Anyone Bring Their Own Wireless Router?

[catsdad]

We will be spending a week in a BWV 2 bedroom unit, and would much rather have a wireless, rather than wired, Internet connection. Has anyone tried to bring their own wireless router to connect to the BWV High Speed Internet connection? Did it work?

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

I bring a wireless connection but not one that uses the hotel's system. Mine works well on the balcony but poorly inside the rooms.

HBC

 

[catsdad]

Thanks for the reply. Are you saying that you set up your own wireless network in your room? If so, how have you tied into the Internet (or did you)?

 

[Beca]

Catsdad, I pm'd you. Let me know if I have it wrong.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Originally posted by catsdad
Thanks for the reply. Are you saying that you set up your own wireless network in your room? If so, how have you tied into the Internet (or did you)?

My wireless connection uses a Sprint PCS wireless card that I am able to connect to the internet on using my laptop.

HBC

 

[catsdad]

Thanks again.

What I was trying to figure out was, can I pay the $10/day for the BWV high speed Internet connection, run a wired connection to a wireless router, and then wirelessly connect via my laptop? In theory it should work, but I am not sure if there is anything strange about the hotel's high speed connection that would prevent the wireless router from connecting.

This type of setup would be great, since it would allow easy use of the high speed connection without having to worry about where each room's ethernet connection was located. With a basic wireless router under $50, we could even start a chain passing it along from member to member.

 

[DISNEYDEVOTEE]

Creating our own "hot spots" would be a terrific idea! If everyone left the wireless router set to it's default wouldn't there be a number of hot spots throughout the hotel?

bellmawr bob

 

[Apollo53]

Great idea, seriously doubt Disney's network would be so poorly managed to allow anyone to plugin a AP or wireless router. The security risk are too great, not to mention lost revenue for internet connections.

But we can all hope they're asleep at the wheel.

 

[catsdad]

Apollo53, I hear you.

FWIW, my motive was pure. With kids/in-laws scattered throughout the unit, being unteathered would make it much easier to get the inevitable work done while they are asleep. I definitely would have locked the Access Point down for use with my laptop ... OK, so it might not be fool proof, but at least I could keep out the casual wireless user. Anyway, this would not have been a hotspot for others to use.

In digging into this a little further, I found out that Disney provides the wired in-room high speed access, and another company provides the WiFi access in certain common areas (it doesn't reach to the rooms). Apparently, the WiFi pricing is based on the minute, but you can get 24 hours for a bit less than $10 (initial minutes are pretty expensive, so it wouldn't take long to get to $10). I don't know if you have to select the minute or 24 hour rate from the start, or whether it just sets a maximum charge for a 24 hour period (kinda like a parking garage). So, for about $20/day, you could have wired in-room service and WiFi service in common areas.

 

[dsmith]

I'm a computer guy.

Yes, you could do this. If you set it up right Disney's system should see the router as if it were just another workstation, unless they went around with a scanner they'd never know. If you decide to do this I would encourage you to lock down the router so it isn't misused by someone else.

Personally I wouldn't bother. To me it would be just another thing to pack and carry. I make my living working on computer networks and spend a great deal of time on the internet. When I'm at WDW the last thing I want to do is look at another computer screen.