Mcdonalds wifi how does it work

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Last updated on November 10, am. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Select the red Get Connected button. Open a new tab in the browser and visit any website you like. The internet connection stays active for as long as you need it. You can also connect to McDonald's free Wi-Fi network with your mobile devices. Using an Android, you can connect using the following steps. Open Settings and select Wi-Fi.

You'll see a Connected status when it's connected. Open a mobile web browser, and it automatically opens the McDonald's Wi-Fi connection page. Using your iPhone, you can connect using the following steps. Select Get Connected to finish your connection to McDonald's free internet. Curious just how good a free internet connection could be? Well, McDonald's Wi-Fi is surprisingly good. During our network tests using the Fast.

Results from this test showed that this particular McDonald's Wi-Fi internet network had the following characteristics:. This means that while you're eating a Big Mac or chicken nuggets, you can stream a Netflix movie without any lag. Also, McDonald's restaurants are family-friendly.

So, McDonald's internet provider, TelstraClear, has built-in features to protect customers from inappropriate or dangerous content. If you attempt to access any of the following types of websites, you can expect to find that the site is blocked or inaccessible:. Even though there are filters, most any website you need to access to read the news, watch movies, or conduct online business through cloud services or a VPN link will work fine. Restart both the router and the phone.

Once both devices are available forget the Wi-Fi connection from your phone then connect to it again. Resetting the network settings is also recommended in this particular problem. Share a mobile connection by tethering or hotspot on Android. Sharing a connection this way is called tethering or using a hotspot. The main difference is that Bluetooth is primarily used to connect devices without using cables, while Wi-Fi provides high-speed access to the internet. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that is used to exchange data over short distances less than 30 feet , usually between personal mobile devices.

But not for long. Jack in the Box is rolling out free wireless at its stores. Carl's Jr. Independent franchises have been setting up their own hotspots for years.

McDonald's has Wi-Fi competition and most of it is free. How else can you connect? What kinds of problems might you encounter on McDonald's Wi-Fi network? Unless you're out in the boonies, inside a Wal-Mart or visiting a hold-out franchise, you're likely to find wireless Internet at the next McDonald's you visit.

Browsing to any web page brings you here. You must pick a way to connect before you can surf where you please. Once connected, call up any web page. Instead of visiting that page, your web browser pulls up the McDonald's Wi-Fi welcome page. From here, you need to decide how to you are going to get on the Internet.

Select the "Connect" button just below the McDonald's logo for a complete menu of choices. The next section takes you through these choices, including the possibility of free access to McDonald's Wi-Fi. McDonald's offers six choices for getting on the Internet. Choose wisely and you may get on for free.

The number of ways to connect to the Internet at McDonald's is almost bewildering. Additionally, some franchises work differently and are more generous with their Wi-Fi than the corporate-owned stores. This section helps you wade through your options: Free , single use and subscription. There are a number of ways to get on McDonald's Wi-Fi for free. Some McDonald's locations don't even charge. Some devices have free McDonald's Wi-Fi built in. 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.