Almost Canadian

I have done a search and cannot find the answer so please do not flame me for being such an idiot but.....

I will be on a house buying trip to Calgary soon and will be coming armed with a laptop with mobile technology. I understand how wi-fi works and am armed with a full list of hotspots.

Most of the hotels that I am looking at staying at have confirmed that they have high speed internet but none of them are able to confirm what connection leads I will need to link to them.

My laptop is less than 3 months old and has an internal network card (in addition to wi-fi card) that has the "network port" thingy on the side.

Will I be able to access the hotel's internet access by the use of a standard network cable/usb ? I have tried to ask all of the hotels this question but can only get the "you just contect to the socket in your room" type of response

In other words, if I do need to purchase "canadian" size connectors, what will they be ?

I appreciate that I should be able to access the internet via wi-fi at most of the hotels so the question may be academic

Thanks in advance of any replies

KennyJosie

From what I remember, they connections on the hotel walls are just standard CAT5 connections (Same as the one on your laptop) and a standard CAT5 cable will do.
But if there's WIFI then I would just use that instead........ (but take a cable just in case! )
HTH
Kenny

Atlantic Xpat

All hotels with High Speed Internet access with have either a Data cable connection in the room with 'Cat 5' cable and a plug or Wifi or very probably both. With the data cable just plug into the network port on your laptop (kinda looks like the one where the phone line would go for a modem but is slightly bigger IIRC). The hotel should also provide instructions on how to connect up and usually a helpdesk number if you are having problems. For Wifi, assuming its enabled your computer should find the network for you automatically. In both cases when you open your web browser (IE for example) you should be taken automatically to some sort of logon screen where they'll probably ask for your credit card # or for you to accept it billed to your room. (Assuming its not free which it is in some hotels). Follow the instructions and Bob's your uncle.

No need to worry about carrying a Cat5 lead IMHO.

AX

dbd33

I've probably used the internet connection in 300 North American hotel rooms without knowing what a 'Cat 5 cable' is so, no, you don't have to carry one. It's prudent to carry a phone wire and joiner though, lots of things can go wrong with hotel internet connections but you can nearly always find a working phone. I usually disconnect the phone and shove the phone wire into the computer but sometimes it's short; hence the wire and joiner.

Almost Canadian

Thanks for all the replies - I will take a cable just in case

Madmac

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express where the connection is free (or rather it's indivisibly part of the bill) for both the wifi and wired broadband. They supply a short cat5 patch lead in the room writing desk. I found the wired to be a better and more reliable connection though I could get both with my laptop which has both connection modes like your own.

As for connectors: RJ45 (the fat telephone style end clip) is the same in Canada as it is in Europe and will fit standard Network cards.

Relax: hotels are used to everyone wanting a connection in their room now and will do everything to accommodate you.

Almost Canadian

Fantastic - thanks for the reply

or4ngecrush

I used my Nintendo DS internet browser to connect to the hotels wi-fi when I was up in NS in Oct, It was cool an unrelated sorry but I wanted to tell people.

Emma

KennyJosie

LMAO@Emma!1!!! lol