I ran across a new twist in in-room internet service tonight.

I checked into the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square this evening, which apparently has cable modem (vs. most hotels' wireless or DSL modem) service in most rooms.

I plugged Ol' Linky, my Linksys WTR54GS wireless travel router into the wall, and plugged the patch cable from the cable modem into the WAN port on the router.

Connected to ol' Linky with my laptop, and attempted to sign on through the hotel's authorization system.

No go. The message read something like: "A network problem has prevented a connection to the internet. Technical support may help."

So I plugged into the cable modem directly using my ethernet port. Hmm. I got the authorization screen, and connected fine.

Plugged Ol' Linky back in and tried again.

Nope.

I called the front desk, and the engineering representative they sent up claimed that the only way I could use the free internet service was via directly plugging my laptop into the cable modem. Alternately, I could go down to the lounge and use the wireless access there.

I expressed my displeasure at being forced to make a choice between sitting on a bar stool in my room (not a great work area design in this particular RI), or sitting in a public lounge to take care of business. He asked if there was anything else he could do to help, and I told him that I doubted it . . .

I'm pretty stubborn, so I continued to fool around with my WTR54GS. And I found the solution

I plugged my laptop back in and authenticated. I then reconfigured the WAN port on my router for the same MAC address as my laptop's ethernet port. I disconnected the cable from my laptop and plugged it into my cable modem.

And I'm in ^

Posted in the hope that this will help at least one other traveler frustrated by fascist hotel internet service

OK all you hotel people, KEEP WALKING! NOTHING TO SEE HERE!

I think that would have gone over their head, anyway.

Good tip!

Hope you've got some kind of client authentication set up on that router...the hotel would probably not like it too much if random passers-by could use their Internet access through you...

All I can think of is that they are blacklisting MAC's normally associated with routers to keep people from setting up wireless that goes outside the hotel.

Are you saying that you don't have to go through these same steps to connect your Linksys router to DSL boxes in hotel rooms?

Those 25' patch cables aren't that expensive

I've been doing this for years w/ a d-link wireless travel router. The service thinks your router is the laptop, and works just fine. My wireless is encrypted-albeit very lightly. After all, I've either paid for the access thru my room charge, or thru a seperate billing.

Not always -- it depends on the billing software used by the hotel. I've never had to clone the MAC address, but sometimes I've had to initiate the transaction with the laptop hardwired and then connect the Linksys (or other wireless router -- I used to use a dLink). The Linksys (and dLink) have a "pass through" mode in which it just acts as a switch, rather than a router, and should permit activating an account without the hardwire step.

I remember the first time I had that "clone MAC" lightbulb go off....

Made me fell smart before I tried to explain *why* it worked. :-)

You will all be AMAZED at the time you save each and every time you check into a hotel if you get an EVDO wireless card. The cost is relatively minor if you pay for hotel internet more than ~6 times per month and it eliminates the need to figure out how to connect to each hotel's network.

Of course this only works in the USA, for the moment

I think Europe has EDGE but that is much slower and possibly more expensive.

I have a tetherable 3g PDA and agree with you generally. There are, however, some exceptions. First, VOIP over these systems is still iffy both in terms of performance and what your carrier will do if you are caught. Second, hotel internet is still significantly cheaper than data roaming. The best data roaming rate I can find now that Wind shut down their offer is about US$5 a meg.

You can get 100 megs to use in many countries from Vodafone, Swisscom, and Cingular for around US$150. That is a steep monthly commitment and 100 megs isn't that much, particularly if Microsoft decides to push out a service patch on you.

Most of Europe does have 3g now. It is either HSDPA or at least UMTs. In many countries, TMobile has a package available on their prepaids called Walk-n-Web which is roughly 1GBP per day for unlimited (subject to a puke test) internet. When I am in the UK, I always buy this instead of hotel internet. I use the SIM in my PDA for e-mail during the day and tether it to my hotel as needed. It is my understanding that Walk-N-Web is now avaiable in Germany, Austria, and is coming to the Netherlands. Anyone with better knowledge, please check in here. Unfortunately, the UAE is still very high. $90 US will get you 100 megs with the state run phone company. If you are an American or a Brit, it is actually a better deal to buy the roaming package from Cingular or Vodafone.

In Europe the carriers have spent 6 fortunes for 3g licenses and people aren't using them significantly. There will be more promos coming soon.

Incidentally, if you buy a new Sony or Dell laptop, both Cingular and one EVDO provider (Verizon?) are offering a PAYG plan for $8 a day if you go with a bundled card with your notebook.

Stu

I agree, except when you are in a 1X zone (like I am right now in Fresno) . Pretty much stuck using the hotel's system, versus surfing at about 110K.

On average though, I've been getting about 600K, in Rev. A areas. Plus another benefit of my Sprint EVDO card is greater security confidence.

Uh yeah.

Europe has had 3G access for years longer than the US. European networks are lightyears ahead of the US in terms of coverage and broadband speeds, not to mention the equipment they offer.

I vote we break off this thread from Myfrogger's EDGE comment and relabel it: "wireless data in Europe."

Very glad to hear prepaid wireless data is available in Europe and I'm sure others will be too.

I was thinking of buying an unlocked Sierra Wireless 860 aircard off of ebay. Will that give me any advantage over my aircard 775 in Europe? Scottc?

Jim