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-   Travel Technology (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology-169/)
-   -   do any wifi transmitters allow multiple devices, without extra payments? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology/1292409-do-any-wifi-transmitters-allow-multiple-devices-without-extra-payments.html)

Mary2e Dec 18, 2011 5:54 pm
Originally Posted by gfunkdave (Post 17646666)
The Asus wl-330ge is a very popular travel router for this sort of application. It's about the size of a pack of cards. It's 802.11g/b only, however.
After reading about it here, I purchased one because my trendnet was driving me insane.

It was simple to use and both my husband and I were hitting it at the same time without any issue.

Dubai Stu Dec 18, 2011 5:54 pm
I register my iPhone and use MyWi (from the Cydia App Store) to rebroadcast the wifi signal. It can create a virtual AP and NAT the signal. You can even use a PPTP VPN once the iPhone is connected to hide what you doing a bit more or to fill the room with a virtual US connection. Just make sure you use the wifi only mode or you could have a rude surprise at the end of the month. I like this in foreign hotels because it means I can make VOIP calls throughout the hotel.

mikew99 Dec 18, 2011 6:35 pm
Originally Posted by Patrick B (Post 17651167)
Actually, the ASUS WL-330ge only repeats the existing signal; it doesn't create a second WiFi network (universal repeater mode).

So if you have poor WiFi reception in your hotel room, then universal repeater mode can help, BUT, the hotel / ISP may charge you for each device connected (some do, and some don't; I've experienced both).

Also, the Asus model can only operate as a universal repeater for WiFi networks that are unencrypted or use WEP encryption only. WPA or WPA2 are unsupported (in repeater mode).
Not sure what you are referring to here. I have and use the ASUS WL-330gE, and it definitely creates a separate WiFi network independent of any that it connects to. In NAT mode, the hotel sees only the router, and I've only ever received one charge. Supports WPA2 also. (See here for details.) The ASUS is a good choice, because it is often available for only $15 or so after rebate. Could it be a different router that you're thinking of?

cblaisd Dec 18, 2011 7:32 pm
Originally Posted by PTravel (Post 17651270)
I have a nice travel router, but there's an even simpler solution. Connectify turns your computer into NAT wireless router.
Uh, yes, that's true:

Originally Posted by cblaisd (Post 17647001)
If you will be connecting your laptop to the hotel's ethernet, and are running Windows 7, you could try turning your laptop into a hotspot:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post15593691
Yet again, ignore ends up not being helpful to other posters....

docbert Dec 18, 2011 7:56 pm
Originally Posted by mikew99 (Post 17651812)
The ASUS is a good choice, because it is often available for only $15 or so after rebate.
$23 at the moment after rebate on newegg.com, just in case anyone is looking...

Mountain Trader Dec 18, 2011 9:32 pm
Originally Posted by Patrick B (Post 17651606)
What you're looking at doing essentially requires two radios (one to act as client; one to ask as base-station). There are a few devices that can do this, but not usually in the same RF band (ie, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz). Items like the Apple Airport Extreme can do it, BUT it's obviously not as portable, and two, they generally don't act as a separate NAT device. IE, they simply would repeat the signal, and not create a private WiFi network for your use only.

Even with the "Extend Wireless Network" option or WDS option in Apple routers (Express or Extreme), I don't believe they allow you to create a separate DHCP pool and assign addresses from it. They're simply acting as layer-2 bridges between two WiFi radios (which appear as one network to the hotel / ISP). So you could be charged for each individual device.

Now, you could do it, but you'd need TWO access points to carry with you (and connect them via Ethernet cable).

Now, another option could be to get a USB WiFi key, plug it into your laptop, and share it that way. So one WiFi interface is connected to your hotel's WiFi network, and one WiFi interface becomes your 'private' WiFi network.

On the Mac, this functionality is built-in (just need the second WiFi interface); on Windows you might need an app like Connectify to do it.

This may be the cheapest way to go, and the most portable, as a small, WiFi usb key is dirt-cheap, and as portable as it gets (also, no need for a separate power supply!)



Patrick
Thanks for the input-this is very interesting.

An Apple Airport Express receives an internet signal via an ethernet cord-there is no choice to use a wireless input that I an aware of. That eliminates it for me as many hotels I stay in provide only a wifi signal to the room, which the Airport Express can't pick up. Otherwise, this would be the answer-as I posted before, I use this at home by taking my cable internet signal via an ethernet cord into the Airport Express, and from there a wifi signal, with passoword protection, goes out to all the devices in my home. There can be 4,5 or 6 such devices all using that network at the same time. That's what I need for stays at hotels and other places on the road. .

