Best Of /r/TravelRouter August 2020

If you didn’t know we help sponsor a subreddit dedicated to all things Travel Router, Travel WiFi or WiFi Hotspot related. Here you can ask any questions about these topics. If you are on reddit feel free to join in the conversation at /r/TravelRouter.

Our subreddit is not an advertisement for our product or anyone else’s. It’s a place for actual conversation about how to get the best travel WiFi experience.

Below are the best of this subreddit from August 2020. This months topics asked about sharing internet access for parents who are not technical, can’t get connected to hotel WiFi, satellite broadband becoming a reality and whether digital nomads need to worry about the quality of Airbnb WiFi.

Sharing Internet Access

Posted by u/optigon

I would like to get some suggestions about possible options for a problem I’m trying to solve.

My mother and her husband travel around in an RV which has several WiFi-connected devices: A Roku, their phones, etc. They travel around and sometimes go to RV parks that have WiFi or they may stay in hotels. They want to not have to change their passwords every single time they uproot.

One caveat to this that they added is that sometimes RV parks or hotels will have log-in screens for guests. So, while I initially was going to recommend running a router in bridge mode, I’m thinking what they maybe need is a netbook using Windows 10’s “Share my Internet Connection” feature. So, they can establish a network through it that all their devices connect to, then they use that netbook to do whatever authentication they need to do to log into the hotel/RV park’s WiFi.

First, is this an appropriate suggestion or is there something else that may work? They are not “tech people,” so I figured that having a netbook might be the easier route, rather than having them log into a router and make configuration changes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TravelRouter/comments/igd49i/laptop_for_sharing_internet_access/

Answer:

This is exactly the kind of scenario we built our Travel Router for. […]It’s always great to hear from people that the need exists. What you definitely want is a Travel Router though. You’ll just need to ensure you find one that has an interface that is simple enough for your parents.

I’ll soon be a digital nomad, and I work with a lot of data. Will I have to worry about the WiFi quality of a given Airbnb?

Posted by u/squirrels_are_neat

When I traveled internationally before, I didn’t have a problem with WiFi, except for one place where I had internet connection for only 15 minutes at a time. I’m planning to travel a lot of Europe this year, working in a different city every week. How worried should I be about poor internet access?

(Bonus question: What’s the best method to travel with a dual monitor?)

Answer:

We would definitely be concerned. While you’ll get a lot of suggestions such as asking the host for a speed test or about the quality, the chances you get an answer that doesn’t meet reality is very high.

First a speedtest only captures a moment in time. Depending on the type of internet the speed could vary greatly with the time of day (cable modem, the most common form). Also, WiFi performance itself can vary greatly throughout the day.

A few suggestions if you need robust internet on the go:

• Consider spending the money for a cellular backup if LTE data is available. Even if you limit usage having it when you really need it is helpful.
• A number of devices will help automatically smooth out internet problems and even WiFi performance issues. They will switch between channels (WiFi) and prioritize certain traffic for WiFI so at the times things are busy you get the best performance.
• Consider security needs. Just because you are using a hosts WiFi does not mean you are secured from potential threats. If you are doing a work from anywhere type scenario this may matter. If you use a corporate VPN then you are likely covered, at least for those items that go through corporate VPN. However, everything else or if you don’t use a business VPN you may be at risk.

Bonus Question Answer: For traveling with a dual monitor we’d consider getting an inexpensive padded case. Similar to a Pelican but unless you are planning for extreme conditions the knockoffs will work great.. They are normally designed for camera gear but if you get one that fits the monitors they are padded, roll and easy to move. Plus they will protect the gear. One word of warning though they attract attention.

Satellite Broadband Becoming A Reality

The following is a post by our own team u/goconnect and is an excerpt of our blog post on the topic of Satellite Broadband Becoming A Reality and it’s impact on travel WiFi.

There have been a number of articles recently about SpaceX’s initial speedtests and FCC tests. The first suspected live trail beta tests turned in performance ranging from 11mbs to 60mbs. While a number of people will note this a is LONG way from the desired 1GBs speeds there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. This is a beta test, there is lots of opportunity for improvement.
2. It appears to have been performed in Southern California, a long way from the optimal LOS to the current sats in Southern California
3. The latency was fantastic, turning in consistently below 100ms with some tests as low as 25ms. This is superior to a lot of mobile communication today, much less existing satellite performance.

Why does all of this matter? It shows that even in the very early stages the product is likely to be highly viable. Given more satellites and more optimization its not hard to assume these speeds will be highly competitive with mobile and far superior to other existing satellite solutions.

While there is still a long way to go to reach the portability of 4G/5G, since the sat. service still requires a sizeable dish, it does seem like a service that has legs. Prices are rumored to be about $80 a month.

Learn more about SpaceX: https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/08/23/fast-broadband-from-orbit-new-data-says-spacex-can/

Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/TravelRouter/comments/ifsauc/satellite_broadband_becoming_a_reality/

Can’t get it to connect to hotel WiFi

I’ve had no issues with the Internet here at my extended stay, but while it does see the WiFi, it doesn’t allow me to connect, as I have to put in a numerical code. Then, it reboots and it gives the green check marks as as it see the Internet and says its connected, but then it just hangs, reboots, and the same thing.

It did present some info on how to connect via my phone or something, but this is rather crazy that in 2020, they haven’t figured out how to allow people to enter a code without chaining it through another device.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Roku/comments/id9sd3/cant_get_it_to_connect_to_hotel_wifi/

Answer:

Posted by: neuromonkey

As always, get a travel router.

The problem isn’t a lack of modernity on the hotel’s part. They probably use a captive portal, filter MAC addresses assigned to companies that make streaming devices, or any number of similar issues.

Get a travel router. ALWAYS use a VPN when connected to a non-private, non-trusted network.