Paid hotel Wi-Fi is one of my biggest pet peeves when I travel. I fully understood asking people to pay for Internet back in 1999, but in 2010, Internet is no longer considered an amenity – it is up there with a toilet and a television.
Unfortunately, plenty of hotels still find it perfectly acceptable to charge upwards of $10 for a day of access.
Short of finding somewhere better to stay, there isn’t all that much you can do – unless of course you read Gadling and follow our five tips.Borrow Wi-Fi from someone else
When you turn your laptop on, you’ll usually see the hotel Wi-Fi network, along with a bunch of other network names. These other networks are what you are after. There won’t be much chance of finding other networks if you are in a brandless motel in the middle of nowhere, but in most major cities, you are bound to find loads of them.
Increase your odds by staying on a high floor, and investing in a Wi-Fi boosting antenna like the Wi-Fire (reviewed here last year). Simply move the adapter to a window, and point outside.
One word of warning – never transmit personal data over a random connection you happened to pick up – install software that encrypts your traffic, or you may run the risk of others snooping on you.
Share one paid connection
Staying at a hotel with a bunch of colleagues or friends? How about purchasing one connection and sharing it with others? There is some technical trickery involved in this, but the basic procedure involves a special wireless router that can pick up one signal, and broadcast it to others.
Downsides involve getting caught, and having to share the speed of one connection with others – if one of you starts downloading a movie, everyone will suffer.
Tether your phone
Got a phone with an active data plan? Many of them can be “tethered”, which allows you to take your data connection, and share it with a laptop computer. In some cases, the process involves a one-time investment in tethering software (like PDANet), and on other phones you may need to do some hacking (like jailbreaking your iPhone).
Best place to start? Google “tether my phone”. One word of warning though – don’t overdo it! Operators don’t like tethering (unless you pay extra for it), and any massive data transfers may get some unwanted attention. Limit your surfing to we and email, and don’t do silly things like movie downloads.
Invest in a mobile broadband adapter
On the road a lot? If you regularly spend $20 on Internet access, you may want to invest in a mobile broadband adapter. These (usually) USB adapters plug into your laptop and offer access to a 3G or 4G network. These adapters often offer speeds on par with what the hotel can offer – but have the added advantage of working anywhere within the coverage area.
Be sure to pick a provider with good speeds/coverage, and remember that there may be places without coverage, or with so many people using the service that speeds grind to a halt. Expect to pay upwards of $40/month for the service.
Only need access one or two times a month? Consider a prepaid service like Verizon mobile broadband or Cricket (which can be turned on or off on a monthly basis).
Use a third party Wireless provider
Instead of paying for daily access to Wi-Fi, consider signing up for a third party Wi-Fi service like Boingo.
With Boingo, you pay a monthly fee ($9.95) for unlimited access to thousands of hotspots.
Take for example the Swissotel in Chicago – this property charges $10/day for Internet access, but Boingo subscribers can access it as much as they want, using their account – for under $10/month.
Best of all, Boingo works at airports, restaurants, cafes and thousands of other locations. When just one day of access can pay for the monthly subscription, you’ll understand why I consider this a great bargain.
Boingo subscriptions are available for unlimited use in the United States or as a global subscription for Wi-Fi locations worldwide. The Boingo service even makes the process of makes connecting easier thanks to a handy software client, available for Windows, Mac and several mobile devices.