I've seen it miss too many things and it causes problems with quite a few programs (though apparently it hasn't for you until, perhaps, now). Remember, while I'm thinking it might be the culprit, we have yet to prove that. It may not be involved in the problem at all - but the chance it is is high enough to want to rule it out as one of the first steps.

To be perfectly honest, if I were you, I would uninstall McAfee using the removal tool (Download McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool 3.5.109.1 Free - Will remove all 2005, 2006, and 2007 versions of McAfee consumer products - Softpedia - if you have something more current, go to the McAfee site for most current tool they have available) and install Microsoft Security Essentials http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ for day-to-day protection from malware, viruses, spyware (it deactivates Defender automatically because it includes that and running both at the same time would cause conflicts) and everything else. Set it up to automatically update (Windows Update will then do that as it now does for Defender) and I'd set it to automatically do a quick scan every few days when the computer is on but you aren't using it very much and a full scan every week or two (I actually do a quick scan daily and a full scan weekly - but it's up to you). Then download Malwarebytes (the free version) at Malwarebytes and update it and do a full scan every few weeks to catch anything that MSE might have missed. Don't schedule this - just make it a habit to do it (or put it as a recurring event in your calendar). That's how I'm protected and what many here recommend - and I've never been successfully infected and have had no problems or conflicts with either of them.

Do NOT install and run more than one AV program at the same time or you may cause the system to freeze, crash, stall, conflict or cause all sorts of issues. Malwarebytes is an exception to this as it anti-malware as opposed to AV (and because it is an exception - I know of some others but those will give you adequate protection). Of course, be sure to re-activate Windows Firewall if McAfee shut it down as you do want firewall protection and Windows Firewall is a great product and nothing on the market provides better protection (though some products may provide more configuration options).

These suggested replacements are all totally free and, IMHO, are better than using McAfee - so you aren't losing any money by switching over (though it may feel a bit like that if you paid for a McAfee subscription and it still has time remaining - but you wouldn't be spending any more money by switching and it would improve your protection and it may resolve your connection problems).

And you don't seem very shy to me from your posts. Most people (not everyone - but I think most) would be more than happy to help you (and take a break from whatever they're doing) if you ask politely and the right way (you know what I mean). Besides, you do want to get your system working and that's one way (if the manager or their tech guru can't help) of possibly getting it done on your own. I can't help you because I'm sure it has to do with how their system is configured compared to how your system is configured and while you can tell me about your configuration, without knowing theirs, I wouldn't know what to change. Good gosh, you run your own business - how in heaven's name can you do that and call yourself shy? LOL!

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Oooh...that was a mouthful!! Thank you for all the options on software. Helps me to understand the differences - see I thought they were all the same.

Yes, I do realize McAfee is not a favorite (and yes, I have a 3-year subscription). For right now, until I get through the next couple months I think I will need to keep that and my fingers crossed! Although I do not know for certain, after an update a couple months ago, I lost connection at home. When I spoke with ATT (2nd time I called - she was good at figuring it out; took that extra 'step') she discovered I had lost my web address (I think that's what she said). You know, when this is your business the terminology is second nature and when it is not, well need I say more.

I have had problems with security on a previous computer - 30 day McAfee trial - honestly, the day after it expired I got wacked! Thank goodness for a tech friend from work - he talked my husband through totally reformatting and reloading my new baby. We don't have that network any longer. So I've seen what it can do and I bet it is worse in today's environment. I also have had some programs that conflicted with McAfee back then. I think after the reload we did go to Norton (that's Symantec right?) I don't remember much after that - probably not so many options then.

I was disappointed the person at the facility where we tried to get connected was not much help - but at least he was honest about not being familiar enough.

I'll have to be more deligent about the messages next time. But your recommendations are appreciated - at least I know they have been used and successful!