Y5ZONE at Starbucks FAQ | Y5ZONE Singapore

General Information

What is Y5ZONE hotspot?
Y5ZONE hotspot provides Wi-Fi wireless broadband Internet service in public locations such as shopping malls, restaurants, fast food chains etc. Using either a notebook computer or Smartphone that is Wi-Fi 802.11b/g enabled, you can access the Internet at speeds faster than dial-up.
What do I need to access the service?
You will need two things to begin using Y5ZONE hotspots.

First, you will need a Wi-Fi enabled device (notebook computer or a Smartphone etc) with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g wireless capability. Your existing device may already have this capability built-in. If not, you can purchase a Wi-Fi 802.11b/g wireless networking card for most notebook computers or Smartphone from computer retail shops, major electronics retailers or direct from the manufacturer. When your device is wireless-enabled, you will need to set your SSID (or network identifier) to "Y5ZONE at Starbucks". Please refer to your wireless network card documentation for specific instructions on how to make this change.

Second, you will need a standard Internet-ready browser on any operating system. No additional software is required.
How does the service work?
Y5ZONE installs access points throughout each service location, which transmit a radio signal to a user’s Wi-Fi enabled device. Once connected to the “Y5ZONE at Starbucks” network, a customer launches their browser and receives a login page. After watching a quick 15 seconds ad, they are able to connect to the Internet for free.
Is the service free?
Yes the hotspot service is free. You are given 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi each time you login and you may login as many times.

Usage

System requirements for notebook computer and Smartphone users.
Microsoft Windows Based Systems
- Pentium III class 500 MHz (or higher) / IBM compatible PC or notebook
- Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP (SP2 or above)
- IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi compatible Wireless LAN Card
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or above
Mac OS Based Systems
- Mac mini, iMac, eMac, iBook, Power Mac and PowerBook or above
- Mac OS X or above
- 256 MB RAM
- Mac AirPort (IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Card)
Handheld Devices
- Windows Mobile 5.0 or above, Android 1.5 or above, Symbian S60 (3rd Edition) or above / UIQ 3.0 or above, Apple iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad and SONY PSP
- IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi compatible Wireless LAN Card
How can I know the quality of wireless connectivity between my wireless LAN card and the Access Point?
Your wireless LAN card should come with some utility programs that allow you to monitor link quality and signal strength. Please refer to the user manual of your wireless LAN card for details.Windows XP users may use Wireless Zero Configuration that is built-in with the Windows XP operating system.Centrino users may use Intel PROSet for Wireless that is shipped with the Centrino notebooks.
What will be the coverage of the wireless signal within the hotspot?
The wireless signal of the Access Point usually can cover users within 50m range in a closed environment. The data rate will drop as the user is further away from the access point and wireless signal strength becomes weaker.
What factors will affect the signal strength?
Signal strength will be affected if the wireless LAN card or Access Point is placed near metal surfaces and solid high-density materials. If there are obstacles in the radio signal path between the Access Point and wireless LAN card, radio signal may either be absorbed or reflected. The coverage will hence be decreased. In addition, other products that operate in the 2.4GHz radio spectrum, including microwave ovens and some cordless phones, may cause interference. As a result, please keep away from microwave ovens when you are using our service.
What wireless LAN cards are compatible with Y5ZONE hotspot?
Generally speaking, IEEE 802.11g / IEEE 802.11b /g and Wi-Fi certified wireless LAN cards are compatible with our wireless service.
I forget to logout before turning off my notebook or Smartphone. Am I already disconnected?
Turning off your notebook computer or Smartphone does not disconnect your connection; you will be automatically logged out after the 30 mins session.
My notebook computer is idle and gone into sleep mode automatically. Am I still connecting to the service?
Yes, you are still connecting to our service. After your device resumes from sleep mode, you should be able to access the Internet without going through the login procedure. If not, please restart your device and try again. However, if the 30 minutes session is reached, you need to login again before you can access the Internet.
My notebook computer or Smartphone hangs while I am using Y5ZONE hotspot. Should I re-connect after reboot?
No, you are still connecting to our service. After you restart your device, you should be able to access the Internet.
My connection to the Internet was lost. What should I do?
First of all, please check if you are connecting to a VPN. As some companies block access to the Internet after connecting to their VPN, otherwise, this situation is usually due to poor wireless connectivity between your computer and the Access Point. You may need to change the position in order to improve the link quality. If it still does not work, please restart your device and try again. Please note that you are not required to re-login after reboot.
I have a fixed IP address assigned to my wireless LAN card for my office LAN use. Do I need to change the setting to use Y5ZONE hotspot?
Yes, you cannot use Y5ZONE without changing your system IP setting. Please refer to the user guide of you wireless LAN card on how to configure to obtain IP addresses from remote server. For your own reference, please note down the original information before making any changes.
What do I have to change if I want to send / receive e-mail when using Y5ZONE hotspot at public access locations?
It is not required to change any configuration on the e-mail client to send / receive e-mail when using Y5ZONE hotspot.
Is Y5ZONE hotspot service secure?
Y5ZONE hotspot is secure, and however secure the system is, all data is sent as clear text between the user’s computer and the wireless router, unless the user is connecting via a secure protocol (https/ssl, secure pop3, etc.). Generally, this is how the Internet works. However, you should not need to worry as we have taken the necessary steps to ensure the service is secure. You may read our Privacy Policy for further details.

Troubleshooting

The web browser does not bring me to the login page. What should I do?
First of all, please check the SSID setting on your wireless LAN card. Make sure the SSID is set to “Y5ZONE at Starbucks” (all capital letters without double quote). Some wireless LAN card requires you to reboot your computer after network name change.

Next, check the quality of the wireless connectivity between your wireless LAN card and the Access Point. If the link quality and signal strength is low, you may need to change the position in order to improve the link quality. Some wireless LAN card allows you to install an external antenna. It can improve the link quality to some extent after installing an external antenna.

If the problem persists, please make sure your computer meets our minimum system requirements of the hotspot service.

Please make sure you have disabled the proxy server setting on your Internet Explorer by going to “Tools” menu” -> “Internet Options” -> “Connections” -> “LAN Setting”. Uncheck the checkbox of “Use a proxy server” and click then “OK”.

If it still does not work, check if your wireless LAN card is using a fixed IP address. If so, please configure your wireless LAN card, Gateway and DNS to obtain IP addresses from remote server. In some rare cases, the built-in LAN card of your notebook computer may interfere with your wireless LAN card. You may need to temporarily disable the built-in LAN card before you can use our service. To disable it, click “Start” -> “Settings” -> “Control Panel” to open the Control Panel. Next, open “System” from the Control Panel. Click the “Device Manager” tab and then double-click the built-in LAN card icon. Click “Disable in this hardware profile” and then click “OK”.