I stayed in a Hyatt this week that charged a wireless Internet connection per device as opposed to the usual room charge. This was really irritating as I had my work PC and iPad with me, didn't really fancy paying $35 a day to get both on the Internet.

So, how does the hotel track device? I'm guessing it's by MAC address so if I downloaded one of the numerous utility that lets me spoof my MAC address on the laptop, could I have got around this?

I had this happen at a Hyatt also. I told the Front Desk lady that I used different browsers for work and personal material for levels of security and they removed the second charge for my iPad.

Mac address usually.

There's countless threads about spoofing the mac address or using a travel router to get around the per device fee.

I was at the Intercontinental in Buenos Aires and using my otherwise reliable ASUS wl-330ge router connected to the hotel's wireless LAN to create my personal hotspot. This configuration in countless other hotels to hook up multiiple devices.

However, in this hotel, I had to accept the charge through a browser based gateway and for re-connecting (say after a period of inactivity), had to click on an 'existing user' button. The moment I tried to connect with a second device (let alone a third one), the first connection would drop.

What's up and how does one overcome this? BTW, the hotel uses a 'Nomadix' package to control access.

It looks like they are using a cookie to track which computer logged in, so when you connect using another device they instantly know it's a different one, even if the MAC address shows up as the same.

If you have a Macbook then you can set it up to share an internet connection with other devices. This should overcome the issue.

Thanks for the answers, I'll go better equipped next time.

Isn't this essentially stealing from the hotel?

Suppose a hotel offers a continuous buffet. Now suppose for whatever reason they implemented a system whereby they sold you a ticket that was valid for a single sitting. Would you attempt to use that single ticket for multiple sittings if someone told you how to do it?

Now replace ticket with MAC address/cookie and buffet with internet access and multiple sittings with multiple devices, etc.

It seems that the hotel has made clear the terms under which they are going to sell internet access and if you agree to those terms by paying for the service then shouldn't you abide by your agreement?

(Please note, I am playing devil's advocate on this issue as I travel with multiple devices that may require internet access especially when I travel with my gf.)

You can make the argument. It really depends on your opinion about the ethics of these click through contracts of adhesion. For years they were unenforceable in the US, then Congress plied by a ton of money decided other words.

In many cases, the situation is more like a buffet charging you for two meals because they have a policy buried in the fine print that if you take a new plate, it is a new meal. When you flip your meal ticket over and look at the 8 point blue on blue background print, you see something written in legalese saying:

"XYZ Hotel's unlimited buffet trips policy is subject to limitation in the sole discretion of management and does not create a right, license, or guarantee of a right to remain. Licenses may be revoked at any time for any reason. These include excessive noise, offensive behavior, public drunkenness, or public displays of sexual or morally offensive conduct. Additionally multiple consumption fees may be levied based on management's determination of excessive or unfair usage. Considerations involved in making this determination include, but are not limited, to excessive portion consumption, unreasonable utensil utilization, and/or lingering, or loitering. Again, these polices lie in the sole discretion of management"

When you attempt to cash out, you get the double bill.

What happens with your question next year when Windows Metro comes out and you screen detaches in tablet configuration powered by a different chips? Is that two connections or one? What about a Mac booting off bootcamp in Windows and Macintosh configurations?

If you're running Windows 7 on a PC, download Connectify and setup your own local hotspot. I systematically do this in hotels to avoid the kind of problems the OP had.

I use and like Connectify to the extent that I purchased the paid version. I also use MyWi on my jailbroken iPhone in wifi only mode. It will split the wifi connection much like MyWi, but gives me the luxury of using my iPhone throughout the hotel over VOIP and sharing the connection when I get back to the room.

Thanks for that, will give that a go

This practice is probably due to the inability of hotels to keep up with changing user habits.

Ten years ago most hotels offered free internet access and really didn't care how you used it. This is because 1) security wasn't as big of an issue to them and 2) not as many people were using the internet. The infrastructure most hotels put in place were akin to the home networks many of us use.

Now most of the traveling world uses the internet on multiple devices, and their simple networks are crumbling. They have to invest in more robust equipment, and they pass the cost on to consumers that use the service.

The mac address process is a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable fact that their networks cannot handle the bandwidth.

My advice is to give your business to hotels that align with your expectations.
For instance, I ask at booking and will not stay in a hotel that has this "nickel and dime" type practice.

I would argue that internet access fees are really for the person. "I" am paying for access. It should not matter how I choose to access the internet, but "I" have 1 ticket to consume, just like the buffet.

An equal comparison might be if the buffet limited me to how much I could eat, or in what order I eat, or how many plates I use.

Again I understand the terms of service spell this out in language that doesn't support my comments. For me the solution is to either have the hotel waive these fees up front, or find another hotel to stay in. It is much more honest than trying to setup personal wifi networks and "steal" access (as the hotel would see it).

Depending on the specific TOS imposed by the property, this is anything from a big nothing to theft of services (or it's equivalent in each jurisdiction) and no different than hooking up extra unpaid devices to cable, etc.

As a business matter, the day has long passed that hotels ought to be charging for Internet access, anymore than they ought to charge (extra) for hot water or a lamp.

But, it's certainly up to each property to determine its own business model and apparently some believe that they do better overall (people pay more and don't jump elsewhere) by charging and/or charging per device.

Not sure where you were staying 10-years ago, but the hotels I was staying at sure charged (and still do).