FYI: RCI blocking routers on their network

[Ourusualbeach]

Were there any config changes you needed to make to the hootoo or did you just hook it up and go? Does the HooToo have an interface that you put your login information in to allow you to connect to the WiFi? Did you have any issues with more than on device at a time going through the HooToo?

 

I'll be going on Allure in a few weeks and am wondering if any travel routers will work with Voom.

 

I will be trying the Netgear N300 next week. We needed a range extender for our house anyway so I bought this one and will try it on the ship.

[ehfl]

Thanks for sharing the info. There are certainly ways to get around this since pretty much any computer can be used as a router with the right hardware and software, and they can't really ban all computers from connecting.

[Russ_MT]

Were there any config changes you needed to make to the hootoo or did you just hook it up and go? Does the HooToo have an interface that you put your login information in to allow you to connect to the WiFi? Did you have any issues with more than on device at a time going through the HooToo?

 

I'll be going on Allure in a few weeks and am wondering if any travel routers will work with Voom.

 

+1

 

We are going on Allure in a few weeks and want to pack the right hardware.

 

Also, does anyone know if VOIP services like (Vonage, Magic App, Skype) have VOIP ports blocked on Voom?

 

We will buy a 2 device package, however while in the cabin we often switch devices (phone, iPad, etc.) and hate to log out/in for each one. And if you forget, the other person has to turn it on and logout. A real PITA.

 

I'm looking at the HooToo as it has other nice features as well.

http://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Wireless-Performance-10400mAh-External/dp/B00RVIGY1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457548081&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=hootoo+router&psc=1#Ask

[thrifty99]

What about taking another device like the laptop, connecting Internet to it, and sharing its connection? You can have the hotspot get wired connection from laptop and the hotspot can then be used for other devices. Should not need to clone MAC at that point since it would be coming from the laptop.

 

I did that on the Allure (back in Nov 2014). I logged in with my MacBook Air and then shared that internet connection with an iPhone and an iPad. It has been a while but I believe I just logged into the RCL internet wirelessly with the MacBook Air (doubt I even brought an ethernet cable).

[borisivan]

Why should two people get charged for an inside cabin considering it's no bigger than the cabin a solo cruiser gets?

 

Why should a husband and wife both pay for dinner at a buffet, when that large man over there ate the exact same amount as the husband and wife combined?

 

The cost associated with the service is not simply bound to the amount of bandwidth delivered or consumed. You're positioning it that way to suit your argument, but it's silly.

 

In fact, for simply doing things like checking facebook and sending emails, it's very possible that you could have 100 or more devices running simultaneously, compared to the amount of bandwidth that they allow a single user to have, who wants to stream a movie.

 

For what it's worth, I don't think it's a big deal. :) I don't sneak booze onboard, but know people who do -- I don't really care either way. But I have to marvel at the way you guys are trying to talk yourselves into thinking that you're not doing anything wrong "because we're not consuming too much bandwidth".

[ExilePA]

I will be trying the Netgear N300 next week. We needed a range extender for our house anyway so I bought this one and will try it on the ship.

 

 

Any luck with the Netgear N300?

 

Thanks!

[CptSticky]

I'm not very tech savvy but a CC search brought me to this thread looking for wifi extender use on a ship (Royal). I often have to keep my door open to get a good enough signal to use the ship's wifi. I thought an extender might help but not sure if they need programed and set up with the ship's wifi or are some just "plug and play"? Anyone use an extender? I see some really inexpensive ones on Amazon.

[Clarea]

I'm not very tech savvy but a CC search brought me to this thread looking for wifi extender use on a ship (Royal). I often have to keep my door open to get a good enough signal to use the ship's wifi. I thought an extender might help but not sure if they need programed and set up with the ship's wifi or are some just "plug and play"? Anyone use an extender? I see some really inexpensive ones on Amazon.

The ones I've seen require configuration.

[CptSticky]

The ones I've seen require configuration.

Thanks, I was afraid of that. I suppose it's not the type of information that I can ask the IT manager onboard:D

[Clarea]

Thanks, I was afraid of that. I suppose it's not the type of information that I can ask the IT manager onboard:D

Probably not.

[chandom]

Best bit of advice if you are looking to get one. Download and read the manual for it.

 

If you can understand the directions in the manual, think about buying it.

 

Still unsure, buy from a place with a real liberal return policy.

[JupiterTwo]

Most have wizards or simple instructions to enable extender mode.

 

I was just on the Liberty of the Seas that had wifi throughout the ship, so I didn't need an extender this time.

 

Steve

[Russ_MT]

I'm not very tech savvy but a CC search brought me to this thread looking for wifi extender use on a ship (Royal). I often have to keep my door open to get a good enough signal to use the ship's wifi. I thought an extender might help but not sure if they need programed and set up with the ship's wifi or are some just "plug and play"? Anyone use an extender? I see some really inexpensive ones on Amazon.

 

I'm posting this from the balcony of Allure. Wifi is very strong and fast. We can stream video easily. Royal has upgraded all ships I believe.

I brought the hootoo in case. Haven't used it but it would do what you want. Either in router mode (default) or extender it would create a hotspot.

Honestly I doubt you'll need it. Wifi is strong everywhere except elevators.

