Hotel security using wireless

[SC Tom]

Whenever I travel, I bring my Netgear WGR614v9 router with me, and connect
through it to the hotel's network. Most of the ones where I stay have both
wired and wireless connections, which is no problem- I connect my router to
their UTP and connect from my laptop to my router, giving a more secure
connection through it.

Some of the hotels have wireless only, so my question is, is there anyway to
connect through my wireless to their wireless? I don't think the wireless
repeating option would work for a more secure connection since I would have
to change my SSID to be the same as the hotel's, along with my IP and subnet
(and probably the same passphrase). Also, I would have to set my security to
WEP or "none". Not really a choice, I wouldn't think.

If anyone has any ideas, I'm willing to try 'em out. I was thinking maybe
VPN to my home PC, but I haven't messed with that since my XP days I
have been reading about Hamachi, but haven't installed or tested it yet.
TIA!

 

[SC Tom]

You could use a wireless extender like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315112

It will allow you to connect wireless to the hotel's network, and give you
a wired port with which you can connect your router.

That may work, but looking through the manual, I'm not too sure. The hotel
network requires authentication (usually the room number and guest's last
name). That's done through a web interface, so I don't know if that would
work through the device interface or not. Also, it looks like the port is
only for configuration, not as a data port.
I have an email address for their support. Maybe I'll shoot them one and see
if they respond.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll post back if I hear anything from their
support.

 

[SC Tom]

I should probably elaborate a little here. Several times, I have used the
aforementioned device to act as a wireless adapter for a wired-only
device.

For example, the last time was for a client that had a wired-only bluray
player they wanted connected so they could watch netflix. The player was
in an entertainment center where it's inconvenient to drop a cable to, so
I just plugged in the wi-fi extender behind the unit. It took all of 3
minutes to tell the device to connect to the existing wi-fi network, and
to string a cable to the blueray player.

Here's the response I got from Edimax (my question is at the bottom). I
ordered one to test it out. If it doesn't do what I want, I can send it back
(gotta love Amazon ).
Plus, the travel router is ~$3 cheaper.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, Tom:

Thank you for the inquiry.
I could understand your requirement.

I think our BR-6258n travel router may better fit your need.
The Wi-Fi network of a hotel can be referred as a WISP (Wireless Internet
Service Provider).
Unlike Cable or DSL providers which has a cable/dsl modem, the WISP uses
wireless signal to provide Internet service.

Our BR-6258n support WISP mode for Internet connection.
http://www.edimax.us/html/Faq/BR6258n-WISP.pdf
I briefly checked the NetGear WGR614v9. It seems not support WISP function.
You may want to check with NetGear's support to verify it.

If you have our BR-6258n, you may try the BR-6258n connect to the WiFi
network of your NetGear as a practice.

While you are at hotel, do NOT let your computer connect to the hotel Wi-Fi
network. If you do that, hotel's wifi network will register your WiFi
computer and may not allow another WiFi device to connect to their network.

Instead, make the computer connect to the Wi-Fi network of BR-6258n and
perform the WISP set up in BR-6258n. While you try to access Internet, you
will be prompted for the hotel's sign-on page. Type in your authentication.
The BR-6258n should get on Internet and suppose all of your wi-fi devices
can get on Internet through BR-6258n.

Please feel free to contact me for any further assistance.

Best regards,
Judy Chang
Tech Support
Edimax USA

-----
From: Tom
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 8:10 AM
To: (e-mail address removed)
Subject: EW-7438RPn questions

I am considering buying this extender, but have a couple of questions
regarding its setup and use in my situation.

Whenever I travel, I bring my Netgear WGR614v9 router with me, and connect
through it to the hotel's network. Most of the ones where I stay have both
wired and wireless connections, which is no problem- I connect my router to
their UTP and connect from my laptop wifi to my router, giving a more secure
connection through it.

Some of the hotels only have wireless, so what I would like to do is connect
to the hotel's network using the EW-7438RPn, then connect it to my router
using a UTP cable, then connect wirelessly to my router. What I'm concerned
about is if I would be able to enter the hotel's authentication into the
extender? Usually the authentication is the room number and occupant's last
name, and normally that's web-based through a browser.

If that's not feasible, would it be possible to connect the extender to the
hotel's network by disabling WPS on the extender, and then entering my
authentication as I do now, through Internet Explorer by way of my router?

So, basically what I'm trying do is this:

[laptop] >>>(wifi)<<< [Netgear router]-----(UTP
cable)-----[EW-7438RPn]>>>(wifi)<<<<[hotel network]

Hopefully this isn't too confusing If you have an advice for me, or
questions of me, please contact me.

 

[SC Tom]

I should probably elaborate a little here. Several times, I have used
the aforementioned device to act as a wireless adapter for a wired-only
device.

