back to article BT deposits Wi-Fi in cashpoints

BT Openzone is set to expand further with a deal to put hotspots in cashpoints, forgetting for a moment that it's not a mobile phone network, and making maximum use of the unlicensed spectrum available to Wi-Fi. The latest deal is with cashpoint specialist Cashbox - suppliers of those stand-alone machines found lurking in the …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Lionel Baden 1

    not a bad idea.

    they should do it in phone boxes too ...

    oh wait i see what they did there !!!

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    BT Have just released their new advertising jingle

    It's a subtle remix of "Run Rabbit Run"...

  3. David Hicks
    Boffin

    One has to wonder if the day will come

    That there are so many of these that the available spectrum is flooded and there's no space for private, household devices any more.

    Still, I seem to get free access to these things through my mobile phone contract, so it suits me!

  4. John Chadwick

    Love to see....

    BT get this one past an accreditor, oh wait it's commercial, so lets see what attack vectors can our illustrious readers come up with.

    But I would guess it wouldn't be that difficult to break down the VPN separation, especially if you happen to be able to break into those switches & routers supplied. Beware students with laptops in the pub, they may not just be cheating in the pub quiz.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's the selling point going to be?

    For consistency with the cash facilities, they'll cost about £25 an hour to use, but with the tempter of free... umm, err, Openzone credit balance enquiry?!

  6. JohnG

    Spectrum (David Hicks above)

    I find it is already a bit crowded in the 2.45GHz range. It would be useful to see some more devices capable of 802.111a/b/g.

  7. andy gibson
    Unhappy

    Broadband connection?

    The one I used recently was on dial-up.

  8. Simon B
    Stop

    you just know it's gonna go security tits up!

    Soounds bad to me, you just know it's gonna go security tits up

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmm....

    I wonder how they'll get the link to the Internet? I assume, as the vast majority of these boxes are dialup, that they'll just stick an ADSL line into the back of them, that way you get unbreakable network separation and you don't need to change anything in the ATM.

  10. Nic Brough 1
    Thumb Up

    Easy money!

    OoOoOoh, that's nice. Only last week I was reading about ATMs that have been so compromised that they hand over credit card numbers, CVV, PIN, expiry dates and inside leg measurements because they have a certain malware on them. Wireless probably removes the need for physical access to the machine to install the malware.

  11. William Towle

    Re: One has to wonder if the day will come

    > That there are so many of these that the available spectrum is flooded and there's no space for private, household devices any more.

    Might not be too far off; I found one place last year which was affected by the number of other routers still on default settings in the vicinity, and -despite also working out that their advice was wrong- that night's staff couldn't even be bothered to pretend they might inform management there's some sort of problem; I seriously considered not going back there (but I did, and presumably enough people complained that it got sorted eventually).

    ...I've also known people successfully use their local's free-access details to google problems with disfunctional home routers, so it's not all bad ;)

  12. Grease Monkey Silver badge

    @David Hicks

    Set up your domestic network on 802.11a. Most of your neighbours won't be using 11a nor will their doorbells, baby monitors and microwave ovens be up a 5GHz. If you have a a/b/g capable card in your mobile device then it will be easy to roam.

    The only problem with this scheme is that most of those dedicated APs supplied by ISPs don't support 11a. Of course it's because these devices are "free" and building in 11a functionality would cost. To get round this I use an 11g AP for my phone and 11a for data.

    Another advantage to 11a is that it doesn't penetrate as well. Many may consider this a disadvantage, but when you're in a congested area it's a good thing. I can see the 11g network two houses away, but if I'm in their house I can't see my 11a. You could of course achieve the same effect by reducing the power of 11g kit, but everybody is selfish and runs on max power.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Prices will go up...

    ... for any property within vacinity of a lat enight local corner shop or an off licence ... if there are any of either still left in business, that is.

    The maths doesn't stack up, though. You'll ahve to spend so much on wine and inflated food prices to keep said shops running, that you might as well just have your own DSL line anyway. But at least you'll be well fed and looking on life with rose coloured glasses.

  14. g e

    BWAHAHAHA!!!

    http://192.168.0.1/gimmeAllYourMoney.cgi

    Bring a binliner for yer swag. YARRRR!

  15. bobbles31
    Coat

    At what point.....

    does this become commercial use of the public spectrum and require the purchase of a licence by BT. They are effectively building for free what the mobile providers shelled out £22 billion for the privelage of deploying.

    Oh wait...this is BT what am I thinking, they don't break the law, they are one unto themselves.

    Maybe the cash machine will be linked into Phorm so that they provide really useful and worthwhile targetted adverts about what you should spend your cash on. I bet PHORM are in talks with the Cash Register owners to report back what you spent the money on too so that they can provide a better class of advert next time.

    (Oh come on, it wouldn't be a BT story without a PHORM angle)

    Yeah, yeah, the one with bitter and twisted on the back please.

  16. King Edward I

    I...

    ...used one of these the other day with a dial up modem (not muted either! Broiught bck old memories!) Hope they don't put this on that one!

  17. Loki 1
    Thumb Up

    Excellent!

    So while shopping in Sainsburys i can also now get my pr0n downloaded while i am there?

  18. EdwardP
    Pint

    Oh fantastic.

    I can have remote access to the box full of money?

    Now I don't have to bribe the shopkeeper to look the other way, I can just sit outside with a laptop and a bad attitude.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like