View Full Version : Vonage from Hotel with Wireless Internet
I signed up with Vonage recently and it works well. I have found recently that many hotels provide only wireless high speed internet. I want to be able to make phone calls using my notebook via the hotel wireless internet. Vonage charge an additional $12 per month for the software but I think there is a way to do it for free using shareware such as XTen Light. Has anyone figured out how to do this?
By the way, if the hotel has wired high speed internet I can use my Vonage adapter and a hand set and use my Vonage service to call free in North America. It just seems strange that it costs extra if the hotel happens to have wireless only.
andyman
10-02-2005, 06:21 AM
that's true alot of hotels have gone wireless ... never thought of that owg ...
I ruled out Cable (Rogers) because you can't travel with it but never thought about the wireless barrier ... will have to look into that.
thanks for the heads up.
Digiital
10-02-2005, 09:36 AM
Funny enough I'm in Flint, MI rightnow at a hotel with just wireless as well. Not using VOIP but, just a though. Windows XP has a option to allow you to use your laptop as a gateway. I'm wondering(never tried it) if you could hook the modem(voip) to your laptop, then it would gateway it to the internet via the wireless connection.
Might have to play with it at home to see if it would work.
Maybe this from XP Help is what we need to do.
To specify an H.323 gateway or proxy
Open Phone and Modem Options in Control Panel.
On the Advanced tab, in Providers, click Microsoft H.323 Telephony Service Provider, and then click Configure.
In Configure H.323 Service Provider, select one of the following:
To specify an H.323 gateway, select the Use H.323 gateway check box, and then type the computer name or IP address for the gateway.
To specify an H.323 proxy, select the Use H.323 proxy, and then type the server name or IP address for the proxy.
Notes
To open a Control Panel item, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the appropriate icon.
An H.323 gateway connects the IP network with a switched service network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Your telephony system administrator can provide the correct name or IP address to enter here.
A proxy server acts as a firewall or security barrier between your intranet and the Internet, preventing other people on the Internet from gaining access to confidential information on your internal network or computer. Your telephony system administrator can provide the correct name or IP address to enter here.
Thaiwoo
10-02-2005, 04:41 PM
I'm working in TN right now and was waiting to fill some prescriptions in WallyWorld. Saw a Linksys Wireless Game adapter
http://www.pricescan.com/items/item152089.asp?sid=I5152089
It says no drivers needed, so maybe it could work with your equipment.
Hey Digiital how do you like the roads in Flint? Some of them are in pretty bad shape aren't they?
Digiital
10-02-2005, 05:09 PM
Some?! You mean all, I can still feel the rumble noise in my hands/arms and my head.!!
One thing I noticed and it's PRETTY DAMN noticeable, is that ALL you see are GM cars!!! I mean 99% of the cars you see are GM's. I think I could count the none north american cars on my fingers that I saw!!!
Did get the see my first GTO, NICE looking car!!
The problem with the access points, like that linksys(and i had thought about this) is the problem is that alot of times you have to visit the hotels default website and accept any legal mumbo jumbo before your allowed to surf, so if thats the case, then the voip unit can't do that since it's based on MAC address. So the other way is to use the SAME MAC address on your windows machine, use it first to accept the legal crap and then turn on the voip modem and hope it works.
Thaiwoo
10-02-2005, 05:18 PM
The problem with the access points, like that linksys(and i had thought about this) is the problem is that alot of times you have to visit the hotels default website and accept any legal mumbo jumbo before your allowed to surf, so if thats the case, then the voip unit can't do that since it's based on MAC address. So the other way is to use the SAME MAC address on your windows machine, use it first to accept the legal crap and then turn on the voip modem and hope it works.
Yeah I forgot about the signing in via web browser. Some give you a password as well to sign in via wireless. I guess that's out of question as well.:rrg:
Digiital
10-02-2005, 06:51 PM
Unless you change your laptops MAC to the same as the linksys device, login with the latop then turn on the linksys and voip. it might work that way, then you would have to change the MAC on the laptop again back to the real MAC(for the wireless card in the laptop)
Like so: http://www.codeproject.com/tools/MacIdChanger.asp
Thaiwoo
10-02-2005, 10:45 PM
I'm now expert on this at all. When you sign in on a hotel inernet service, does it only go by the mac address or does it leave some file like a cookie on it to recognize the PC?
If it does leave a file then that gadget wouldn't work either.
Digiital
10-02-2005, 11:26 PM
In most cases it's MAC. Example. While I was in flint, I was using Skype and some other apps. They aren't web based so they don't use Cookies. Much like DHCP works. It captures your MAC. Network really works like so:
MAC - IP ADDRESS - DOMAIN NAME
Since it's next to impossible for people to remember MACs they have IPs, which aren't that easy to remember anyways, so they came up with Domain Names. Of course its easy to remember cnn.com :)
So in other words, Domain Name is based on IP, IP is based on MAC address.
Now that your all confused...... :)
Exmortis
10-03-2005, 08:44 AM
I signed up with Vonage recently and it works well. I have found recently that many hotels provide only wireless high speed internet.
Linksys has a wireless Vonage adapter now, but you need to buy it yourself. Future Shop has it. Otherwize, use Skype. It's very inexpensive.
Exmortis
10-03-2005, 10:00 AM
Hey owg... You're the same owg in this thread? :)
http://www.vonage-forum.com/ftopic8656.html
Looks like they agree that Skype would be the best thing, for the little money it costs.
Hey owg... You're the same owg in this thread? :)
http://www.vonage-forum.com/ftopic8656.html
Looks like they agree that Skype would be the best thing, for the little money it costs.
Yes, the same Old White Guy.
Linksys has a wireless Vonage adapter now, but you need to buy it yourself. Future Shop has it. Otherwize, use Skype. It's very inexpensive.
I guess I should have bought a wireless Vonage Apapter since I have a home wireless LAN. But then I would not be able to hook up to the hotels withe wired Hi Speed. Ideally the adapter would be wired and wireless then it would work in both environments, but cost more I guess. Thanks to all for the discussion.
Exmortis
10-03-2005, 01:19 PM
On second thought, don't get the wireless router in a hotel. Many hotels allow access via a username/password that is supplied to you by the front desk and then the MAC address of the machine you used to log on is allowed access for typically 12 hrs. Digiital mentioned MAC cloning, but it gets really annoying. A lot of steps to follow.
Different hotels work differently so it may just be a huge annoyance to you having to figure things out everytime and configure the router. I'd rather go with Skype... Or get a cell phone, set it as the network outage number and then simply turn off your Vonage adapter at home when you leave.
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