Easy WiFi User Guide for Windows
Version 4.0.110, Updated 20-Dec-10.
Contents
What is Easy WiFi?
Getting Started
Using The Application
Settings
Using easywifi.com
Adding Your Own Providers
Requesting New Networks
Troubleshooting and Support
More Information
What is Easy WiFi?
Easy WiFi makes it easy to get connected to WiFi when you're mobile. Once you install Easy WiFi on your PC the application will log you into many WiFi hotspots automatically, without complicated steps or typing usernames and passwords in with your web browser.
By default you get free access to the Easy WiFi Network, which is one of the largest networks of hotspots all over the world with over 500,000 locations and growing fast! Easy WiFi allows you to extend this coverage with any WiFi accounts you may have (e.g a commercial provider like AT&T, Orange, or Softbank; or a university campus network), choosing from the thousands which Easy WiFi supports. You get fast, hassle-free access to your own personalized WiFi coverage.
Finally, Easy WiFi can be set to discover new hotspots and add them to the Easy WiFi Network, so that your use can expand the Network for everyone!
Getting Started
Download and install Easy WiFi from easywifi.com. The first time you start the app you need to create an Easy WiFi account. Provide an email address and choose a password. You need to be connected to the network to do this, as Easy WiFi will register your device with its web service. If you are setting up at a hotspot, ensure you log in manually first (later, Easy WiFi will do this for you!)
After setup, Easy WiFi will stay running in the "system tray". It notices when you are at an Easy WiFi Network location and will log you in automatically. You can Add Your Own Providers if you have any, to get automated access at their locations too.
Easy WiFi running in the system tray
Using The Application
While Easy WiFi normally runs quietly in the background, you can open up the application window by double-clicking its icon, or selecting the Open Easy WiFi menu command.
The main window shows your connection state (online/offline), and allows you to login and logout of networks.
Login is only useful if you've disabled auto login, but it can occasionally be used if a hotspot has logged you out.
Logout is enabled if the hotspot supports a logout function - it can be useful if you're using a commercial network and you're paying by the minute. (You can also disconnect, switch off WiFi, or simply walk away and most of these networks will stop billing you automatically).
Options allows you to access Settings or go to your online account at the Easy WiFi website.
Most of the time you will not use the application window as Easy WiFi works in the background, and everything is accessible by right clicking the Easy WiFi icon in the system tray.
Notification "popup" messages are shown from time to time from the system tray.
Settings
Settings can be accessed from the Options menu on the application window, or from right clicking the Easy WiFi icon on the system tray:
Auto Login: when enabled Easy WiFi will automatically log you into any networks in your account. If you disable this, you will need to initiate a login manually by using the Login menu command. You may wish to turn off auto login if you are roaming and want to be very deliberate in your WiFi usage.
Use the Easy WiFi Network: if you disable this, the app will not use the Easy WiFi Network and will only connect to your own personal hotspots.
Try New Locations: when enabled, and if Easy WiFi can't connect you to any of your hotspots, the app will examine and try to use any unknown open hotspot. If these work, the app will notify you (and, eventually, the new location may be added to the Easy WiFi Network).
Play Sound: a knock-knock sound is played when Easy WiFi has verified you are connected.
Auto Start: choose whether you want Easy WiFi to start with Windows.
Using easywifi.com
Much of the power of Easy WiFi is provided through interaction with easywifi.com. To access easywifi.com you can simply go there with a web browser or use the Easy WiFi Website menu command. You can sign in to your online account using the username and password you originally registered when you first installed the application.
The home page of easywifi.com shows the map of all the hotspots you can use in blue. You can access your account with the Account tab.
You can read more about the easywifi.com web interface here.
Adding Your Own Providers
You can add any WiFi accounts you may have into Easy WiFi with easywifi.com. These can be paid commercial networks you have a subscription to (eg AT&T), free networks you need to sign up for (eg Google), or community networks you belong to (eg a university network). Once added to your Easy WiFi account, Easy WiFi can log you into them automatically. And, when you're logged in at easywifi.com you will see the map update to reflect all of your network locations.
A new account only has the Easy WiFi Network. To add a provider:
- Sign into your account on easywifi.com
- Press Account and the My WiFi Networks page is shown
- Click on the add a network button to the right of my hotspot accounts
- Type in a few letters for your provider and Search
- Pick your provider from the list
- Type in your username and password and accept any T&Cs of the provider
- Click Add. You can add additional providers if you wish
Be careful when you select a provider: you only need to add the one you have an account with and NOT any roaming partners. Easy WiFi manages roaming relationships automatically.
If your provider isn't shown in the list, you can request we add it.
When entering your username, you will typically enter whatever you use to sign in on the web screen to login manually. This normally doesn't contain anything complicated. One large exception is AT&T where you must enter the domain name too (e.g. attuser@attwifi.com or attuser@sbcglobal.net).
Requesting New Networks
A unique feature of Easy WiFi is the capability for users to influence the networks which are supported. If you need support for a new network which is not in the list, you can capture the information and send it into us using easywifi.com/new-provider.
The procedure involves saving various HTML login pages with your browser and attaching them to the web form. The good news is that once we receive the correct information we can generally add support quite quickly. And, once it's added by one Easy WiFi user, it's available for all!
Troubleshooting and Support
Occasionally Easy WiFi will have problems logging in. Status and error messages may be shown through popups and on the main window. Some of them may come from the network operator and be quite cryptic!
No credentials: you have no account information that works with the network you are connected to.Login failed: you have incorrect credentials or they are no longer valid.
Easy WiFi support is forum based. You can interact with the Devicescape team and the Easy WiFi community at forum.devicescape.com. If you contact Support, you may need to provide the unique identifier (UUID) for your device. You can find that in the About menu command (click it to copy it to the Windows clipboard).
More Information
Easywifi.com contains a lot of information about Easy WiFi:
Download apps for various mobile devices
How Easy WiFi works
How to Use the Easy WiFi web interface
Frequently Asked Questions
To keep up with the latest happenings, you can read the Devicescape blog or use Twitter, or Facebook.