I know, its like they rape you at these places.
So is this how I should set it up?

1) Plug ethernet cable into AE or my Macbook first?
2) If I plug into AE, then I should be able to pay the fee the one time,
and then the other laptop and iphone will just be able to connect, without paying any fees, correct?
3) I want to use the bridge conntect, right?

Thanks.

Plug it in to your AE, then do your #2.

I don't know what the bridge thing is...you just want it to behave like an ordinary wireless router.

Thanks to those who responded to my original question. I got the AE and just set it up and it works fine for what I needed.

Depending on how the hotel network is set up, bridge mode may not work when you try to connect additional devices. However, for just one device it should work fine.

You will only be charged once... The hotel system will only "see" your AE Mac address... The AE manages all the data exchanges with the hotel system.

I do this all the time and find it to be very practical... Most of the times, I share the connection with 2 laptops, 4 iPhones & 1 Nintendo DS...

I think the point was 7 or 8 pounds is a more reasonable price for internet, unless that is for a multiday stay.

I was wondering if there is anything that can connect *to* a wireless connection and again share this connection via it's own access point - I guess there would be interference, but maybe if the unit would switch to unused frequencies in the area it could be possible...

Well, that is what WDS mode is designed for. However, it requires configuration on both access points.
You could have a device in bridge mode connected to another device serving as a router, if you wanted. I'm not aware of any single device solutions.

You can't do this with just one antenna-radio. The disconnect lags while you switched between networks would be impossible.

the linksys wtr54gs can (not to be confused with the wrt54gs) and it works quite well. however, it looks like it has been discontinued. the only drawback is that it can only connect to open wifi networks, which is rarely a problem if one is using it to rebroadcast a public wifi hotspot.

by open, you must me with no encryption. It DOES connect fine to authenticated networks fine, than then can share that connection. I do this all the time.

right. the wifi network cannot have a pass phrase. once connected, you can authenticate in whatever system is in place.

I just got an Apple AirPort Express a couple of weeks ago, and it is an amazing product!! Staying in a fully wired hotel in FTW, this has turned my room into a wireless hub for my MacBook Pro, my locked-down useless work laptop, my iPhone, etc. Couldn't be easier to configure.

I give this a huge thumbs up! ^^^^^

I just came back from a 2-week stay in Japan. It was my first notebook-less trip, experimenting to see if I could travel lighter with only my Samsung Omnia II (similar to iPhone). Prior to my trip, I purchased an AirPort Express and configured it (with the help of an Apple Tech) in the Bridge mode with WPA security. In my Tokyo hotel room with free LAN connection, AirPort Express connected without a hitch and my Omnia II immediately found the wifi. I opened a browser and the hotel�s page came up, allowing me to �enter� the internet connection. This Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo had an Ethernet cable in the desk drawer but, to be safe, I carry a self-winding travel wire. It was much cheaper to make phone calls with Skype Mobile this way ($0.02 per min) than the hotel phone or a rented mobile phone that I carried for emergency ($2.50 per day plus $0.85 per min; incoming calls are free). And it was faster than the Japanese mobile internet connection (I purchased the Verizon Global Data Package but I couldn�t get the 3G connection in Japan, only 1G).

By the way, I bought a SkyLink in Tokyo for $35 which is also a portable wifi converter. It�s smaller and lighter and worked fine unsecured, but it seems to need a computer in Japan to configure the WPA security. So far, it does not work in the U.S.; thus I cannot to set up the security.

I've been doing this in the 3 hotels I've stayed at since I bought my Airport Express. I've got my iPod Touch, Blackberry and Laptop. Every time, in every hotel, for each device, it asks me to log in to the hotel's system (which appears to be recognizing each device as a new connection...Not 'instant internet' like I get at home).

Any advice what I'm doing wrong? I bought the thing to dodge ridiculous internet fees X 2 or X 3/day. Two of the hotels, I did have 'free' internet due to Hilton status, but still had to log into the system, so I don't know if I would have been charged or not. The third hotel, I got leery and never connected my BB or my iPod, as I didn't want to take the chance of double internet charges.

I've got an 8-night stay coming up next week at a property where I will have to pay for internet daily, and I'm rooming with someone else who will want access...So it's potentially 4X internet charges daily.

Thanks for any input. I'm not very tech savvy...I posted the question in the Apple forums like 3 weeks ago and no replies...And my search didn't yield much either.

Try reading this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread....ageID=12088952

You want the double NAT thing. In that mode, the router should hide everything behind it.

I had mine setup that way, but stupidly responded to the double NAT warning at one point.

If that doesn't work, you might have to go with bridge mode, and in that case, the hotel will see each device.

-David