BT Hot spots conection (1 Viewer)

Nov 18, 2011
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ok folks might be a stupid question but if you are connected to someone's BTWifie-with FON can they se you are connected and do you get full speed
or are you restricted
bill
 

Silver-Fox

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im a not so newbie
ok folks might be a stupid question but if you are connected to someone's BTWifie-with FON can they se you are connected and do you get full speed
or are you restricted
bill


No can't be seen.
Its not part of their "allowance" so you will get what ever the speed is on that line.

Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong :)

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Oct 29, 2016
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Might need password to get onto it, if they have set their security access codes up correctly you would need to know it.
Les
PS: where have you decided to go in the van over Xmas? as I know Normandy is off due to your hospital appontment. Good luck hope all goes well, the cameras are a lot smaller thesedays thank God!
Les
 
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Wildbill
Nov 18, 2011
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Might need password to get onto it, if they have set their security access codes up correctly you would need to know it.
Les
PS: where have you decided to go in the van over Xmas? as I know Normandy is off due to your hospital appontment. Good luck hope all goes well, the cameras are a lot smaller thesedays thank God!
Les
its the BT HOT SPOT les were just staying at home lost another tooth today just dropped out
but got full head of hare no teeth lol
bill
 

Lenny HB

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Their network has priority so if they are streaming your speed will be quite slow.
Also your speed will be quite slow as you will be some distance from the router you are connecting to. Wireless connection speeds drop off fast as the distance increases.

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Wildbill
Nov 18, 2011
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Their network has priority so if they are streaming your speed will be quite slow.
Also your speed will be quite slow as you will be some distance from the router you are connecting to. Wireless connection speeds drop off fast as the distance increases.
At the moment am probably closer than they are I am next door and there rooter in on the other side of the wall trying out my new BT connection through hot spot will go on my own in a bit
bill
 
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Wildbill
Nov 18, 2011
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Their network has priority so if they are streaming your speed will be quite slow.
Also your speed will be quite slow as you will be some distance from the router you are connecting to. Wireless connection speeds drop off fast as the distance increases.
Thing is if connected can they see you are connected to ther hub it will be handy when away from home
bill
 
Feb 27, 2011
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ok folks might be a stupid question but if you are connected to someone's BTWifie-with FON can they se you are connected and do you get full speed
or are you restricted
bill

Generally no, the owner of the hotspot cannot see who is connected nor can they see what you are viewing. HOWEVER!!!!
This because most hotspots are operated by owners who do not understand the tech involved. It IS possible to snoop on the connection and it IS possible to see what the user is viewing (with some restrictions).

My advice;
Assume that any hotspot is operated by someone suspect. Use a VPN if using a hotspot you don't trust OR do nothing that requires a password or passes information you do not want in someone elses hands. If this is not possible use your phone or MiFi to access the internet. This is not perfectly secure but for most intents and purposes absolutely safe.

I never use WiFi for banking unless it is a trusted hotspot.

On the speed front, I can't answer with absolute conviction but I do believe that your data rate is restricted to prevent you impacting the owners connection. I would presume there is some variability so that if the owner is not using it you get a faster connection. By this I mean the hotspots owners data will get priority and if they are using heavily your use would be impacted.

These are just my opinions.
 
Jun 17, 2012
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When I lost my 'phone line one evening I logged on to my neighbour's Hot Spot, it's known as FON isn't it?
Contacted BT on chat and reported the fault. Engineer nearby the next morning so fixed my fault as he was around!
If you are not on unlimited Broadband your use on a Hot spot comes off your allowance !
 
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Wildbill
Nov 18, 2011
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Generally no, the owner of the hotspot cannot see who is connected nor can they see what you are viewing. HOWEVER!!!!
This because most hotspots are operated by owners who do not understand the tech involved. It IS possible to snoop on the connection and it IS possible to see what the user is viewing (with some restrictions).

My advice;
Assume that any hotspot is operated by someone suspect. Use a VPN if using a hotspot you don't trust OR do nothing that requires a password or passes information you do not want in someone elses hands. If this is not possible use your phone or MiFi to access the internet. This is not perfectly secure but for most intents and purposes absolutely safe.

I never use WiFi for banking unless it is a trusted hotspot.

On the speed front, I can't answer with absolute conviction but I do believe that your data rate is restricted to prevent you impacting the owners connection. I would presume there is some variability so that if the owner is not using it you get a faster connection. By this I mean the hotspots owners data will get priority and if they are using heavily your use would be impacted.

These are just my opinions.
thanks bud never know who's connection I will be on when away it will manly be for brushing and surfing the net bit of you tub for jay but I don't do internet banking
and anything i buy will be on my phone wouldn't mind someone hacking my bank account they might feal sorry for me and deposit sum money
bill

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Wildbill
Nov 18, 2011
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When I lost my 'phone line one evening I logged on to my neighbour's Hot Spot, it's known as FON isn't it?
Contacted BT on chat and reported the fault. Engineer nearby the next morning so fixed my fault as he was around!
If you are not on unlimited Broadband your use on a Hot spot comes off your allowance !
unlimited
bill
 
Jan 17, 2014
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I've used BT FON for some time now when away from home. Within the UK you can log in with your normal BT account user name and password which may be different to that set-up when your broadband was installed I find that when abroad I need to use my BT email address name and password.

