Travel Technology - How to share a hotel [paid] wireless connection

Traveling through Europe I have found that some hotels have free wireless, but some others charge up to 12 euros (!) for 24 hours.

My wife would like to share a wireless connection once I have paid for it. Is there any way to attach her laptop to mine so we can both be surfing at the same time? Is there any way for that connection between our laptops to be wireless?

You can usually use ICS Internet connection sharing in Winxp and vista. Connect via wireless, and then do ICS of THAT connection to your Ethernet connection, and then she will connect an Ethernet cable between the two computers and she will get a DHCP address served by your computer.

ICS is found under the networking connection, in the control panel folder, by connection type, under properties, click the ADVANCED tab.

I carry a cheap netgear or linksys portable travel router, which I use to make the initial connection and then everyone can use it,

You might want to review these threads for some helpful info:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=759360&highlight=travel+router
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=638459&highlight=travel+router
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=638459&highlight=travel+router
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=620742&highlight=travel+router

Guys, the travel router might not work because the initial WAN connection is wireless.

In that case a wifi bridge is needed first, then routed to a router.

So ICS is better than using a travel router in this case.

...

I carry a cheap netgear or linksys portable travel router, which I use to make the initial connection and then everyone can use it,

Help me understand how you do this. How does your travel router hook up to the wifi connection on the WAN side?

Traveling through Europe I have found that some hotels have free wireless, but some others charge up to 12 euros (!) for 24 hours..........

Honestly I have never seen it that cheap. Mostly European broadband is 20-40 euros/day in the hotels I have been in. Totally outrageous!

MisterNice

Thanks for steering me in the right direction.

I found this product
http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WTR54GS-Wireless-Travel-Speedbooster/dp/B000A1AQOO

It claims that you are able to share a 'hot spot' connection.

Has anyone used it? Do you think it would work in my application?

That's one of the best prices for that router in awhile.

That's one of the best prices for that router in awhile.

But will it do what I want?

But will it do what I want?

It works fine for me and works on 120v (or 240v with only a cheap flat plug to round plug adapter). Good luck.

MisterNice

But will it do what I want?I have the Linksys travel router and have used it to share public hotspots. It only hooks up to unencrypted Wifi nets.

This product seems to have better reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002Z45DQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

A quick reminder for all that the topic of this thread is how to share (paid) hotel wireless connections.

A quick reminder for all that the topic of this thread is how to share (paid) hotel wireless connections.

Can you explain what is off-topic in the thread?

The routers are meant for that very purpose....

The routers are meant for that very purpose....

Routers are perfect. But some previous posts took the discussion far away from the main topic.

Anything that helps someone share a wireless hotel connection with someone else is on topic.

If the OP is only sharing between him and wife, there is no need to get a router. Just get a Crossed LAN cable. (this is not the normal ones used to connect from PC to router, it is a specific PC to PC cable)

For the OP, you'll have to connect your laptop to the internet wirelessly. As mentioned in post #2, you'll need to enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) from your wireless device, to be shared via your Local Area Connection. When you do that, your Local Area Connection will automatically be set to 192.168.0.1 (IP) and 255.255.255.0 (Subnet mask).

Connect your wife's laptop to your own laptop with the Crossed Ethernet Cable. Your wife's laptop should be able to search for the IP without problems. But if there is a problem, you can set it manually at 192.168.0.x, where x can be anything between 2 and 254, subnet 255.255.255.0 and Default Gateway 192.168.0.1 (this is the important one).

Then if you click on Internet Explorer/Mozilla/your browser of choice you should have no problems surfing. :)

Or you could just plug the Linksys travel router into the wall. More secure, no wires, no ICS setup, and one of you sits at the desk while the other can hang out anywhere in the room...

Don't forget the conjugation of the verb "to stink."

ICS stinks
ICS stank
ICS has stunk

If you can't find a "crossed" cable, try "crossover."

Don't forget the conjugation of the verb "to stink."

ICS stinks
ICS stank
ICS has stunk

If you can't find a "crossed" cable, try "crossover."

Could someone please kindly clarify to me what the above post is supposed to mean?

Could someone please kindly clarify to me what the above post is supposed to mean?

Internet Connection Sharing is not a suitable replacement for a router. It can be fiddly to set up, it's flaky, it positively won't work with SafeNet based VPN clients and it requires your laptop be left on 24/7 to act as an access point. I will ALWAYS prefer the hardware solution vs. turning my ~$2k notebook into a $25 travel router. I've said it before and will say it again, the D-link DWL-G730AP is small enough not to make any sort of dent in a travel bag. If one doesn't want to carry the power brick, it can even be powered via USB. Of course the computer needs to be on for that too.

Linksys WTR54-GS does exactly what you want. It sits on one wireless network and routes it to another private one. My husband and I just got one and it works flawlessly. We can both use our laptops, our cell phone and our ipods all on wireless with only one paid connection.

The D-Link DWL-G730AP does not do that. you would need to have two of them connected with a wire to get the same effect.

And of course Amazon halved the price of the Lynksys 2 days after we bought ours. :(

Traveling through Europe I have found that some hotels have free wireless, but some others charge up to 12 euros (!) for 24 hours.

Wow, you are doing well - I can't remeber it ever being that little; I have usually had to pay E20+, and in one case 20 POUNDS.:td::td::td::td:

What really p***es me off is when you have to buy a card; although a rip-off, $30 is justifyable to expense if it lets me answer email. Whjat seems really bizarre that they make it so hard to buy their outrageously priced service ? Why can't I just enter my CC# and go ?

Newegg and Amazon reviewers have a slight preference for the d-link over the linksys. Any other views on which is better?

