Does anybody here have any experience on how to connect to the Boingo wireless internet hotspots in airports, cafes, etc. using a Linux laptop? If so, please provide some detailed steps on how you were able to connect and use it. I'm using Ubuntu 8.04 a.k.a "Hardy Heron" on a Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop.

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks very much!

It should work pretty much the same way as any other wireless network. You should be able to connect with NetworkManager and then fire up a browser to enter in your account information. At least that is how it works with my Slackware box (although I use wicd, not NetworkManager).

Are you seeing something different?

The problem is that Boingo is a paid subscription-based wifi internet provider which uses a proprietary software client that you have to download and install in your laptop in order to login to the network. Currently, the only available software clients that you can download and install from the Boingo website are for Windows and Mac only. No Linux client yet. What I'm interested in is how you were able to get on or logon to the Boingo network using Linux. Did you use WINE for the Boingo Windows client, use Internet Explorer, use VirtualBox, VMware, etc.? I need details on what you did.

Here's the link to the Boingo website for more info:

http://www.boingo.com/


Thanks!

You might want to double check that. I've used Boingo occasionally on my linux laptops with nothing more than wicd and a browser (usually Firefox). Basically, wicd saw and connected to the Boingo network and when I fired up Firefox, I was redirected to a page that asked for username and password. After supplying those, I was on the network. It absolutely blew chunks, but I was on the network (Boingo in O'Hare is a waste of dough).

I wouldn't be surprised if they had some proprietary Windows abuseware, but last time I used it (admittedly a few months ago) there wasn't a requirement that you use it. Given how wireless networks operate, there shouldn't be a need for proprietary software. It just gets in the way.

Many thanks, Hangdog42. I guess you're right! I called up the Boingo Customer Support line and they told me exactly what you have described - that I didn't have to download any software if I was using Linux. They just told me that I just have to connect to the Boingo network and open up my browser and the Boingo welcome screen should come up asking you for your account name and password.

I just thought first that I should download some kind of Boingo software client so I could get in their network as they had software clients for Windows, Mac, and smartphones - no Linux client.

Anyways, thanks again for taking the time to answer my question.

Glad that it was a straight-forward problem.
Which to my suspicious mind raises the question of why do they have Windows and Mac clients? I suspect those clients are up to no good.