Hotel Wireless Access

pbright

Hello,

Staying at a hotel for the next few days tomorrow and taking the laptop for the first time. My 2questions are

1). How do you connect to the wireless network at the hotel, i am not the best with computers, & when using it at home it just connects automatically to the wireless device at the desktop computerdidnt set it up myself!!). Will it just connwect automatically at the hotel? How do i pay(how do they know i am using it??)

2) Can the hotel view the sites/information i am viewing on my laptop??

Thanks

cledor

This site may provide some of the answers
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/typesofaccessavailable/ss/hotelnetaccess.htm

One thing you find out though, hotel wifi is not cheap, unless they are giving it away.

Donnie

http://www.anonymize.net/ ; http://www.tenebril.com/consumer/ghostsurf/ghostsurf_standard.php

Little_John

When you activate your wireless adaptor (if you have it switched off) it will locate the wireless connections in the area, depening on the companiy the hotel uses for the connection depends on what the name will be you just have to try connecting you may get more than one wireless network displayed there will be a leaflet or card in the hotel giving details of the network and their charges.
Charges can normally be paid in a few different ways, fill in a web page with your card details is most common, some reguire you to buy a voucher from reception others can be done over the phone or with a text message. Most give you a username and password or an activation key that you will enter in to the webpage you get when you open your web browser they display a page that stops everyone getting past it to the internet without paying.

Question 2, check the terms and conditions they shouldnt monitor what your doing I hope not anyway

Genghis

pbright wrote: »

Hello,

2) Can the hotel view the sites/information i am viewing on my laptop??

Yep, as can other people on the network if they know what they're doing.. so tread carefully

pbright

Really.....

I know the people at this hotel. ! hope not. It doesnt matter to much, but id rather them not see it. How can hey view it....do they have to go to the effort of viewing it and what can they view exactly??????

Genghis

pbright wrote: »

Really.....

I know the people at this hotel. ! hope not. It doesnt matter to much, but id rather them not see it. How can hey view it....do they have to go to the effort of viewing it and what can they view exactly??????

If you know them then you've probably nothing to worry about. For someone to monitor what you're looking at they have to actively set something up to sniff out all the packets going through the network, and then set up additional filters to try and separate the wheat from the chaff. Too much effort for a regular network admin who isn't interested in what website people are looking at.

I'd be particularly wary in larger hotels in somewhere like London however as they sometimes get targeted by malicious users hoping to pick up account details etc. from the networks.

pbright

Im in a large london hotel right now :-) But ill try not to use sites that have my account information.

Thanks for your help.

Donnie

http://www.publicvpn.com/

http://socalfreenet.org/safesurfing

zz9pa

FWIW...

I often stay at a travel inn & the wifi is supplied by swisscom or some such - and its really expensive to buy time online. (ie by connecting to the wifi and buying time using a credit card)
The receptionists have pre-paid cards though that whilst still expensive are much cheaper (like £3 for 2 hours)

(Doesn't seem to get advertised though..)