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Save money on wifi using user agent switching

cld.sg

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Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#71

Post by dfc »

allenbrunson wrote: post #54
dfc wrote: post #19

Ugh, a bit.ly link? Can someone change the URL to point to the actual address of the page? http://viktorpetersson.com/2011/09/25/how-to-get-50-discount... I love that people get up in arms about the change to google's privacy policy but have no trouble funneling traffic through bit.ly and other link shorteners...

it is actually not a bit.ly link, which is unsurprising, because bit.ly links are banned here. try submitting one, it will immediately go dead. this is some other link shortening service, which the admins haven't gotten around to banning yet. but it's just a matter of time.

It actually is a bit.ly link. Did you do anything other than look at the URL before saying I was wrong?

I will help you out. What happens when you go to cld.sg? Or what happens when you append a plus sign to the link above?

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#72

Post by Drbble »

rb2k_ wrote: post #62

When I feel particularly nerdy, I try to go the DNS2TCP[0] or iodine[1] route. DNS is pretty much always open in those networks. [0] http://hsc.fr/ressources/outils/dns2tcp/index.html.en [1] http://code.kryo.se/iodine/

How does that work, when DNS always resolves to the paywall IP?

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#73

Post by orangecat »

Fizzer wrote: post #7
MattBearman wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The wifi network never asked him what device type he was using, it just made an assumption based on something as unreliable as a user agent string. How is it fraud?

He knowingly manipulated their device detection system. Yes, it's true their device detection system is trivial to manipulate, but that doesn't change the legality. If a bank forgets to lock their vault, you still wouldn't want to clean them out and admit to it on your blog.

Should it be illegal to use different browsers to see if the price changes on Amazon? http://brightviolet.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/amazon-coms-pri...

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#74

Post by pyre »

amirmc wrote: post #17
patio11 wrote: post #10

Word to the wise: "circumventing the access restriction was easy to do, Your Honor, so I assumed it was OK" is not something you ever want to have to say. There exist wifi systems where setting a cookie "paid=1" will save you $15. You might think there are no legal consequences for "writing a text file on your own computer." I strongly suggest not testing that.

Wasn't there a time when browsers would spoof each other? How is this so different? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_agent#Format Safari even has a 'Develop' menu that lets me switch user agents in 2 clicks (without having to install anything first).

I think the difference is knowledge and intent. He knew that they were using the User Agent string to differentiate iOS devices, and he used that knowledge to get a cheaper price. It would be different if he were randomly browsing the web with that User Agent for kicks, and didn't realize that he had gotten a deal.

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#75

Post by tripzilch »

darklajid wrote: post #58
CWIZO wrote: post #12

I'm looking forward to the day when I stay in a 100$/night hotel and I don't have to pay for my fricking internet. Every motel/hostel has it for free as it should. To me charging for internet (in hotels/resturatns) in 2012 is the same as charging for using the shower or lights.

I run iodine[1] on my server. Maybe it's illegal, maybe it's a grey area - I don't care. Here in Israel free wifi access is the norm, but in DE? They charge an arm and a leg. Switzerland (if we're talking about Swisscom anyway)? They are _insane_. The hotels already rip you off with prices like there's no tomorrow and charge for internet on top. I fire up iodine on my client. If it works: Great. The network was obvio…

> but in DE? They charge an arm and a leg.

Strongly depends on where you are, apparently. When I was in Berlin, there was free Internet all over the place. In our hostel, the hotel across the street, just about any coffee bar, pub, sandwich stand, pizzeria ... Sometimes you had to ask for a password, other times you could just connect, and other times you had to catch some air network from the place next door.

Or maybe that was just Berlin Mitte?

Though I went to some places near Cologne and I didn't have to donate a kidney to get online either.

Connectivity in the more rural areas can be pretty bad though.

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#76

Post by tripzilch »

sanswork wrote: post #22
CWIZO wrote: post #12

I'm looking forward to the day when I stay in a 100$/night hotel and I don't have to pay for my fricking internet. Every motel/hostel has it for free as it should. To me charging for internet (in hotels/resturatns) in 2012 is the same as charging for using the shower or lights.

Every motel/hostel that I've been to with free internet has ended up with internet so slow that its unusable. I'm happy to pay for it to be able to access at faster than dialup speeds. As for why they charge it's because they can. Their target markets are already paying a premium for a room so a small extra charge for internet isn't that much of a deal. People looking for the savings of a hostel are just as likely to…

That's what Opera Turbo is for.

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#77

Post by mindslight »

Gravityloss wrote: post #64
TylerE wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A restaurant offers a 25% discount to seniors (65+), but you're only 60. You copy your friend's AARP card, changing the name, and present the cloned card to receive the discount. Is this fraud?

Probably. It's interesting to think when a hack becomes a fraud or stealing.

When they get your identifying information and feel like hassling you.

The only immoral thing here is the wifi provider increasing the complexity of the transaction to extract as much money as possible. Should one be required to tell the supermarket their net worth so they can be charged "appropriately" for their food? Anonymity is the basis for a shared existence.

Two parties whose sole interaction consists of sending signals back and forth certainly don't need the outside law to mediate between them - if one party finds the relationship unfavorable, simply stop talking. It's a shame that people have been so brainwashed into thinking it's their responsibility to enforce someone else's desired business rules.

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#78

Post by icebraining »

darklajid wrote: post #58
CWIZO wrote: post #12

I'm looking forward to the day when I stay in a 100$/night hotel and I don't have to pay for my fricking internet. Every motel/hostel has it for free as it should. To me charging for internet (in hotels/resturatns) in 2012 is the same as charging for using the shower or lights.

I run iodine[1] on my server. Maybe it's illegal, maybe it's a grey area - I don't care. Here in Israel free wifi access is the norm, but in DE? They charge an arm and a leg. Switzerland (if we're talking about Swisscom anyway)? They are _insane_. The hotels already rip you off with prices like there's no tomorrow and charge for internet on top. I fire up iodine on my client. If it works: Great. The network was obvio…

If you think allowing unrestricted DNS is moronic, you haven't seen anything ;) One of our major ISPs has paid wifi networks in many cities here in Portugal, but they allow connections to any server on port 443 (HTTPS). You don't even need a server, there are free VPNs that use that port to ensure compatibility with more restricted networks.

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#79

Post by amirmc »

pyre wrote: post #74
amirmc wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasn't there a time when browsers would spoof each other? How is this so different? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_agent#Format Safari even has a 'Develop' menu that lets me switch user agents in 2 clicks (without having to install anything first).

I think the difference is knowledge and intent. He knew that they were using the User Agent string to differentiate iOS devices, and he used that knowledge to get a cheaper price. It would be different if he were randomly browsing the web with that User Agent for kicks, and didn't realize that he had gotten a deal.

I think that's a weak argument in this case.

It's not like the author 'cracked his way in'. He got a cheaper price because he learned something from a friend and tried an experiment, which worked. Using something you've learned to get a better price seems fine with me. Especially, if it's 'ok' for someone stumbling around with the wrong user-agent.

To me, it just feels like a form of arbitrage.

Re: Save money on wifi using user agent switching

#80

Post by icebraining »

Drbble wrote: post #72
rb2k_ wrote: post #62

When I feel particularly nerdy, I try to go the DNS2TCP[0] or iodine[1] route. DNS is pretty much always open in those networks. [0] http://hsc.fr/ressources/outils/dns2tcp/index.html.en [1] http://code.kryo.se/iodine/

How does that work, when DNS always resolves to the paywall IP?

Not always. The three captive portals I've tried resolved DNS just fine, but then redirected any HTTP requests to their web server instead.
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