Mobile wifi hotspot advice, please?

[BeccaPrice]

perhaps it's just that I haven't stayed at many hotels, or that the hotels I have stayed at recently have all been business-oriented, but certainly the last few I've been at have charged $10/day/device for internet connectivity. These have all been midwest/east coast hotels; things may be different on the west coast.

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

(well, except to my brother, who can be a jerk sometimes)

Every family has one of those. Some even have more than one.

Not that I need to justify how my family chooses to spend time.

Exactly

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

perhaps it's just that I haven't stayed at many hotels, or that the hotels I have stayed at recently have all been business-oriented, but certainly the last few I've been at have charged $10/day/device for internet connectivity. These have all been midwest/east coast hotels; things may be different on the west coast.

I mostly stay in Holiday Inn Expresses, Comfort Suites and Fairfield Inns (midscale chain hotels) and they have always had free wi-fi.

Are you choosing your own hotel or do you have to stay at a particular one? I am also suprised that you expect to pay for it.

[BeccaPrice]

Let's see - the last hotel I stayed at was for a SF convention. Fee was $10/night/device. the last but one hotel I stayed at was for a professional conference; same fee. I don't travel much, but so far that's been my experience.

We selected the specific hotel we're staying at for this reunion independently, but they gave us the best price for rooms, so we all selected the same place. Their website says "in-room wifi" but doesn't specify free.

parenthetically, I tried to call them and ask about it, and got someone who didn't know what wifi was. I asked my mom to check for me, and she says they told her it was free, so i don't need to worry - right yet - about a portable wifi hotspot, but no research is ever wasted, and I may get one of these devices for the next time I'm going to stay in a hotel or have a problematic issue. For example, last time I flew, the airport had wifi, but also for a fee, and I had to sign up for a yearly service (which I could cancel as soon as I got home).

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by Ntsimp

I really have to question the claim that "Most hotels in the US charge $9.99 per day per device for connectivity." I've stayed in a number of hotels in the western US since wifi became popular, and have always had free in-room wifi. Then again, I've never stayed in a hotel that charges separately for parking, breakfast, or toilet paper, either.

I do a lot of business travel and find it more common than not to have free wifi. But the fancier the hotel, the more likely they are to charge for it. The one hotel I stayed at that did that, I just used the 3G on my cell phone and forewent the laptop until I needed it for work (at which point I could expense it).

[LovesMacs]

I think more upscale hotels tend to charge for internet connectivity, with the rationale that:

1. If you are staying at such a hotel, you can certainly afford it, and
2. You can put it on your expense account if it's a business trip.

[jasoraso]

If the hotel doesn't have free wifi - and I understand the concern - the more expensive the hotel, the likelier you are to pay for wifi, I would call your cell phone provider about activating the "hot spot" capability on one of the android phones. Just as an example, the charge with VZW is about $30/mo if you are on an older data plan, but I believe it is prorated, so you could cancel when you get home, and not pay that much. Newer plans (where you pay for a given quantity of data/mo) normally have it included.

The wifi tether works great, and you just leave the device plugged in to keep the battery from running down.

[jjeferies]

Quick note: Motel 6, at the lower end of hotels charges for wifi. But Dunkin Donuts, Peet's, ?Starbucks don't. Of course YMMV

[SeaKing]

Below I refer to free WiFi.

I ate a Chicken Pot Pie at KFC last evening.
The KFC didn't have WiFi. I was actually surprised.
BUT I picked up a signal from the Comfort Inn next door.
Earlier I took my Lady friend to the doctor. She had a viral thing, but it was confusing because she also had back pain. The doctors office had WiFi.

The Ruby Tuesdays the evening before had WiFi.
Most Pizza Huts have it.
All the MacDonalds have it.
The CookOut have it.
Every Days Inn across the country I have been in has it.
Fairfield Inn like someone mentioned has it.
Heck the 2 grocery stores I frequent have it.

Other places too, but that gives you an idea.

The point I really want to make now is that a year or two ago when you went to one of these places, you would usually have to get a password. Now days it seems they don't bother. The only place that had a formal login was the doctors office, but still no password, and I think he probably uses a service that doesn't allow porn and such. Very religious man.

Did I mention that some gas stations have free WiFi.

Now these people aren't providing each connection 15 to 22 Mbps so they can stream HD movies. They probably have 12 Mbps total and all the connections share.

I have noticed that they will have more than 1 WiFi signal, and the 2nd or 3rd is locked down.
My doctor has one named "patient," one named "office" and one named "printer." You can only get on the "patient" one.

Again use the signal meter on one of those WiFi analyzer apps mentioned above to find the strongest signal in your room or even in a restaurant, or like some kids I have seen in the parking lot of a restaurant.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Joykins

I do a lot of business travel and find it more common than not to have free wifi. But the fancier the hotel, the more likely they are to charge for it. The one hotel I stayed at that did that, I just used the 3G on my cell phone and forewent the laptop until I needed it for work (at which point I could expense it).

I travel a lot with work, and generally stay in 4* or so hotels (Hilton, Holiday Inn, etc). They almost always charge for internet access - the typical charge in the UK is about £15 ($25) for 24h. Generally, though, it's free once you reach a certain level in their loyalty programmes. Eg, I'm a "Gold" member in the Hilton loyalty programme, and that gets me free Internet.

In small hotels in the UK, internet access is almost always free.

[SeaKing]

I will bet that in that Hilton you get 15 to 22 or more Mbps.

[HarryT]

I don't know, to tell you the truth. I just use it for e-mail, web browsing, etc. No large downloads, and nothing that's speed-critical.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't know, to tell you the truth. I just use it for e-mail, web browsing, etc. No large downloads, and nothing that's speed-critical.

If you go there enough that you get the privilege of using it free, then no problem, but at those rates, it would behoove you to get a mobile hotspot, air card, usb2wifi or some such. $10 to $25 a night would easily justify it.

In fact, that would justify an Galaxy S or HTC or iPhone with a 4G plan.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

If you go there enough that you get the privilege of using it free, then no problem, but at those rates, it would behoove you to get a mobile hotspot, air card, usb2wifi or some such. $10 to $25 a night would easily justify it.

If I had to pay for it myself, then yes, I agree. But I just claim it as an expense from my employer.

When I travel privately, I use the "Personal Hotspot" on my iPhone, which works beautifully.

[DustyDisks]

Thanks to this thread I have ordered one of the devices mentioned here! I plan to twist off and sell my house/property and hit the road, towing my house behind me (not yet bought) and see and do what I can see/do before I check out from this world very soon!

Thank you all for the heads up !