This is the way hotel WiFi should be

[Eug]

I'm staying at a nice hotel in Montreal and there is a WiFi access point right in the suite with two one foot long antennae. The AP is made by a company called Colubris Networks. Signal strength is full bars on all devices everywhere in the suite (which is a 600 square foot unit with a separate bedroom and living room), and the net access is very reliable. Using my iPhone and iPad I get full bars of signal obviously, with over 90 Mbps up and 90 Mbps down on WiFi. Ping is as low as 4 ms on my phone. I wonder if they have WiFi in every suite, or it just so happens mine had the unit that also supplies neighbouring rooms.

Of course, the WiFi is included in the room cost. I hate hotels that nickel and dime you on this stuff, and charge extra for WiFi. Also, this one allows up to 10 devices per suite. I've been in other hotels that only allow 2 at a time per room, which is very restrictive. I alone have three WiFi devices. If I had my wife and kids with me, that'd be another few devices.

Netflix HD works perfectly too.

 

[Kaido]

Dang, I can't ever remember having good Wi-fi access at any hotel I've stayed at. That's awesome! And of course, your hotel isn't in America

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You should try American hotels with tiered wifi. First level is free and sub dial up speed. Next level is the low low rate of $19.95 per night and grants you reasonable access minus streaming for up to two whole people! Finally, there's business class wifi for ONLY an additional $25 dollars per night. The best part is these are hotels with fiber connection. Can you smell the money in Montreal?

 

[1sikbITCH]

I'm staying at a nice hotel in Montreal and there is a WiFi access point right in the suite with two one foot long antennae. The AP is made by a company called Colubris Networks. Signal strength is full bars on all devices everywhere in the suite (which is a 600 square foot unit with a separate bedroom and living room), and the net access is very reliable. Using my iPhone and iPad I get full bars of signal obviously, with over 90 Mbps up and 90 Mbps down on WiFi. Ping is as low as 4 ms on my phone. I wonder if they have WiFi in every suite, or it just so happens mine had the unit that also supplies neighbouring rooms.

Of course, the WiFi is included in the room cost. I hate hotels that nickel and dime you on this stuff, and charge extra for WiFi. Also, this one allows up to 10 devices per suite. I've been in other hotels that only allow 2 at a time per room, which is very restrictive. I alone have three WiFi devices. If I had my wife and kids with me, that'd be another few devices.

Netflix HD works perfectly too.

You are not kidding. Even the camera hidden in your room has a great signal and crystal clear output. Very impressed.

 

[John Connor]

I just tether my phone. I do it free with an App and program called Pda Net. I have no desire to watch Netflix.

If you're in Vegas for DEFCON you wouldn't want to use the hotel WIFI. LOL

 

[Eug]

I just watched an episode of Ripper Street on Netflix HD and it was great.

You should try American hotels with tiered wifi. First level is free and sub dial up speed. Next level is the low low rate of $19.95 per night and grants you reasonable access minus streaming for up to two whole people! Finally, there's business class wifi for ONLY an additional $25 dollars per night. The best part is these are hotels with fiber connection. Can you smell the money in Montreal?

I can almost understand $10 per day, but US$25 (or almost CAD$35) per day for decent WiFi is highway robbery.

Mind you, this is not a cheap hotel. It's a claimed 5-star so I guess I'm paying for it anyway. Then again, other 4-star ones in the area were charging as much for the room or were even more expensive. Most of them did have WiFi included though.

You are not kidding. Even the camera hidden in your room has a great signal and crystal clear output. Very impressed.

I hope you enjoyed it.

I just tether my phone. I do it free with an App and program called Pda Net. I have no desire to watch Netflix.

If you're in Vegas for DEFCON you wouldn't want to use the hotel WIFI. LOL

Heh. Not here anything like that.

I only have 6 GB data per month. If I have real work to do, I can exhaust that in a few days. Plus, I do like relaxing to Netflix, and that can use up the data in a matter of hours.

---

BTW, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is playing in full IMAX 3D a few blocks away. Since I'm free of the kids, I'm going to go get myself a ticket. I hope the IMAX compares to the one in Toronto.

EDIT:

Nope. The Toronto one is dual digital laser IMAX, but the one in downtown Montreal is digital xenon.

http://lfexaminer.com/theaIntl.htm#CANADA

The downtown Montreal one does have true 70 mm IMAX, but Guardians of the Galaxy won't be that.

 

[kage69]

So, APs are full service in Montreal, like the strippers?

(so I've heard)

 

[Carson Dyle]

I would hope that an access point with two external antennas would be able to cover a 600 square foot area.

I wonder if they have WiFi in every suite, or it just so happens mine had the unit that also supplies neighbouring rooms.

I'd wonder that, too, but it would seem like an odd setup to leave the thing exposed to someone who could take everyone else's wifi down. Are there any available wired ethernet jacks in the suite, such as at a desk or on the access point itself?

 

[Exterous]

In this day and age I despise hotels with shitty wifi*

*assuming they're not in BFE. I've got a reservation in the mountains of New Zealand where they seem very proud to offer 1GB of free wifi

You should try American hotels with tiered wifi.

Thats not limited to American hotels...

