Free internet for DVC members

[BroganMc]

It shouldn't matter which you plug in first.

It would if Disney isn't authorizing general web access until you pass the browser challenge. Altough for that to be true, and if memory serves, what may be happening is that Disney is assigning IPs for an intranet with heavily restricted internet access (basically just the browser challenge screen and Disney's home website). Once you pay then the restrictions are removed and you can use the internet in general.

What would solve this question is if someone had paid for service then connected two different laptops to the in-room jack. If it works without any browser challenges, then I suspect no MAC addressing is even being registered as an authorizing agent.

What puzzles me is why pilferk was unable to get the browser challenge with his router-to-laptop setup in '06. By all acounts it should have worked. All I can figure is that perhaps that router had issues or perhaps the DNS was never assigned.

Dang, I wish I was there now to run a few trace routes and ipconfigs. Anyone reading from Disney and willing to be a reporter for us? PM me and I'll give you some instructions. If not, I'll be there myself in about 3 weeks. I'll get my geek fix then and report back.

 

[disneynutz]

Smart City doesn't care if you use more than one computer on your paid for network connection. Depending upon the resort there may be a multi port router already installed. I know at Beach Club, there is a 4 port router under the desk. What they can't answer is if a travel router will let you pass the required web browser authentication.

 

[pilferk]

Oh? Hmm, then that suggests they are simply using the browser challenge to activate jack service and don't care what ends up plugged into the jack later. I take it you didn't do MAC cloning on the router?

Correct. Did NOT have to Mac clone at the time. It was someone's more recent experience, that people were getting "kicked off" their wireless router every few minutes not too long ago, that brought out the mac cloning sugestion. My PERSONAL experience is outdated, so things might have changed (or might not have), but I didn't have to do anything special once I "purchased" access at the time.

Still begs the question how they'll dilineate point nights from pay nights, unless there's some sort of coupon code given. I imagine having the Front Desk inform the broadband provider which nights for which rooms are points can get cumbersome. Much easier to have the broadband provider implement an extra line item on the sign-up screen to accept a coupon code that bypasses the required fee.

That I don't know. Maybe by reservation type? I mean, giving free access to ALL the villas would be easy by jack number. But, as you point out, a small number of those will be in use by pay night guests. Maybe they'll throw it in to those ressies, too? Maybe they just won't "advertise" the benefit for pay per night guests, but those checking will find the jacks active? Or maybe their reservation system has a way to flag the room and activate the jack (or deactivate it) based on ressie type.

We'll have to wait until we can get clarification from DVC or til someone stays there on cash to see what happens.

I'll report back what I find with my router, though, in January.

 

[pilferk]

What would solve this question is if someone had paid for service then connected two different laptops to the in-room jack. If it works without any browser challenges, then I suspect no MAC addressing is even being registered as an authorizing agent.

I did just that, back in '06. Once I'd purchased access in the room, we hooked up at least 2, and maybe 3, different PC's directly to the jack, at different times, when the router was in use down in the conference center for some presentations).

We never had a challenge screen show up until the 24 hours was "up" (though I don't think they were contiguous hours, at that point...I seem to remember it being a "daily" charge....so 9.95 each calender day...but I could be misremembering. I wasn't paying the bill, so didn't really watch the charges too closely).

 

[pilferk]

Smart City doesn't care if you use more than one computer on your paid for network connection. Depending upon the resort there may be a multi port router already installed. I know at Beach Club, there is a 4 port router under the desk. What they can't answer is if a travel router will let you pass the required web browser authentication.

That's pretty much what I suspected.

So the issue I had may have been inherent to the router I was trying to use, or to using a "travel router" to pass the web browser authentication.

All things considered...it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[BroganMc]

Pilferk, what you're describing points more to a router issue with access granted per room jack. "Getting kicked off a wireless router" (or rather no longer being able to access the network) sounds suspiciously like an internal network problem to me. Like I've said before, in buildings with a lot of concrete and steel wireless routers have a more difficult time maintaining connections. Travel routers which do not have external attennas have an even harder time achieving an appropriate spread. It may be that users moved their laptops into a deadspot (around that concrete wall, for instance) and lost it.

A bit of Occam's Razor to me, methinks.

