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Using AirPort Express in hotel room to create WiFi network

Y

yymca6

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 1, 2008
54
2
Montréal QC
I've encountered the situation a few times while traveling where you have cable connection but no WiFi. Since I now travel only with iPhone and iPad (no laptop), can I just connect an old AirPort Express A1084 to the router and expect WiFi? If so does the now unused AirPort Express kept the configuration of my home network e.g. name and password?
 
flopticalcube said:
You can have multiple profiles for Airport devices. Just reconfigure them in Airport Utility.
Click to expand...
I can't tell you how many times I've done this. Until I retired, I had an Apple refurbished Express that I carried with me on business trips.

If you travel with someone, who has a laptop, have them stay in the room next to you. Most of the time, my travel mates, in the room sharing a wall with my room, could receive my AE signal well enough to use it themselves.:D
 
Just to beat this thread to death further, I also bring my Airport Express everywhere I travel. I have used it in 70+ hotel visits the past year and a half, I have used it on every visit unless the hotel provides free wifi already.

Half of the hotels I have been to offer free internet, so I can connect all my devices to it via AE. Some hotels offer internet for a fee (in China, especially the nicer hotels such as Sheraton, Hyatt, Marriott, etc), after I click the "pay" button, I can connect other devices, phones, ipads, more laptops to the AE and use internet. However, some hotels that charge for internet usage place a device limit on each room, so I must pay for each device even if they are connected to the AirPort Express. In that case, I just pay for my laptop usage.

the AE is amazing for travel, I cannot wait for Apple to come out with a smaller one, or perhaps a power adaptor with the AE built in. :p
 
Wifi network with Airport Express and iPad in hotel ? Need help

Hi -

I am currently staying in a hotel which only offers wired internet in the rooms (I know !:().

I have my iPad with Airport Utility downloaded and my Airport Express.

The wired connectionin the room is free but requires a password.

When I connect the AE to the Ethernet cable, reset the AE and launch Airport Utility in my iPad... Nothing happens ???? :confused:

This is so frustrating this is spoiling my vacation !

Help please ? How do I set up my AE given the required password to access the wired network ?

PS: I don't have a laptop with me since I read the all one needed was an iPad with Airport Utility and an AE...

Thanks a lot for your help.

W.
 
Try to reset the airport express (hold the reset button down with a pen or paper clip I believe, you can look that up. After that go into the settings ap, under wifi (I think) you should see a set up airport express xxxxxx. After you set it up, to change settings use the airport app

I am reciting the instructions from memory, but I think that was what I did last week to set up one.

Oh, and you need a n airport router, older g airport routers are not compatible with the iOS setup or airport app I believe.

Edit: YouTube video showing how:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt1Q8iaxq4o&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
Last edited:
Thanks a lot Richdmoore.

Going back to my room right now to try. :D

Thanks !!
 
Terwal said:
Thanks a lot Richdmoore.

Going back to my room right now to try. :D

Thanks !!
Click to expand...

Set the AE to bridge mode then restart and you should be able to get on the network. Normally the password at hotels will be entered in a popup you get after you connect to the AE.
 
Weaselboy said:
Set the AE to bridge mode then restart and you should be able to get on the network. Normally the password at hotels will be entered in a popup you get after you connect to the AE.
Click to expand...

I don't use bridge mode. I create a new network... and I have it create new IP addresses. Basic router mode.

I've set mine up years ago. I have a tough WPA2 password. I just enter the hotel password from my browser on my MBA or iPad.

/Jim
 
flynz4 said:
I don't use bridge mode. I create a new network... and I have it create new IP addresses. Basic router mode.

I've set mine up years ago. I have a tough WPA2 password. I just enter the hotel password from my browser on my MBA or iPad.

/Jim
Click to expand...

That will work in most cases, but in others it will cause a conflict and "double NAT" issues and both your and the hotel's router are trying to assign IP addresses. I have had more universal success in hotels with bridge mode as they (hotels) all assign their own IP.
 
Weaselboy said:
That will work in most cases, but in others it will cause a conflict and "double NAT" issues and both your and the hotel's router are trying to assign IP addresses. I have had more universal success in hotels with bridge mode as they (hotels) all assign their own IP.
Click to expand...

I have not had the problem. I travel a tremendous amount (>50%), generally stay in business hotels (Westin, Sheraton, Hilton, W, Hyatt, etc)... or vacation condos. I never had a problem with double NAT errors. It is possible that I have suppressed them... but even still, never a problem with connectivity.

More recently, places have been moving to wireless access. I always use a VPN when connected to wireless hotspot. Either my corporate VPN for business use... or a private VPN for personal use. I subscribe to Witopia for my personal VPN. I strongly suggest that you do not connect to public hotspots of any kind without one. Sidejacking is just too easy and prevalent.