For example, the last time was for a client that had a wired-only bluray
player they wanted connected so they could watch netflix. The player was
in an entertainment center where it's inconvenient to drop a cable to, so
I just plugged in the wi-fi extender behind the unit. It took all of 3
minutes to tell the device to connect to the existing wi-fi network, and
to string a cable to the blueray player.

Here's the response I got from Edimax (my question is at the bottom). I
ordered one to test it out. If it doesn't do what I want, I can send it
back (gotta love Amazon ).
Plus, the travel router is ~$3 cheaper.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, Tom:

Thank you for the inquiry.
I could understand your requirement.

I think our BR-6258n travel router may better fit your need.
The Wi-Fi network of a hotel can be referred as a WISP (Wireless Internet
Service Provider).
Unlike Cable or DSL providers which has a cable/dsl modem, the WISP uses
wireless signal to provide Internet service.

Our BR-6258n support WISP mode for Internet connection.
http://www.edimax.us/html/Faq/BR6258n-WISP.pdf
I briefly checked the NetGear WGR614v9. It seems not support WISP
function. You may want to check with NetGear's support to verify it.

If you have our BR-6258n, you may try the BR-6258n connect to the WiFi
network of your NetGear as a practice.

While you are at hotel, do NOT let your computer connect to the hotel
Wi-Fi network. If you do that, hotel's wifi network will register your
WiFi computer and may not allow another WiFi device to connect to their
network.

Instead, make the computer connect to the Wi-Fi network of BR-6258n and
perform the WISP set up in BR-6258n. While you try to access Internet,
you will be prompted for the hotel's sign-on page. Type in your
authentication. The BR-6258n should get on Internet and suppose all of
your wi-fi devices can get on Internet through BR-6258n.

Please feel free to contact me for any further assistance.

Best regards,
Judy Chang
Tech Support
Edimax USA

-----
From: Tom
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 8:10 AM
To: (e-mail address removed)
Subject: EW-7438RPn questions

I am considering buying this extender, but have a couple of questions
regarding its setup and use in my situation.

Whenever I travel, I bring my Netgear WGR614v9 router with me, and connect
through it to the hotel's network. Most of the ones where I stay have both
wired and wireless connections, which is no problem- I connect my router
to their UTP and connect from my laptop wifi to my router, giving a more
secure connection through it.

Some of the hotels only have wireless, so what I would like to do is
connect to the hotel's network using the EW-7438RPn, then connect it to my
router using a UTP cable, then connect wirelessly to my router. What I'm
concerned about is if I would be able to enter the hotel's authentication
into the extender? Usually the authentication is the room number and
occupant's last name, and normally that's web-based through a browser.

If that's not feasible, would it be possible to connect the extender to
the hotel's network by disabling WPS on the extender, and then entering my
authentication as I do now, through Internet Explorer by way of my router?

So, basically what I'm trying do is this:

[laptop] >>>(wifi)<<< [Netgear router]-----(UTP
cable)-----[EW-7438RPn]>>>(wifi)<<<<[hotel network]

Hopefully this isn't too confusing If you have an advice for me, or
questions of me, please contact me.

I received the travel router yesterday, plugged it into my USB port for
power, accessed it through my browser, configured the security settings
(WPA2[AES]), set it up to connect to my stationary router using the WISP
setup, and was logged in and connected to the internet in about 10 minutes
tops. Since security is now already set on it, the next time I use it should
be less than 5 minutes to connect. I am quite impressed by the simplicity of
this device, and the small size. It's about the size of an old Zippo lighter
(if you're old enough to remember them), and is powered either through a USB
port or with its own AC adapter, which is about the same size as the router
and has fold-in plug prongs. It also has WAN and LAN ethernet ports, so I
can plug it into the hotel's ethernet port for the hotels that have one.

If you'd like to check it out, this is the one I bought:
<
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069JA7M2/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 >

This does what I want to do with one less piece of stuff to pack, plus it's
less than a quarter of the size of my Netgear router.
Thanks for your input, Grinder. I never would have found this as easily
without it

 

[SC Tom]

My brother stayed in a hotel in downtown Atlanta and used their wireless
for like $30. When he attended a meeting in the hotel conference room,
the wireless kicked out. So, he carried his laptop from his room, down
the elevator, to the conference room and the wireless worked fine until he
entered the room. The hotel told him that wireless in a business
conference is like $300.

Other folks in the meeting connect through their cell phone and bypass the
hotel completely. I guess 'laptop ---> cell --> internet' is the modern
way.