FWIW, in reading roduct reviews on this Logitech travel router I've quite a few varied reports on coverage issues. Some will say it only works if you're within 10 feet, others say they can surf well outside their rooms. I tend to think not all built-in laptop attennas are the same.

 

[disneynutz]

We will be at BCV and SSR starting next week. I am taking the travel router along. I will post my results.

 

[BroganMc]

We will be at BCV and SSR starting next week. I am taking the travel router along. I will post my results.

Oh good. Do me a favor and run a trace route and ipconfig so we can see what Disney is assigning. I've been trying to determine who their provider is as well.

 

[cymomtx]

Just thought I would point out that hopping on someone's unsecured connection without their permission is a crime in Florida - 3rd degree felony if prosecuted. Not that I think anyone is out there looking for hoppers, but just thought I'd mention it (I was just reading an article related to this and it stuck in my head). Here's the law: Florida Statute 815.06. There are plenty of unsecured networks that are designed / expected to just be hopped on, but as mentioned, many users of wireless routers don't do anything to secure their networks. Just because the door is unlocked doesn't mean it's ok to enter.

You can find out more information about cyber-security here: Secure Florida dot org

No, I don't live in Florida, and I have advised my neighbor that their network is unsecured and how to secure it for their protection. They chose not to secure it.

 

[nzdisneymom]

No, I don't live in Florida, and I have advised my neighbor that their network is unsecured and how to secure it for their protection. They chose not to secure it.

I only posted about this because the discussion was about hopping on others' internet connections while at WDW and many people (not necessarily DISers, but people in general) think it is ok to just hop on someone's connection because if they don't secure it, they must not care.

Good for you for notifying and educating your neighbor about securing their network -- they should hear some of the horror stories about what happens to people who don't secure their networks. We recently had a class at work presented by the Florida Computer Crime Center and it was eye-opening to a lot of people about how easily their identity can be stolen as well as how easily they can get in a mess by not securing their networks, taking months to unravel. We live in a college town and students are the worst about not securing.

 

[pilferk]

Pilferk, what you're describing points more to a router issue with access granted per room jack. "Getting kicked off a wireless router" (or rather no longer being able to access the network) sounds suspiciously like an internal network problem to me. Like I've said before, in buildings with a lot of concrete and steel wireless routers have a more difficult time maintaining connections. Travel routers which do not have external attennas have an even harder time achieving an appropriate spread. It may be that users moved their laptops into a deadspot (around that concrete wall, for instance) and lost it.

A bit of Occam's Razor to me, methinks.

FWIW, in reading roduct reviews on this Logitech travel router I've quite a few varied reports on coverage issues. Some will say it only works if you're within 10 feet, others say they can surf well outside their rooms. I tend to think not all built-in laptop attennas are the same.

Could be. One of the reasons I want to test it when I'm there. Because I, too, wonder if the issue was one with the router or the laptops and not the network access.

I wasn't the one making the original suggestion on cloning the mac address...another poster (kapeman) did that. I simply expanded on the hows and whys of it working IF what the initial poster who was getting "kicked off" suspected was true. A game of "what if", if you will.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

. FWIW, in reading roduct reviews on this Logitech travel router I've quite a few varied reports on coverage issues. Some will say it only works if you're within 10 feet, others say they can surf well outside their rooms. I tend to think not all built-in laptop attennas are the same.

The router I posted a pic of was a Linksys Travel router. Are you using that or a Logitech travel router?

 

[kapeman]

It would if Disney isn't authorizing general web access until you pass the browser challenge. Altough for that to be true, and if memory serves, what may be happening is that Disney is assigning IPs for an intranet with heavily restricted internet access (basically just the browser challenge screen and Disney's home website). Once you pay then the restrictions are removed and you can use the internet in general.
.

Right, but, until you connect your PC you can't sign up and pass the browser challenge, unless you know of a router that has a browser built in.

My point was that if they were only allowing one PC to use the connection at a time, then the MAC cloning would be a work-around for that.

 

[BroganMc]

Right, but, until you connect your PC you can't sign up and pass the browser challenge, unless you know of a router that has a browser built in.

From all I've learned of the subject and what I understand about how broadband networks and routers work, that should not be the issue. When the router is plugged in, it is recognized as an internet-ready device and assigned an IP. The browser challenge comes into play only when someone wants to surf the net at large. Then it will simply be passed on to the first browser to ask for such privileges, i.e. the laptop.