Linksys WTR54-GS does exactly what you want. It sits on one wireless network and routes it to another private one.
The users guide, page 12, figure 5-4: "You can only connect to a public wireless network that has open access"

This suggests that if your hotel has security on its wireless network, you can't use the linksys to share.

An Amazon reviewer confirms: "when using it to share a wireless connection, you can only use it to share an unsecure connection; i.e. it can't associate with a WEP or WAP access point."

You're past my knowledge :D

So, for, say, the typical Hampton Inn where you get a wifi code with your check-in packet for the free wifi does that mean that's WEP or WAP, or has the hotel simply set up a portal page through which you must authenticate?

And is my understanding correct that a) the Linksys product allows you to re-distribute a wifi connection wirelessly, but b) the D-Link product only allows you to set up a wifi network from a wired connection?

> So, for, say, the typical Hampton Inn where you get a wifi code with your
> check-in packet for the free wifi does that mean that's WEP or WAP,
No.

> has the hotel simply set up a portal page through which you must authenticate?
Yes.

> the Linksys product allows you to re-distribute a wifi connection wirelessly
Yes.

If the OP is only sharing between him and wife, there is no need to get a router. Just get a Crossed LAN cable. (this is not the normal ones used to connect from PC to router, it is a specific PC to PC cable)


almost none of this is necessary at all, certainly not the CrossOVER cable. Just enable the internet on ONE computer via WIFI, then setup ICS of THAT connection to the ETHERNET connection of that computer. Then, just connect a REGULAR ethernet cable from THAT computer to the second computer, and it will get DHCP from the HOSt computer. No cross over needed, most hotels with internet have ethernet cables you can use, I DO carry a single small cable for when I need this, or when I send a WIFI signal to my LINKSYS travel router to enable other people in the room to access the internet..

But, for this solution a crossover cable is not required, i've been doing without for several years.

But, for this solution a crossover cable is not required, i've been doing without for several years.

I'm guessing that you probably have auto-switching LAN cards in your laptops? In order to correctly connect two computers directly together without a hub or switch is to use a crossover cable.

And, to add to the group, I will heartily recommend the Linksys WRT-54G. I have one of these, and it's been a great little travel companion. Wireless bridge, wireless repeater, WAP, router, etc. - it just works.

nope, no auto switching LAN cards in my LT's, none that I know of. The whole point of the ICS, is that is mimic a regular DHCP server. So, OUT of my Ethernet jack, I am sending 192.xxx addresses. The Receiving computer just sees this as a router.

nope, no auto switching LAN cards in my LT's, none that I know of.If that's true, then it WOULDN'T work with a crossover cable. Which is unlikely. What model of laptops (source and destination machine) were you using?

many, dell lattitude XT, ibm thinkpad T41, T60p, T43, X1, X61s, X61t, macbook, macbook pro, linksys router, linksys travel router, netgear travel router, d-link hub

But, for this solution a crossover cable is not required, i've been doing without for several years.

This goes against everything I know about networking (but then I am hardly an expert on the matter! :D ). Apologize for getting techie here, but without a crossover cable, wouldn't the two computers be trying to transmit on the same wire?

I'm just trying to inform people about the fact of what works, which of course as noted above it does. Why not just give it a try.?

I'm just trying to inform people about the fact of what works..

What works is:

two normal Ethernet adapters with a crossover cable, or
at least one switching adapter with a straight cable.

Or, I guess one should say,

1. Any of the laptops, computers, routers or hubs listed above and a regular ethernet cable, and ICS

1. Any of the laptops, computers, routers or hubs listed above and a regular ethernet cable, and ICS

I can't quite grasp what you mean. Are you saying that any combination of the above components will communicate with one another over either a straight ("regular") or crossover cable? Because unless one of the nodes has a switching adapter, each device's transmitter will be looking at the other's, and it won't work.

But IFF one of the items has a switching adapter, that one will work with anything else. In my experience, not one device in ten will - unless you're counting hubs and switches that have an "upstream" port that's got the TX-RX pairs interchanged.

Have you ever used a crossover cable? To interconnect what?

1. Any of the laptops, computers, routers or hubs listed above and a regular ethernet cable, and ICSNot necessarily. Most of the devices you've listed (such as the newer Macs and the newer Thinkpads) have autodetect and they correct for your lack of crossover cable. And you only need one machine to autodetect. Congrats on having lots of recent gear! Try your two oldest machines on the list and you might not be so lucky. If the OP wants to use ICS, s/he should get a crossover cable.

Jinx! CessnaJock may no longer post until purchasing me a Diet Coke (or a crossover cable), or else he loses the jinx. These are the rules of jinx, and they are unflinchingly rigid. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinx_(children's_game))

What I am SAYING is, that I have used ALL of the above devices at one time or another and ONLY NON-CROSSOVER, REGULAR CHEAPIE, COMES IN THE BOX TYPE, HOTEL WOULD HAVE ETHERNET cables to do the connection between TWO OF THE ABOVE computers, using their ETHERNET PORTS (not sure if ANY are AUTO-DETECTING) to allow ICS to be shared from ONE of the above computers, to share with ANOTEHR COMPUTER, or ROUTER, or HUB or TRAVEL ROUTER.

I should add, that I have done the same thing just recently with my A20 from 2001, which I am not sure would have an AUTO-SENSING AUTO SWITCHING ethernet port.

I have not used a cross over cable, since about 2000, to connect multiple servers together via their ethernet ports, where ONE had a fiber channel connection and I could only share the network connectivity via the ethernet. ICS was a bit more difficult under Win 2K, but still doable.

That's all I can tell you people, :-)

For the benefit of anyone contemplating connecting two computers through their Ethernet ports:

If your setup doesn't work, check the cables first. The two computers you're using may need to be connected with a crossover cable. Maybe not. YMMV