I guess the above may not make sense so let me put it like this. I changed my BT account contact email name and password to match my normal email account which is with a different ISP. This one works with FON when in the UK but outside the UK accessing other carriers FON application needs my @btinternet email address and the password set-up with it when I took up BT broadband.

Many folks say that they cannot get access to European FON carriers but I have always found that if I can translate the operator's front-page I find a link that gives access to a sign-in page for FON users. The following page is useful if you have problems

You may have guessed that I have an 'iboost' from Motorhome wifi which does give a reasonable extension of the reception distance but is very dependent on the lack of obstacles between the access point (router) and your location. Due to my own stupidity I managed to 'default' the set-up of the iboost last year but Adam at Motorhome wifi was kind enough to re-load his software on it for me for minimum cost.

Rod
 
May 7, 2016
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I use BT hotspots/fon a lot, with Solwise kit (similar to Motorhome wifi). Usually get 2 or 3 mbps download but sometimes as high as 10 mbps.

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Oct 29, 2016
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its the BT HOT SPOT les were just staying at home lost another tooth today just dropped out
but got full head of hare no teeth lol
bill
Put it under your pillow tonight Bill, I dont believe in Santa, but the tooth fairy never lets me down:)
Les
PS have a great Xmas, we might be up in Ayrshire if all goes OK.
 
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Wildbill
Nov 18, 2011
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Put it under your pillow tonight Bill, I dont believe in Santa, but the tooth fairy never lets me down:)
Les
PS have a great Xmas, we might be up in Ayrshire if all goes OK.
Let us know and we will met up if you pass this way
bill
 

pappajohn

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BT WiFi with fon requires you to log in with either a BT or fon password.

As a BT broadband customer a small portion of your bandwidth is reserved for public use via the WiFi of fon service.
It doesn't cost you, the customer, anything and in return for that little bit of bandwidth you get to connect to BT WiFi anywhere in the world with a BT WiFi service free of extra charge.... Allegedly, but you try to find a BT WiFi signal outside UK.

You, as the broadband customer, don't even know its happening.

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Lenny HB

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It doesn't cost you, the customer, anything
It does if you haven't got an unlimited broadband account. BT say Fon doesn't get logged on your account but it does they have no way of separating the data. A friend found out when he kept getting bills for going over his allowances. I did a few tests and confirmed any connection to his Fon was being recorded on his data usage.
He had a hell of a fight with BT to get his money back.
 
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Wildbill
Nov 18, 2011
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I
It does if you haven't got an unlimited broadband account. BT say Fon doesn't get logged on your account but it does they have no way of separating the data. A friend found out when he kept getting bills for going over his allowances. I did a few tests and confirmed any connection to his Fon was being recorded on his data usage.
He had a hell of a fight with BT to get his money back.
I am OK unlimited
Bill
 
Oct 8, 2014
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I'm a newbie and always will be. You never know it all.
I rang BT last year re Fon abroad, the customer service told me it was no longer available outside the UK?

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Silver-Fox

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Fon was being recorded on his data usage.
He had a hell of a fight with BT to get his money back.

I didn't think you got FON unless you were unlimited broadband as you have to agree to yours being a hotspot to use other hotspots.

Everyday is a school day :)
 

Steve and Denise

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We have BT at home but have found their bt fon a total waste of effort if you are lucky to get any signal the speed is slower than slow.

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pappajohn

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It does if you haven't got an unlimited broadband account. BT say Fon doesn't get logged on your account but it does they have no way of separating the data. A friend found out when he kept getting bills for going over his allowances. I did a few tests and confirmed any connection to his Fon was being recorded on his data usage.
He had a hell of a fight with BT to get his money back.
As you have no option but to accept BTs terms on wifi with fon they can't charge you for going over, and you cannot opt out of the service.

Edit.....
You also log into fon or hot-spot using a different user name and password to the actual account holder of the router.
You would use the BT log in which would access your own account and simply use the hotspot as a sort of relay router.
Many BT hotpots are cafes etc, they aren't going to be facing bills of thousands or get throttled to dialup speeds for unfair usage even with unlimited BB packages.

I think your mate tells porkies.
 
Last edited:
May 7, 2016
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We use a a lot of CLs and CSs, most of which do not have wifi. More often than not I can pick up BT wifi from a neighbouring cottage or farm. Sometimes it might be half a mile away and does not register on my phone or pad directly but with a directional 12DB aerial feeding a 12v router, or laptop running Connectify, I can set up my own wifi network for pads and phones. The kit I use is here:
https://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-odupanel-12db.html
https://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-usbwifirpt-3000a
When out and about my phone will often pick up BT wifi. With iPhone and ios I can also log into BTwifiX which is often a stronger signal and gives a better download.
 

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