I know that on my Android devices, as soon as I connect to an open Wi-Fi hotspot that has one of these, the device will actually ask me: “Hey, there’s a page here you need to see before you can use the internet. Many devices have become very good at detecting when this interstitial happens. Ideally you should get through to the open internet in a few clicks.
This is the place where you have to check a box to accept the terms and conditions, and maybe enter an email address, before you’re allowed to access the internet. The first time your device connects to the internet at one of these hotspots, you’ll be routed to the hotel’s (or restaurant’s, or café’s) “interstitial” page. It’s a legal issue: they need to cover themselves in case people misuse or abuse their service and somehow hold them liable for it. Many providers of free, open hotspots force you to agree to terms of service before they allow you to access their internet.