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

In this day and age I despise hotels with shitty wifi*

*assuming they're not in BFE. I've got a reservation in the mountains of New Zealand where they seem very proud to offer 1GB of free wifi


Thats not limited to American hotels...

Given that New Zealand is 20 years behind in computer infrastructure and if you're talking about the South island, 1 GB is excellent.

 

[pcslookout]

I'm staying at a nice hotel in Montreal and there is a WiFi access point right in the suite with two one foot long antennae. The AP is made by a company called Colubris Networks. Signal strength is full bars on all devices everywhere in the suite (which is a 600 square foot unit with a separate bedroom and living room), and the net access is very reliable. Using my iPhone and iPad I get full bars of signal obviously, with over 90 Mbps up and 90 Mbps down on WiFi. Ping is as low as 4 ms on my phone. I wonder if they have WiFi in every suite, or it just so happens mine had the unit that also supplies neighbouring rooms.

Of course, the WiFi is included in the room cost. I hate hotels that nickel and dime you on this stuff, and charge extra for WiFi. Also, this one allows up to 10 devices per suite. I've been in other hotels that only allow 2 at a time per room, which is very restrictive. I alone have three WiFi devices. If I had my wife and kids with me, that'd be another few devices.

Netflix HD works perfectly too.

Nice and I agree! Last hotel WiFi I was on was only 5 Mbps download.

 

[Cappuccino]

oined:
Mar 11, 2000
Messages:
22,000

too OCD

 

[Exterous]

Given that New Zealand is 20 years behind in computer infrastructure and if you're talking about the South island, 1 GB is excellent.

Yeah - I was trying to use them as an example of an exception

 

[Eug]

I would hope that an access point with two external antennas would be able to cover a 600 square foot area.

-

I'd wonder that, too, but it would seem like an odd setup to leave the thing exposed to someone who could take everyone else's wifi down. Are there any available wired ethernet jacks in the suite, such as at a desk or on the access point itself?

The weird part of this setup is that the access point is underneath the desk. There is a single network jack, in which there is some sort of splitter, which splits to the telephone and the access point.

It must be PoE though, since there is no additional power cord to the access point.

And good point about someone inadvertently taking down the WiFi. Since it's underneath the desk, it would be easy to kick or snag. Not the best cable management:

There is another jack in the room, but a second phone is plugged into it. No additional free jacks, so it's only WiFi for guests.

 

[pcslookout]

The weird part of this setup is that the access point is underneath the desk. There is a single network jack, in which there is some sort of splitter, which splits to the telephone and the access point.

It must be PoE though, since there is no additional power cord to the access point.

And good point about someone inadvertently taking down the WiFi. Since it's underneath the desk, it would be easy to kick or snag. Not the best cable management:

There is another jack in the room, but a second phone is plugged into it. No additional free jacks, so it's only WiFi for guests.

Weird.

 

[lupi]

I remember the early days of hotel internet where if they said they had it you could expect a good ole wall jack in your room.

Now they have 2 $25 belkins and call it good for the entire building.

 

[Rubycon]

External antennas is so 2010!
Go Xirrus or go home.

 

[RockinZ28]

Yea it's very few and far between for a hotel to actually have free internet that can support decent HD streaming. Most cap around 200kb/s, and if not it's usually completely overloaded by users to do anything. Prefer not to connect to their wifi anyway. Unlimited data with free tether ftw.

 

[Carson Dyle]

 

[Eug]

Ah yes, that is the exact unit. I didn't realize there was an extra port there until I looked at that picture. I can confirm it's there on the one in my room too. I can't test if that port is active though since I don't have an extra Ethernet cable.

However, I suspect the speeds via Ethernet would be capped too, even if that port did work.

 

[Rubycon]

POE AP with wall wart! LOL

 

[Carson Dyle]

It's not GbE, so if you're getting 90 Mbps, that's effectively maxing out the ethernet link. You'd almost have to be the only one using the access point.

Is the model # CN320? (If so, is it really possible to hit 90 Mbps using 802.11a/b/g)?

 

[Ichinisan]

If there's one in each room, hopefully they do something like Ubiquiti with a single SSID/channel/MAC with a shared controller. In that setup, each device is more like an antenna for one giant AP.

 

[Eug]

It's not GbE, so if you're getting 90 Mbps, that's effectively maxing out the ethernet link. You'd almost have to be the only one using the access point.

Is the model # CN320? (If so, is it really possible to hit 90 Mbps using 802.11a/b/g)?

Must be a different model then although I see no model number on the unit. The PN is 70-03-2000-41.

I don't know with what gen WiFi my iPhone connects, but the iPhone supports up to 802.11ac. My old MacBook Pro only supports 802.11n and is connected with 802.11n. It gets a bit slower speeds though. More in the 70+ Mbps range IIRC.

 

[Eug]

It looks like the internet supplied is all done with a third party company, not in-house. The company www.intello.com is what's shown on the login page. Their ad says they provide varying turn-key solutions for varying budgets, and specifically advertise they can improve hotel ratings by improving the hotels' provided internet access for guests.

It is a company based near Montreal, but they seem to cater to both Canada and the US.