McDonalds Wi-Fi - Tested

Called 'Mc-Do' in Paris, I have to admit that I am not really a frequent customer and so I've never considered using their free Wi-Fi so far. However, last week I had a bit of time so I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't know what to expect so I didn't really expect much. The more was I surprised that access is granted without any kind of verification if you bought something or not, e.g. via a code on the receipt. The positive surprise didn't stop there as I got a downlink throughput of 5 MBit/s and even my PPTP VPN client could connect to my home network and ensured an encrypted connection via the unsecured hotspot. And I was not the only customer with a notebook / netbook in the restaurant I might add. By the way, the others had some food and drink on their table as well so it wasn't a free lunch, eh, Wi-Fi.

Comments

[Mobile Treasure Hunt]

Let me try using McDonalds wi-fi here in our place and let me check if I will be surprise then. Be back to you soon.

[Chris Vail]

80% of food and beverages sold at Starbucks (which also offers free wifi) is takeout, and I expect McDonalds would be similar. So, the free wifi is more about attracting people who otherwise would not visit McDonalds, who may become new customers. There is also the matter of "keeping up with Starbucks".