iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010), 3.2GHz, 4GB RAM, 1TB Hard Drive, Mac OS X (10.6.6), iPhone 3GS (16GB), Apple TV (2nd generation)
Has anyone tried this in more exotic locals? Such as South Korea, Singapore, Japan, or Australia? I'm about to travel to all those places and I'm thinking of picking up an Airport express specifically for the whole iPhone thing to stay in touch in the comfort of a hotel vs. paying by the hour at an "internet cafe"....
😝
Thanks,
k.
I recently tried to use my AE in a hotel in Charlotte, using the wired connection to share internet with my multiple other devices (MacBook Air, iPhone, iPad). I couldn't get it to work... just yellow flashing light. So I brought out my USB-to-ethernet adapter and signed up using my MacBook Air. That worked, but I never could get the AE to work. First of all, did the hotel lock my internet service to a specific MAC address? If so, then I was hosed as soon as I use the MBA to connect.
But in general, why doesn't the AE method work? I've read a few of these related threads, but I'm still confused... how does the hotel know that the AE is a router? If it's doing its job, doesn't it just appear as a single connected device to the hotel's network? That's the whole point of the router/NAT function, right?
Is there something in the IP handshaking that tells the network that the device is an AirPort Express? And if so, I assume they have their system tweaked to disallow that device. And if all that is true... can you somehow configure the AE to fib about what it is?
This is really annoying... most hotels are indeed going wireless, but the wirelss is usually very flaky and the coverage can be bad. And at peak times, the throughput is bad. Wired is usually much better, which is why I wanted to use the AE. But also, I have multiple devices, and if I'm paying $10/day for internet, I want to use them all, darn it!
I bought the AE really just for this purpose. I don't travel a lot, but when I do, I bring multiple devices that can all use wifi. It seems like there must be some way to fool the hotel network into believing that there's just a single device attached. Also... I don't trust public wifi. I'd rather have my private wifi and use wired to the rest of the world. (Does the AE have a firewall in it?)
First of all, did the hotel lock my internet service to a specific MAC address?
That depends on how the hotel network was set up. Five years ago, hotels did not bother to authenticate...you plugged an Ethernet device in.....computer or router....and things just worked.
Now most hotels are trying to charge based on the number of devices that are connecting.
Is there something in the IP handshaking that tells the network that the device is an AirPort Express?
Not necessary an AirPort Express, but more sophisticated systems can tell if there is a router trying to connect vs a computer trying to connect.
can you somehow configure the AE to fib about what it is?
All you can do is configure the Express to act as a router......Connection Sharing = Share a public IP address. The hotel only sees one device that way...IF....it allows a router to connect. Then you can connect multiple wireless devices to the Express...and the hotel still only "sees" one connection.
I had 4 wireless devices connected to the AirPort Express on a recent vacation trip. Worked great and only paid for one connection.
The "older" method of connecting an Express recommeded setting it up in Bridge Mode. But, in "bridge", the the hotel router "sees" each device that is connecting. Hotels did not care about this years ago, but they do now, and want to charge for each device.
It seems like there must be some way to fool the hotel network into believing that there's just a single device attached.
The "only" way you can do this is configure the Express as a router, not a "bridge". But, as I also mentioned, hotel networks are a lot more sophisticated about detecting exactly what is connecting to their networks.
Bottom line is.....all you can do is try....might work, might not....unfortunately you won't know if it will work at any given location until you try it.
(Does the AE have a firewall in it?)
The NAT firewall is enabled when the Express is configured as a router.
Thanks, Bob, for the detailed reply. Do you have any idea how these 'sophisticated' networks determine that the device is a router? Is there something in the TCP or IP layer that gives it away?
Now, we need some enterprising group to post the info on each of the hotel networks! Crowd-source it! Like SeatGuru, except I guess "HotelGuru". Okay, that domain is actually taken, but it's not like SeatGuru. :-(
I'm really getting tired of internet access being more and more locked down.
Is there something in the TCP or IP layer that gives it away?
I don't honestly know, since I have not configured a network this way. But I do know that some networks (actually it is probably the main hotel router) can detect the presence of a router.
College networks as well, are constantly on the lookout for unauthorized routers.....judging from the number of posts we get from students who are trying to set them up anyway. 😉
A few weeks ago, I tried to connect my AirPort Express to the hotel network.......and a message appeared on-screen to the effect of You are apparently trying to connect a routing device to this network, which is prohibited, etc....I have seen things like this a lot more often in the last few years.
I'm really getting tired of internet access being more and more locked down.
Like many other businesses, hotels are looking to make money wherever they can. Wish I had a good solution.
Turn Hotel Ethernet Cable Into Wi-Fi Network?