We were on serenade and navigator last year and found wifi was excellent. Internet was slow. With Voom now on all ships Internet speed is fast.

[Ourusualbeach]

I'm posting this from the balcony of Allure. Wifi is very strong and fast. We can stream video easily. Royal has upgraded all ships I believe.

I brought the hootoo in case. Haven't used it but it would do what you want. Either in router mode (default) or extender it would create a hotspot.

Honestly I doubt you'll need it. Wifi is strong everywhere except elevators.

We were on serenade and navigator last year and found wifi was excellent. Internet was slow. With Voom now on all ships Internet speed is fast.

 

Unfortunately Royal, despite advertising VOOM on all ships, has not upgraded all ships.

[Compudoc]

In theory, yes. In practical application, no. Here's why.

 

If the router directly logs into the network and then lets other devices log into it so it can manage multiple device traffic through the single connection, then that would avoid paying for multiple device connections. But that's not how the RCI network works. Once you connect to the network, you are diverted to a login webpage where you have to provide your credentials. The router is unaware of this, so each device will still have to provide a web credential whether you connect directly to the network or via the router.

 

In fact, the network saw my device differently if I connected directly or through the router. When I was on the Majesty last week, I bought the 2 device package for my wife and me. If I connected through the router in my stateroom and did NOT log out via the webpage, I could not connect my device directly to the network later - it said I exceeded my two device limit. I would have to reconnect through the router to log out on the web, and then reconnect directly to the network with the device. Or, I could wait 2 hours for the system to automatically disconnect the inactive device.

 

To the question of using up bandwidth, that is debatable. It's a question of concurrent user activity. Without a router, my two devices will be hitting the network simultaneously, presumably consuming double bandwidth in the same amount of time. Going through the router, our two devices' traffic is managed by the router into a single traffic stream to the network, using the bandwidth of only a single device. However, that single stream is likely to be more continuous as it switches between traffic for two devices, while two separately connected devices might see more periods of inactivity as the user reads their screen.

 

Lastly, why use a router at all given the above? The short answer is, it depends. On the Majesty, there were Wifi hotspots scattered throughout the ship: at the Windjammer/pool, by the shops/Latti-tudes coffee, in the Centrum, etc. It was not like a hotel where every floor had a wifi extender that every room could reach. The router might have a stronger antenna than your computer or handheld device, making the signal reachable. I was on deck 10 under the Windjammer and only got 2 bars at night and often nothing during the day. In port, the signal was overwhelmed by port businesses on the same channels unless I went directly to a hotspot like the pool (which is what I did in Nassau). I would think that on a ship with lots of steel bulkheads, in-room Wifi connectivity would be spotty at best, unless you were very close to a hotspot.

 

Steve

 

I was on the Anthem (RCI) in June of 2016 and used the Hootoo router, It allowed me to log into the web browser on the Hootoo and it maintained the login for the duration of the cruise. Never had to log into the web authentication screen from any device.

[Biker19]

[Clarea]

I was on the Anthem (RCI) in June of 2016 and used the Hootoo router, It allowed me to log into the web browser on the Hootoo and it maintained the login for the duration of the cruise. Never had to log into the web authentication screen from any device.

Thanks for the update, had not heard of Hootoo.

[Russ_MT]

When we were on Allure, we had a login for each of use onboard so I never tried the router.

 

We just got off NCL Escape and had only 1 login. The Hootoo worked great. It is small enough to carry around and we used 2 smart phones,an ipad and a laptop sharing the single connection.

 

Occasionally while walking around it lost connection. Probably during handing off to different hot spots. Resetting the router automatically reconnected and we were back in business.

 

https://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Wireless-10400mAh-External-Streaming/dp/B074LHG47K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&

[Biker19]

Occasionally while walking around it lost connection. Probably during handing off to different hot spots. Resetting the router automatically reconnected and we were back in business.

You walked around the ship with the router? :eek: That's hard core.

[Russ_MT]

You walked around the ship with the router? :eek: That's hard core.

It’s small. The size of a pack of cigarettes. Fit in my wife’s purse and allowed us to receive calls from work (ugg) or family back home on both of our phones.

 

Yea I know. Cruise to get away from all that. But we had family at home that were in poor health and my major clients need to have access to me.

 

It was nice that we both could check mail, make calls on one login

[Biker19]

It’s small. The size of a pack of cigarettes. Fit in my wife’s purse and allowed us to receive calls from work (ugg) or family back home on both of our phones.

That means you were chained to the DW the whole time?:eek:

[Dixie1337]

phishfan04: there are several products like that. They will take a WIRED connection and create a hotspot, but not a WIRELESS connection and create a hotspot.

 

This feature is now built into windows 10, wired or wireless, though I haven't actually tried it yet.

[Clarea]

This feature is now built into windows 10, wired or wireless, though I haven't actually tried it yet.

I have read that it's also on the latest model android phones.

[PCWalton1]

I have read that it's also on the latest model android phones.

 

My Samsung S8 can be a mobile hotspot but it shuts off the phone's connection to wifi and uses data which defeats the purpose.

[Clarea]

My Samsung S8 can be a mobile hotspot but it shuts off the phone's connection to wifi and uses data which defeats the purpose.

Well, I probably misinterpreted, but I thought the poster said it would work with WiFi only.