It seems that the higher-priced the hotel is, the more they charge for other
services. I like Hampton hotels, and stay in one whenever I can when
travelling, and never paid a 1¢ for internet service or breakfast

When my tennis team went to the Regional Championships in Mobile (in August,
of all times), my SO and I stayed at a Hampton (she has a Hilton Honors
card, so gets points towards free stays on top of everything else) and had
free internet and breakfasts, and a decent nightly rate. A few others on the
team stayed at the Renaissance Riverview hotel, had to go to a diner down
the street for breakfast, paid to park in an open lot, paid a lot more for
their rooms, and had to pay for internet. I had a King Suite that included a
coffee maker, microwave and mini-fridge; they had a coffee maker only.

I don't have a data plan with my cell. I did when I was working (company
paid-for), but don't really have a need for it now.

 

[SC Tom]

On 4/13/2013 6:27 AM, SC Tom wrote:

I received the travel router yesterday, plugged it into my USB port for
power, accessed it through my browser, configured the security settings
(WPA2[AES]), set it up to connect to my stationary router using the WISP
setup, and was logged in and connected to the internet in about 10
minutes tops. Since security is now already set on it, the next time I
use it should be less than 5 minutes to connect. I am quite impressed by
the simplicity of this device, and the small size. It's about the size
of an old Zippo lighter (if you're old enough to remember them), and is
powered either through a USB port or with its own AC adapter, which is
about the same size as the router and has fold-in plug prongs. It also
has WAN and LAN ethernet ports, so I can plug it into the hotel's
ethernet port for the hotels that have one.

If you'd like to check it out, this is the one I bought:
<
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069JA7M2/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This does what I want to do with one less piece of stuff to pack, plus
it's less than a quarter of the size of my Netgear router.
Thanks for your input, Grinder. I never would have found this as easily
without it

Interesting--it's been educational for me as well.

Educational for me as well- it died after three uses! I did everything I
could, and everything support suggested, but could not "see" or configure
the router. So even though the portability was there, the quality wasn't.
After I got my refund, I bought a TP-Link TL-MR3020. I've used it 5 or 6
times at friend's houses and public access points like MickeyDs, and haven't
had any trouble with it yet. It's not quite as small as the Edimax, but so
far has worked. It also works with a wall plug or USB port (like the Edimax
did), but I liked the external PS for the Edimax better- the plug prongs
folded flat
< http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-MR3020 >

It was about $5 more then the Edimax, but if it continues working, then it's
worth it.

 

[SC Tom]

On 4/13/2013 6:27 AM, SC Tom wrote:

I received the travel router yesterday, plugged it into my USB port for
power, accessed it through my browser, configured the security settings
(WPA2[AES]), set it up to connect to my stationary router using the
WISP
setup, and was logged in and connected to the internet in about 10
minutes tops. Since security is now already set on it, the next time I
use it should be less than 5 minutes to connect. I am quite impressed
by
the simplicity of this device, and the small size. It's about the size
of an old Zippo lighter (if you're old enough to remember them), and is
powered either through a USB port or with its own AC adapter, which is
about the same size as the router and has fold-in plug prongs. It also
has WAN and LAN ethernet ports, so I can plug it into the hotel's
ethernet port for the hotels that have one.

If you'd like to check it out, this is the one I bought:
<
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069JA7M2/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



This does what I want to do with one less piece of stuff to pack, plus
it's less than a quarter of the size of my Netgear router.
Thanks for your input, Grinder. I never would have found this as easily
without it

Interesting--it's been educational for me as well.

Educational for me as well- it died after three uses! I did everything I
could, and everything support suggested, but could not "see" or
configure the router. So even though the portability was there, the
quality wasn't. After I got my refund, I bought a TP-Link TL-MR3020.
I've used it 5 or 6 times at friend's houses and public access points
like MickeyDs, and haven't had any trouble with it yet. It's not quite
as small as the Edimax, but so far has worked. It also works with a wall
plug or USB port (like the Edimax did), but I liked the external PS for
the Edimax better- the plug prongs folded flat
< http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-MR3020 >

It was about $5 more then the Edimax, but if it continues working, then
it's worth it.

Edimax is definitely a budget buy, but I've used several of their wireless
extenders without difficulty. You obviously got a bad one, but maybe the
failure rate is appreciably less than 100%?

Oh. I'm sure it's no where near 100% failure rate or they wouldn't be
selling this same model. I read a couple of reviews on other sites that
mentioned DOA, but that's never stopped me from buying something. I figure
there's almost always one or two failures in a device. Although mine wasn't
DOA, it was pretty damn close

I was going to just do a return for exchange, but for some odd reason,
Amazon didn't offer that on this item, only a refund. I read some reviews
about the TP-Link, and it actually sounded easier to use, so I figured I'd
give it a try, and it was. I'll see as time goes by whether or not it
continues to perform.