Patrick B Dec 19, 2011 3:36 am
Originally Posted by mikew99 (Post 17651812)
Not sure what you are referring to here. I have and use the ASUS WL-330gE, and it definitely creates a separate WiFi network independent of any that it connects to. In NAT mode, the hotel sees only the router, and I've only ever received one charge. Supports WPA2 also. (See here for details.) The ASUS is a good choice, because it is often available for only $15 or so after rebate. Could it be a different router that you're thinking of?
Nope, same router. All the info I had found on it (and most 'standard' repeater functionality) showed that it simply repeated the same signal that it received. This is mostly due to the single RF channel nature of the unit.

Interesting that they are doing so...same logical process as Connectify then (which can take your PC WiFi and create a second WiFi network as a result). If performance is an issue, this can be an impact, given that you're asking a single WiFi radio to act both as client (to the hotel's network), and base-station (to your own devices).

So a performance hit, but otherwise, technically do-able. The initial documentation that I had found on the Asus indicated that it wasn't able to do so (maybe later firmware fixed it).

Interesting also that MyWi can do it on a JB iPhone....have to see if anything in the Android market can duplicate that (don't feel like JBing my iPhone, but I have a couple of spare Android phones around).


Patrick

pdxer Dec 19, 2011 5:48 am
Originally Posted by Mountain Trader (Post 17652522)
An Apple Airport Express receives an internet signal via an ethernet cord-there is no choice to use a wireless input that I an aware of. That eliminates it for me as many hotels I stay in provide only a wifi signal to the room, which the Airport Express can't pick up.
an airport express can be configured for either wired->wifi or wifi->wired.

dranz Dec 19, 2011 9:54 am
If you require WiFi-to-WiFi repeating/bridging; as a separate (sub-)network;
consider a using DD-WRT firmware on a Linksys WRT54GL. It finds signals
that my laptop/iPad cannot receive ... and makes them usable.

There is a cottage industry selling these pre-configured appliances on eBay
for $40-$80.

re: Wired:WiFi ... hotels that use Nomadix as their ISP will indeed block most
travel routers.

wilp888 Dec 19, 2011 3:30 pm
What do you guys do with a weak wifi signal in a hotel room? Many hotels I stay in have poor wifi signals in certain rooms and sometimes I have to switch rooms to get a better signal. Is there a portable repeater or range extender that I can buy to get a stronger signal for my laptop?

gfunkdave Dec 19, 2011 3:55 pm
Originally Posted by wilp888 (Post 17657014)
What do you guys do with a weak wifi signal in a hotel room? Many hotels I stay in have poor wifi signals in certain rooms and sometimes I have to switch rooms to get a better signal. Is there a portable repeater or range extender that I can buy to get a stronger signal for my laptop?
The Asus mini router mentioned upthread will do it.

Realize that repeating the signal like this will halve throughput for everyone on the network. Better to put the Asus wherever there's the strongest signal and have it send out its own local wifi signal for you.

PTravel Dec 19, 2011 4:05 pm
Originally Posted by wilp888 (Post 17657014)
What do you guys do with a weak wifi signal in a hotel room? Many hotels I stay in have poor wifi signals in certain rooms and sometimes I have to switch rooms to get a better signal. Is there a portable repeater or range extender that I can buy to get a stronger signal for my laptop?
There are a couple of good range extenders on the market but it's never occurred to me to take one with me. I use a Netgear 802.11n ranger extender at home that, now that I think about it, is pretty portable -- it plugs directly into a wall outlet -- no brick and no cable. Configuring it for an "alien" network might be a little tricky, though, as all of the devices downstream of the extender showing up as clients on my primary router's DHCP list.

wilp888 Dec 19, 2011 5:09 pm
Thanks for your replies. I will check into the Asus and Netgear.

cblaisd Dec 19, 2011 5:11 pm
Originally Posted by wilp888 (Post 17657014)
What do you guys do with a weak wifi signal in a hotel room? Many hotels I stay in have poor wifi signals in certain rooms and sometimes I have to switch rooms to get a better signal. Is there a portable repeater or range extender that I can buy to get a stronger signal for my laptop?
I've had very good luck with my Linksys Travel Router, although I use it way less than I thought I would:

http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys-.../dp/B000A1AQOO

http://www.google.com/products/catal...58982088397836

docbert Dec 21, 2011 1:21 am
Originally Posted by Patrick B (Post 17653285)
Nope, same router. All the info I had found on it (and most 'standard' repeater functionality) showed that it simply repeated the same signal that it received. This is mostly due to the single RF channel nature of the unit.
The ASUS has 2 different radios, including 2 different antennas (although unfortunately both internal and nothing more than a small piece of metal). Both can (and should!) run on different frequencies simultaneously.

It can operate in a number of different modes, including simply extending the signal, right through to connecting to one wifi network and sharing it out as a completely different wifi network via a router/NAT/etc.

It can also act as an AP (ie, create a hotspot in a hotel room with only ethernet), or even as a Wifi client (ie, connect a computer that doesn't have wifi to a wifi network via ethernet).


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