Keep in mind, one doesn't have to pay to either get the browser challenge page (an http service itself) or to surf Disney's website. You pay to get general access to the DNS servers and internet at large. That tells me the nuts-n-bolts handshaking procedure of networking has already been done as soon as you plug in and turn on. (It's also not possible to assign an IP over a hardwired ethernet cable on the fly. You need to power down then power up.)

My point was that if they were only allowing one PC to use the connection at a time, then the MAC cloning would be a work-around for that.

Yes, if there is MAC registration happening and the router pass-thru doesn't work then cloning is the workaround.

BTW, I mistyped. I meant the Linksys router. Don't know how Logitech got in my brain. Probably reading too many techie websites.

Forgive all my techie enthusiasm taking over the thread. I grew up with two big brothers who decided it was fun to set up a network in our house back in the early days of pc networking. Locking each other out of the system was our way of having fun. Yeah, we're nerds.

 

[kapeman]

From all I've learned of the subject and what I understand about how broadband networks and routers work, that should not be the issue. When the router is plugged in, it is recognized as an internet-ready device and assigned an IP. The browser challenge comes into play only when someone wants to surf the net at large. Then it will simply be passed on to the first browser to ask for such privileges, i.e. the laptop.

Technically, the router (or PC) would send out a broadcast and the DHCP server would respond with an IP.

Keep in mind, one doesn't have to pay to either get the browser challenge page (an http service itself) or to surf Disney's website. You pay to get general access to the DNS servers and internet at large. That tells me the nuts-n-bolts handshaking procedure of networking has already been done as soon as you plug in and turn on.

I haven't really looked at how they lock you down via the web page login. It may be as simple as not supplying DNS servers or they could lock out all traffic until you register. It would be interesting to find out how they do it!

(It's also not possible to assign an IP over a hardwired ethernet cable on the fly. You need to power down then power up.)

Yes, it is very possible to change your IP on fly without a reboot (at least on XP).

You just need to hard code your IP, mask and gateway. Sometimes you may have to clear your ARP table, but it very easy.

If you are still using DHCP you can do an ipconfig /release/renew and sometimes that will get a new IP.

Fun stuff!!!

 

[pilferk]

Sorry folks, I was unable to do any testing.

We arrived to find, much to my chagrin, that I was unable to connect to the net with ANYTHING...router or PC.

Called support and they didn't see a good link on their end. Tried a new network cable and...that didn't work. They had to send a tech out (which they finally did, today) to check the port, which was not functional. Since I was here, we hooked up the laptop, once he was done fixing the port, to see if things would work. I was unable to test with the router first, or test any of the other "stuff" we'd talked about in this thread.

I MIGHT be able to try to play with the wireless router tomorrow night (after this round of internet "expires" and I have to pay up again) but no promises as tomorrow night is our "late" night at MK with the kids so I'm not sure how much time there will be for "testing" after that.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Sorry folks, I was unable to do any testing.

We arrived to find, much to my chagrin, that I was unable to connect to the net with ANYTHING...router or PC.

Called support and they didn't see a good link on their end. Tried a new network cable and...that didn't work. They had to send a tech out (which they finally did, today) to check the port, which was not functional. Since I was here, we hooked up the laptop, once he was done fixing the port, to see if things would work. I was unable to test with the router first, or test any of the other "stuff" we'd talked about in this thread.

I MIGHT be able to try to play with the wireless router tomorrow night (after this round of internet "expires" and I have to pay up again) but no promises as tomorrow night is our "late" night at MK with the kids so I'm not sure how much time there will be for "testing" after that.

Oh rats!! Go figure, who would think the port would not be working!! Enjoy your vacation, don't worry about the router question. I'm sure there will be others shortly who will test. But I think its a mute point until the access is free. Only then will we know how they will allow us to connect.

 

[-sts-]

does SSR have free internet for DVC members yet?

 

[Kurby]

with all this talk of free internet - is this just if you bring a lap top or is there somewhere in the resorts you can go to use a desk top computer?

 

[Chuck S]

with all this talk of free internet - is this just if you bring a lap top or is there somewhere in the resorts you can go to use a desk top computer?

You need to bring your own computer.