Evade the time limit!

Tired of having no connection while having lunch at Panera? Here's your complete guide to getting around the 30 minute wifi lockout.

Overview of Security Measures

Panera's proxy servers have two measures to attempt to track your computer: a table of MAC addresses identifying your hardware, and a browser cookie identifying your browser. Good news: both of these measures are defeatable!

The way you defeat these measures is different from system to system. The sections below will describe the different methods of changing your MAC address on various systems and deleting your cookies on various browsers.

Step 1: Change your MAC Address

Each network interface device on your computer (wifi, ethernet, etc.) has a different MAC address. This address, also called an ethernet or physical address, is used by the internet protocol (IP) to route information to your IP address. It is "baked in" and stays with your computer from network to network. Panera uses this address to identify your computer and prevent you from staying on their network for more than the alotted time.

Good news though: you can change your wifi card's MAC address so Panera's proxy servers think you are someone else! Below is a method to change your MAC address for each operating system. Just follow the instructions for your system!

Windows 7

To change your MAC address on Windows 7, go through the following steps:

  1. Disconnect from and unlearn the Panera network
  2. Go through the following dialogs: Control Panel->Device Manager->Wifi Network Adapter->Adv.->Network Address
  3. Change a couple numbers in the box to any other numbers, leave the first two as 0
  4. Apply the properties and continue to Step 2

Windows XP and Windows Vista

To change your MAC address on Windows XP and Windows Vista, go through the following steps:

  1. Disconnect from and unlearn the Panera network
  2. Go through the following dialogs: Control Panel->Network and Dial-up Connections->Right Click Wifi Network Adapter->Properties
  3. More dialogs: General->Configure->Advanced->Network Address (or Locally Administered Address)
  4. Change a couple numbers in the Value box to any other numbers, leave the first two as 0
  5. Apply the properties and continue to Step 2

Mac OS X

To change your MAC address on Mac OS X, go through the following steps:

  1. Open the Terminal App: Finder->Applications->Utilities->Terminal
  2. Enter: ifconfig -a
  3. Find the entry other than lo0 that has an inet address. (for me it is en1)
  4. Turn Airport Off
  5. Unlearn the Panera network: Wifi button in top right->Open Network Preferences->Advanced->Select PANERA->Click the minus symbol->Ok->Apply
  6. Turn Airport On, but do not connect to PANERA
  7. Enter the following, changing en1 to your device's identifier from 3. and changing any numbers in the address besides the 0s to any others: sudo ifconfig en1 ether 00:11:22:33:44:55
  8. Continue to Step 2

Linux

To change your MAC address on Linux, go through the following steps:

  1. Open a terminal window
  2. Enter: ifconfig -a
  3. Find the entry other than lo0 that has an inet address. (for me it is en1)
  4. Disconnect from and unlearn the Panera network (do not disable or turn off the wifi device)
  5. Enter the following, changing en1 to your device's identifier from 3. and changing any numbers in the address besides the 0s to any others: sudo ifconfig en1 ether 00:11:22:33:44:55
  6. Continue to Step 2

Step 2: Delete your Cookies

Cookies are a more commonly understood way of tracking your computer. Almost all websites use cookies to store an identifier on your computer to keep track of who you are. Websites use cookies to keep you secure while logged in, target you with advertisements, and many more uses. Panera added an additional means of tracking your time limit via a cookie the proxy server gives your browser.

Good news once again though: it is trivial to delete the cookies in your browser and prevent Panera from keeping track of you! Below is a method to delete your cookies for each of the most common browsers. Just follow the instructions for your system!

Firefox

To delete your cookies in Firefox, go through the following steps:

  1. Insure all Panera windows are closed and you are still disconnected from the Panera network
  2. Follow the dialogs: Tools->Clear Recent History...
  3. Select only the Cookies check box
  4. Click the Clear Now button and proceed to step 3

Chrome

To delete your cookies in Chrome, go through the following steps:

  1. Insure all Panera windows are closed and you are still disconnected from the Panera network
  2. Follow the dialogs: Wrench Symbol->Preferences->Under the Hood->Clear Browsing Data...
  3. Select only the "Delete cookies" check box
  4. Click the Clear Browsing Data button and proceed to step 3

Internet Explorer 8 and 9

To delete your cookies in Internet Explorer 8 and 9, go through the following steps:

  1. Insure all Panera windows are closed and you are still disconnected from the Panera network
  2. Follow the dialogs: Tools->Safety->Delete browsing history
  3. Select only the Cookies check box
  4. Click the Delete button and proceed to step 3

Step 3: Reconnect to Panera

Now that you've successfully changed or deleted all identifying information, you're ready to reconnect to Panera! Keep in mind that if you reach another timeout, you must change your MAC address from any of the ones you have previously used. Enjoy your extra time and spread the word that you can do this!