Is Starbucks incompatible with DS WiFi?

[vertigo]

Was checking out the deal with Starbucks' WiFi, I don't hang out there but when my g/f wants to go when we're out I go in of course.
Their leaflet says that their hotspot is public and that WEP should be disabled.
Does this mean that the DS can't do it, as you need a WEP key to get in, or am I misinterpreting Nintendo's instructions?

Also, what is a hotspot not?

[NeilMcRae]

it should work fine as long as starbucks are part of the nintendo freebie...

[Pij]

You dont need a WEP key for the DS, as i dont use WEP at home, i lock it down by MAC address instead.

[Briareos]

I tried a 'bucks with no luck. I think the deal is just with Costa as far as Coffee shops go?

[babs]

The deal is made with the shops' wifi providers, not the shops themselves. So for example, Coffee Republic use BT Openzone, which is part of the Nintendo partnership deal, which means you can use it free.

In *theory* you could use the DS on any hotspot (as long as it's not WPA protected). The problem comes in the way they're locked down, some use a small program downloaded to the client computer to authenticate etc., and obviously it's not possible to do that on a DS. And you'd have to pay for your time online.

If the hotspot you're near is run by BT Openzone or Cloud, it doesn't matter what shop is hosting it, you'll be able to use it.

[vertigo]

I don't believe Starbucks is WPA protected, they make no mention of security in their leaflet apart from telling you to configure your laptop for no WEP key and specifically tell you that the network is public and hence not subject to an encryption key or log-in, so presumably it should work even if they're not part of the stupid deal, as far as I can tell that's just a guarantee that it'll work. Thanks chaps.