/Jim
 
Guys -

Thanks a lot for the input, but either I am unlucky or a loosy technician (probably the latter !):

- my AE keeps on blinking orange
- when I go the Settings/Wifi on my iPad, I do not see the section "Set up an Airport Base Station" as described above ??
- when I open Airport Utility on my iPad, I get a message: "No Airport Base Station has been found. Airport Utility will continue searching...". Which it does forever

As well - you mention above to set up the AE in bridge mode - how do you do that when you just have an AE and an iPad (i.e. no laptop) ?

I am a bit at a loss.

Thanks for your insight on the above...


Thanks,

W.
 
flynz4 said:
I have not had the problem. I travel a tremendous amount (>50%), generally stay in business hotels (Westin, Sheraton, Hilton, W, Hyatt, etc)... or vacation condos. I never had a problem with double NAT errors. It is possible that I have suppressed them... but even still, never a problem with connectivity.

More recently, places have been moving to wireless access. I always use a VPN when connected to wireless hotspot. Either my corporate VPN for business use... or a private VPN for personal use. I subscribe to Witopia for my personal VPN. I strongly suggest that you do not connect to public hotspots of any kind without one. Sidejacking is just too easy and prevalent.

/Jim
Click to expand...

As I mentioned, it is unusual to have the double NAT error actually cause trouble, but if you are not in bridge mode you have double NAT errors. Open Airport Utility (the old 5.6 version) and look in the logs and you will see the errors logged. Usually, the AE just works around the error and you don't see it.
 
Terwal said:
Guys -

Thanks a lot for the input, but either I am unlucky or a loosy technician (probably the latter !):

- my AE keeps on blinking orange
- when I go the Settings/Wifi on my iPad, I do not see the section "Set up an Airport Base Station" as described above ??
- when I open Airport Utility on my iPad, I get a message: "No Airport Base Station has been found. Airport Utility will continue searching...". Which it does forever

As well - you mention above to set up the AE in bridge mode - how do you do that when you just have an AE and an iPad (i.e. no laptop) ?

I am a bit at a loss.

Thanks for your insight on the above...


Thanks,

W.
Click to expand...

I saw it mentioned earlier, but not clear if you got it done... try a factory reset as described here. Hold in the reset button with a paper clip while plugging in the AE until the light starts to flash. Be aware this sets it to open wifi with no password.

Even if the light flashes orange and it does not connect to the Internet, you should still be able to connect to the AE with Airport Utility on the iPad to get it setup. After the factory reset it will be named AppleXXX (xxx will be a series of numbers). Before trying to use Airport Utility on an iPad you will need to go to wifi in general settings and select the AE as the network you want to join, and then open AirPort Utility.

To setup bridge mode in Airport Util on iPad look under the advanced tab at the bottom and in the DHCP settings change to bridge mode.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Weaselboy for the clarifications. I thought I had done a reset, but will try again as per your instructions.

At which point should I connect the Ethernet cable to the AE ? For for now, I had connected it from the beginning. Is that correct ?

Thanks.
 
Terwal said:
Thanks Weaselboy for the clarifications. I thought I had done a reset, but will try again as per your instructions.

At which point should I connect the Ethernet cable to the AE ? For for now, I had connected it from the beginning. Is that correct ?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

There are two kinds of reset, just pressing the pin is a "soft" reset, you want a full factory reset like I described. After the reset is complete I would unplug the AE then plug in again with the ethernet cable connected (although hypothetically it should work either way).
 
I see. Had done a soft one. Going for the factory reset now and will report.

Thanks.
 
Weaselboy, all - making some good progress thanks to your collective help:

- now can see my AE in the Wifi setting section
- I create a new network
- but then I get the following error:

"Waiting for Internet Access...
Cycle power / Remove internal battery
Cycle the power of your DSL or cable modem etc etc..."

Difficult for me to ask the hotel to unplug their modem !?!?

Any thoughts at this stage ?

Thanks again !!

W.
 
I am not sure what screen/app you are in. After the factory reset and a restart with the ethernet cable connected, do you get a green light? If not, we are kind of at a dead end. With the reset it should see the hotel ethernet network and allow you to login to the AE with no password... then you normally have to start Safari to enter the hotel password etc. But you will first need a green light before any of this.
 
This is screen I get in the Wifi setting process (in Settings/Wifi): I select the AE (which i can now see on my iPad), then create a new network (providing a new password) then I click next. At that stage, I get the previous message on a screen showing the picture of the back of the router asking me to unplug the router and replug it because I don't have internet connection.


Don't think the light was green at this stage because I had not yet connected to the internet.

Took a screenshot of that screen but not sure I can upload it onto this forum using my ipad ?
 
Even with no device like the iPad etc connected, a factory reset and reboot attached to ethernet should yield a green light.

In the ipad when you select the Airport you should be prompted for a password. After a factory reset that password is "public" At this point you can hit the iPad home button to exit general settings then start the Airport Utility. Once there try to get it set to bridge mode like I mentioned earlier.
 
I see... I was actually not asked for a password ? Wondering if I did another soft reset as opposed to factory. Let me try again.
 
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