iPad plus Airport, can do?

[Jorgen Udvang]

A friend of mine called last night and asked the following question:
I'm going to stay at a hotel with only old fashioned wired net connection, and I'm only going bring my iPad. If I buy an Airport, will that work as a connection between the hotel, in-room network? Does the Airport have to be configured first to function?

It makes sense to me, but since I have neither an iPad nor an Airport, I don't really know. Has anybody here tried? Does it work?

 

[Ranger Rick]

I have an Airport Extreme, connected to cable modem, and no problem in using an iPad. You have to create a network for the wifi. I'd assume your friend would have to set up his/her own "network", and no idea how that would work with whatever the hotel provides. I suspect that could be problematic, but maybe it's just as easy as setting up a network at home.

 

[Ranger Rick]

One other thought- depending on how often this arrangement would be needed, would it make sense to use a cellular wifi plan if available there? For example, in the US, AT&T offers monthly plans for $15-25/month, with no long term contract: start and stop whenever and as often as you need it, a month at a time.

 

[Godfrey]

He would need to have a regular computer along to configure the Airport.

I'd use the iPad's 3G connection, or get a 3G portable hotspot if I had a wifi only iPad.

 

[ghoonk]

Most of the time, the wired connections in the hotels have a walled garden, i.e. a closed environment where you can login or pay for access. You may need a computer for that, but there's a good chance that if you plug an Airport (i prefer the Airport Express - smaller and lighter) in, and then connect your iPad wirelessly to the Airport, it would present the login/payment page in Mobile Safari and he can login/pay to get access

 

[weinschela]

If the iPad has 3g, why not use the phone connection? Many hotels absolutely screw guests on wifi charges, some times as much as 20 or 30 € or $. Paying data roaming charges usually cheaper than that. If the ipad is wifi only, then of course you are stuck and an Airport express or similar should allow you to connect unless the hotel blocks it. Might be worth a call ahead.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Thank you for your thoughts, all of you. In Thailand, due to political complications, 3G is still not available outside the biggest cities (read: Bangkok). In this case, internet connection at the hotel is free, but, which is the problem, not wireless.

Isn't it strange that cheap hotels, at least here in Asia, almost universally offer wifi for free, while luxury hotels, particularly the major chains, sometimes charge more for internet in the room than you pay for room with wifi if you choose to stay at a more modest accommodation

 

[cjlacz]

I haven't done this with the iPad, but the idea is similar enough. He should setup the airport express first and verifies it works with DHCP. I'm assuming that's what they are using. Even if they require some login at a web page it should come up on his iPad. If it uses flash might be a problem, but you normally only see stuff like that on a wireless network.

FYI, iOS 5 will include the capability of setting up and configuring the airport express/airport extreme/time capsule. It should make something like this a lot easier in the future.