Of Wireless, iPods, and WiFly in Taipei

By Brian On January 7, 2009 · 10 Comments

Taipei has great wireless wifi coverage. And it’s not just limited to cafes and restaurants, either. Some providers, such as WiFly, have taken it upon themselves to set up access points all over the city, almost mirroring cellular access.

And that’s really cool if you have a portable device, such as a PDA, an iPhone (if you don’t want to shell out $$$ for data transfer), or like my iPod Touch.

But it also sucks, and here’s why.

Activation of an account is done via your browser. This is not a big deal if you’re using a notebook or netbook, but try navigating the web on a handheld device. WiFly does have a special activation page specifically for mobile devices, but the URL is very cumbersome…try typing it out on a mobile device. It’s just real inconvenient.
For non-Taiwanese unable to read Chinese (or with limited reading ability like me) it’s virtually impossible. There are NO instructions available in any other language then Chinese (although the Chinese-language instructions are detailed for each type of device). The activation page is also in Chinese, with no alternate languages available.

Are there solutions? Well, yes and no depending on your device. If you are using a Windows Mobile/WinCE-based PDA, WiFly has on it’s website a small application that allows you to bypass the browser activation route. Unfortunately, the application only comes in Chinese.

It’s better for iPhone & iPod Touch users. For US$2.99 you can get Easy WiFi, which also allows you to bypass the inconvenience of browser activation on a PDA. In addition, it works with many other pre-paid services around the world, making it an invaluble tool for travellers. Finally, it’s available in English.

As for PalmOS-based PDAs, I don’t know. Maybe someone can leave some pointers in the comments?

Oh, yeah…remember the best latte in Taipei? Tirns out they have free wifi, too. Not pre/post-paid like most spots, but simple walk-into-the-bubble-and-connect wireless.

Cool.

Another reason they keep getting my business.

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http://tomwalshphoto.wordpress.com Tom

The whole UO campus gets wifi. I can sit on the lawn and be on dA.
But the Starbucks about 100 feet off campus on 13th ave has that stupid T-Mobile wifi. You like even have to be a customer of T Mobile to get wifi.

So I get a coffee then go back on campus somewhere comfortable
But wifi all over the city? That’s pretty amazing.
I know Seattle had wifi busses, and I even thought that was a little over the top.
Brian

@Tom: It’s convenient, but it’s not really like cellular in that as you move, cell towers can hand you off to the next cell tower. WiFi access points aren’t like that.
Lifan

Hi! Can you make suggestions on getting wifi for my laptop and iphone while in Taipei? I don’t read Chinese, but I suppose I can round a up a relative to help me through that. ;-P
kaifu

I’m about to cave in and sign up for WiFly, since there doesn’t appear to be a (easy?) way to get GPRS support on pre-paid phone card. Since I’m only here for a month, getting a contract makes no sense. Thanks for the info Brian. FYI, handing off with WiFi is possible but messy. WiFi has still got a long way to go in catching up to the mobility provided by GPRS/3G, one major reason why I’m not a supporter of metro-wifi.
Joe M

Hey Brian,
Great article, thanks, very useful. FYI EasyWIFI is currently free on the Apple app store, at least for now. Get it while it’s hot! Haven’t signed up for it yet but my resistance is weakening … I’m planning on getting an iPad asap, at which point resistance will crumble completely.
http://www.photojazz.ws Brian

It may not work with WiFly anymore as since I wrote the article they’ve changed their authentication process. I haven’t tried with Easy WIFI it recently.

I think it’s free now because much of what it does (the auto-login on webpage-based authentication) has been part of the iPhone/iPod Touch OS since v3.0
annie

Hi Brian,

Is wifly still available for purchase as of now?
I am from Singapore and will be traveling to Taipei in November.
I am not intending to bring my laptop, but would like to bring my iPod touch to make use of wifi.
Will I be able to get free wifi access easily, or is it better to buy wifly access?
http://www.photojazz.ws Brian

@Annie Yes. WiFly cards are sold in 7-11 and Starbucks. WiFi at the airports free
Miki Duchsinger

HI Brian, am I correct that the card is only sold in 7-11 in Taipei City and not in other places?
http://www.photojazz.ws Brian

@Miki As far as I know, yes. It’s a deal made with WiFly…7-11s host the access points and in exchange they have exclusivity selling the cards.

Wait…Starbucks, too.

HOWEVER…

If you have a credit card you can always just logon to a WiFly access point and purchase a code & access directly from your device. They have custom pages for mobile phones & tablets, so you won’t have to squint to see a full webpage on your iPhone.

Hope this helps!