Whether traveling for business or pleasure, no one wants to arrive at a hotel to find expensive Wi-Fi access. Hotels could potentially lose business by charging guests high or hidden fees for Internet. But many establishments ? especially luxury lodging ? still charge a pretty penny to go online, with little guarantee for a fast connection, either.
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According to a recent J.D. Power & Associates study, about 55% of all hotel guests access the Internet during their stays ? up 20% from 2006. About 87% of that group is using Wi-Fi.
Although most travelers have come to expect connectivity to be cheap or included, it?s not always the case. The good news is there are ways to avoid paying for Wi-Fi at hotels all together.
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Here are a few tips to keep in mind for your next trip.
1. Tether Your Mobile Device
It?s possible to tether your 3G or 4G connection from your smartphone to your computer, but many carriers charge fees to do so. Once you have added the service to your data plan, turn on your phone?s personal hotspot option, located in settings. By setting a password, you will be able to prevent other guests in nearby rooms from connecting to your hotspot.
2. Buy a Wireless Router
Although many hotels charge for Wi-Fi, some provide ethernet cables for you to use free. You can then connect your Apple AirPort Express or similar portable Wi-Fi hotspot device to send connectivity to your laptop and mobile devices.
3. Check the Lobby
It might cost you more to access the web in your hotel room, but some places offer free Wi-Fi in the lobby. To prevent guests from using valuable bandwidth to stream media on sites such as Netflix ? which also takes money away from in-room pay-per-view ? hotels often restrict free Wi-Fi in rooms, but open it up to guests at no extra charge on the main floor.
4. Find Nearby Connectivity
WeFi has a database of more than 132 million Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide, from small towns to urban centers. The company also has apps for both iOS and Android, so it?s easy to locate the closest Wi-Fi on the go.
How do you avoid paying for Wi-Fi at hotels? Let us know in the comments.
BONUS: 15 Travel Twitter Accounts to Follow
1. @nomadicchick
Followers: 8,800
Jeannie Mark tweets for her blog Nomadic Chick, where she shares tips, photos and videos from the far corners of the globe. She tackles thought-provoking topics on her blog, including whether it is safe for women travelers to couch surf alone and talks about her inspiration behind her travels: her mom.
Click here to view this gallery.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, courtneyk
This story originally published on Mashable here.
Source: http://www.cybersharq.com/4-ways-to-avoid-paying-for-hotel-wi-fi.html
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