"Extend" Hotel Wifi Network

Will that work?

Mostly yes.. but it can still be difficult when you have special HTML page login requirements.

What you are suggesting is what I would try.. you won't have the bandwidth available to do anything remotely.

Regarding: "but it can still be difficult when you have special HTML page login requirements."

Ok. you arrive in the hotel. ask is there free wireless.. yes they say..

How do you connect.. well sir start your device and put in the password... Ok you say..

Go to your room start up your ipad

You change over the hotel wireless.. but you didn't change the password in the wireless setup.. no.. !!

A special screen comes up.. and asks for your room number.. and guest registered name.. that special screen is html.

You cannot get on the net without using it.. but it is not part of the wireless setup..

Is this ringing any bells.. ?? I was just in a hotel and it worked like this.

PROBLEM>

When you use a wireless router.. HOW DO YOU LOG INTO AN HTML PAGE.

A wireless router.. has provision for SSID and password.. no way can you fill in an html page in airport utility..

So now you are stuck.. You can get wireless on your iDevice.. iphone, ipad, ipod, iMac whatever. However it is limited to the access html gateway page.

Please read the classic Bob Timmons how to use express in a hotel page.

Will the airport express help with wifi in hotel rooms?

Sometimes the login via the idevice is sufficient to open all access to all devices.. but don't bet on it.. hotels are actively seeking to extract money from you.. if they are smart they can prevent NAT devices from working.. this will be fairly easy in the case of an airport express.. and you may have to understand fully how to use double NAT correctly by changing the IP of the Express so it does NAT correctly.

Regarding: "you won't have the bandwidth available to do anything remotely."

I would think my bandwidth would actually be higher

Each device that joins is given a strict bandwidth..

So lets say you have all the devices I listed above. plus apple tv.

iphone joins and get 200Kbps downstream.

ipad joins and gets 200Kbps downstream

ipod joins and gets 200Kbps downstream

iMac joins and gets 200Kbps downstream

Apple TV joins and gets 200Kbps downstream.

All up you get 1Mbps downstream. (This is highly unlikely.. my experience is you are lucky to get 20Kbps.).

Instead of paying for all those devices.. you get your express to join..

Express gets.. you will never guess how much.. 200Kbps.

All devices now share 200Kbps so instead of each device getting 200Kbps each device gets 40Kbps.

BUT you can transfer files between devices in the local network.. at whatever speed the Express can sustain.. say 100Mbps. is the max.. well maybe 50Mbps in reality.

Am I missing something?

All hotel systems I have used are built around strict limits.. bandwidth and quota.

Each device that joins either gets their own bandwidth and quota.. or they have to share it with multiple items.. what is for sure.. you get slower speed if you try and do multiple things at once.

Hope it is clear.

That is legit.. using the Mac as a router and the airport as WAP..

If it does work.. well done.. I usually try and talk people away from it.. as it is also rather flakey..

The best is if the login simply works via the Express.. and allow the express to do the job. Use a second express in situations without ethernet to broadcast wireless. It is more reliable.. but whatever works for you.

HI

Just wondering if you were able to get those instructions to work on the link you posted re the airport express? I'm travelling with family and I know the hotel has cabled internet connection. thanks for any advice here. Cheers

Cabled is generally much easier.. plug in the ethernet and just use double NAT in the router.

The first device to login will open the internet to all devices.. since it is handed to the WAN IP of the router not the LAN IP of the device.

But proof of the pudding they say is in the eating.. Try it. If you have issues post again.