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Question

How to use hotel wifi to provide my LAN with internet?

Jan 12, 2014 3:53AM PST

Here's the scenario. I spend a lot of my time living from a hotel thanks to business. The hotel provides wifi. It's an unprotected network to join, but then a popup appears which requires me to enter my subscription details for me to use their internet. All good so far.

It'd be really great if I can setup my own wifi LAN in my room, which can connect my laptop, airplay speakers, and in the future, small network printer, harddrive etc. together. This is easy with a wifi router, I know. The tricky thing is this: how can I use the hotel-provided wifi to provide my LAN with an internet connection?

I was wondering whether a dual-band wifi range extender might work, but I was hoping for a bit of expert opinion.

Many thanks!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
That's a question for the hotel staff.
Jan 12, 2014 3:57AM PST

Did you ask them?
They might be able to provide a hardwired Ethernet connection.

Kees

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Re: That's a question for the hotel staff.
Jan 12, 2014 4:02AM PST

Thanks Kees, but unfortunately yes I have asked - and they can't!

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Link only.
Jan 12, 2014 4:15AM PST
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Mac
Jan 12, 2014 4:22AM PST

Thanks for the link! I'll do a bit more googling around virtual routers - I forgot to mention, I'm running a Macbook Air.

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Mac do that.
Jan 12, 2014 4:35AM PST
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Re: Mac do that
Jan 12, 2014 5:00AM PST

Aah so close, it would seem! Many thanks for the link, but my Mac can't redistribute internet that it's getting from wifi over a new wifi network. It's an interesting idea that I don't need any extra hardware for this to work though...

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Odd. Step 3 and the article didn't claim
Jan 12, 2014 5:04AM PST

That we could not re-share our WiFi. My thought here is that this setup is going to be too taxing for most even armed with the article. Some will read it and give up.
Bob

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Answer
Setting up a hotel room LAN
Jan 14, 2014 11:35PM PST

You would need your own access point that you could put in bridge mode (for sale at local electronics places). Then configure it to connect to that hotels wifi. Plug the AP into the wan port on your gw and set your gw to pull dhcp WAN address. You should then only have to authenticate once and be good to go.
The wireless support at the hotel should be able to help. If you were staying one of our sites I know we could Happy