NOTE TO MODS: Though this question involves a game system, it’s not about games and is rather a tech-support question about one of the features, so that’s why I put it here.
I cannot access the internet on the DSi from anywhere but home. I’ve tried from two or three places where there is free WiFi/unsecured connections, and I’ve had no luck. Here’s what happened earlier today (which is essentially the same thing that’s happened every time I’ve tried):
I’m at a place that offers free WiFi - in this case, Memorial Medical Center.
I click System Settings>Internet>Connection Settings>Connection 2 (Connection 1 is at home)>Search for an Access Point
Seven or eight possible access points emerge. Some have locked padlocks in front of them (I assume these are the secure ones), some have unlocked padlocks in front of them (I assume these are the unsecure ones). I find one that has an unlocked padlock and a green (green for “go”?) three bars. In this case, MHSGuest.
I get a prompt to save the settings. I save them.
I get a prompt to run a connection test. I run the connection test.
Twenty or thirty seconds later, I get an “unable to establish a connection” message and a six-digit error code, which is different each time (meaning, each time I try to connect to ANY access point, or even the same one twice).
It may not be anything you’re doing. The couple of times I’ve visited a hospital and tried to use their WiFi with a laptop, I kept losing connection. Luckily, one time with an incredibly long wait (someone I knew was in surgery) they had a hard-wire connection and I was able to surf and check email.
I had a dickens of a time getting set up for the ethernet cable connection, so they probably have some stupid network setting you can’t customize on your DSi.
Hopefully, someone here will have an actual answer for you.
Most free Wi-Fi uses some sort of RADIUS-like authentication system that involves a web browser – to make life more difficult for everybody involved (and keep track of usage, I suppose). You connect to a network, and get an IP address, but until you fire up your browser, all connections are redirected to the authentication server. When you try to go anywhere using the web browser, it will redirect you to the server where you have to click “I Agree” or some-such. This is usually horrendously implemented and barely works with anything other than a PC. This is probably what you are encountering – the DSi can connect, but when it tries to connect to the Internet the connection test fails because you haven’t clicked “I Agree” or some such on the web based portal. It’s possible that this is something you won’t be able to do on the DSi.
If the DSi has an http client, then maybe he’ll be able to use the same redirection.
In other words, don’t worry about the “Test Connection” piece. Just set it up, and start your DSi’s browser. See if you get a screen of some kind that asks you to register with the local WiFi system somehow.
So you’re saying to start simply by opening the browser and going from there? Or to go through all the hullaballoo up until the “test connection” part and then try to open the browser?
Both ways sound promising. I’ll give it a try the next time I’m paged to the hospital (hopefully it won’t be tonight). Thanks.