Voom for one device - can I hotspot or use a travel router?

[BuckeyeMark]

If I buy the Voom Surf and Stream internet pkg for my device can I turn on the hotspot function on my phone and my wife use that to get her email, check FB etc?  Am running an iPhone 11.  Or do I need to get a vpn/travel router?

[awestover89]

Officially, neither is allowed and Royal can cancel your purchase without a refund if they catch you, Unofficially, reports have been hit or miss. Royal is actively working to detect and prevent either hotspot or travel router. In the past I know that travel routers with bridge mode were working, and Royal was just MAC address blocking the major name brands, but this was a few years ago.

 

If you only want to pay for 1 device, you can use it with multiple phones/devices, just not simultaneously. So you can get a 1 device package, use it on your phone, then log off when your wife wants to use it.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, awestover89 said:

Officially, neither is allowed

Where does it say that?

[awestover89]

5 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Where does it say that?

 

Not sure where to find it shoreside, but when you login to royal-wifi on board, in the terms and conditions you sign it defines device. The purchase explicitly says how many devices are allowed to be used simultaneously, so with a one device package, you are permitted to use only 1 device at a time. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, BuckeyeMark said:

If I buy the Voom Surf and Stream internet pkg for my device can I turn on the hotspot function on my phone and my wife use that to get her email, check FB etc?  Am running an iPhone 11.  Or do I need to get a vpn/travel router?

Your hotspot function does not use Wi-Fi. It uses your phone cell service data plan. So that would not work. 
 

If you just want to share a plan, log off and let your wife log on from her phone. Easy. 

[Biker19]

On 10/10/2021 at 4:55 PM, awestover89 said:

 

Not sure where to find it shoreside, but when you login to royal-wifi on board, in the terms and conditions you sign it defines device. The purchase explicitly says how many devices are allowed to be used simultaneously, so with a one device package, you are permitted to use only 1 device at a time. 

I read the full terms for the first time and saw nothing about device definition that would preclude sharing. However, there's one term that could be interpreted that way, #8 under the VOOM Terms of purchase agreement, Acceptable use and conduct: 

 

Allow another person who pas not paid for the Service to access or use the Service on his computer or device through your computer or device.

 

Now, further down there's this:

 

Sharing the Service with another party breaches the Agreement and may constitute fraud or theft.

 

Some could read this as you can't even share the service with your cabin mate - which just about every one does.

 

The thing is, if you claim all of the devices that connect as your own, I don't see an issue.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by Biker19

[cured]

On 10/10/2021 at 1:09 PM, BuckeyeMark said:

If I buy the Voom Surf and Stream internet pkg for my device can I turn on the hotspot function on my phone and my wife use that to get her email, check FB etc?  Am running an iPhone 11.  Or do I need to get a vpn/travel router?

Just curious, is purchasing a 2 device plan that much more expensive than going out and purchasing a travel router?  Less hassle seems to be worth the miniscule extra money.

[AustinCruise]

3 minutes ago, cured said:

Just curious, is purchasing a 2 device plan that much more expensive than going out and purchasing a travel router?  Less hassle seems to be worth the miniscule extra money.

Technical expertise would be one reason (for many, not all).

 

using devices at different places in the ship at the same time would be another. 

[alexgtp]

If you had a travel router, how would you connect it to ships wifi?

 

Ships WiFI network requires a login page, where you connect using login and password. I have not seen any routers that have the option to login to a network via a splash page. So yeah that would not work.

 

Using your cellphone as a hotspot, for this option you would need cell provider coverage as hotspot uses CELL coverage.

 

Easiest thing is when she needs to check her stuff have her login. Once she is done she can logout.

[Ashland]

I'll have the Voom Surf-n-Stream....would a travel router help me to watch Netflix on the incabin TV.

 

It used to be so easy to do this with bringing an HDMI cable and a universal remote...now not so sure how I can do this.

Edited October 12, 2021 by Ashland

[SummerBeee]

2 minutes ago, Ashland said:

I'll have the Voom Surf-n-Stream....would a travel router help me to watch Netflix on the incabin TV.

Not sure, but you can download many Netflix titles for viewing later without needing WiFi 

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, Ashland said:

I'll have the Voom Surf-n-Stream....would a travel router help me to watch Netflix on the incabin TV.

No, just hook the device playing Netflix directly to the cabin TV. 

[JMKreno]

Just got off the Oasis of the Seas. We had 2 internet packages. One for my wife and one for my daughter (teenager). However, I needed to use internet at certain points and my littlest likes to watch a video in the evening as well. 90% of the time either my wife or daughter were logged into their accounts. When we were all in the room, I used my TripMate HT-TM02 "HooToo" travel router I have had for years. Super easy setup to login into the network. All I had to do to get it to connect was connect to the HooToo wifi network, select the Oasis network on the device (log into the console interface on the device from a browser - all documented clearly if one is not familiar), and then I was prompted on my phone to login to the voom network as if I was connecting directly through the app. Switched from any logged in devices and worked like a champ connecting 3 devices in the room. Have had no issues with this over the years on Carnival and now on Royal. Once I left the room, my phone would disconnect from my personal wifi network and then reconnect to the Oasis network and would work seamlessly onboard. The Royal App even worked without issues when connected to the hootoo network as long as it was connected to the Oasis network. 

Edited October 12, 2021 by JMKreno

[gmerick]

The travel router seems like a compliant use of VOOM.  The connection is used from one location.  The reason I would purchase a multi-device package is to simultaneously use the network from multiple locations.  Specifically, so the group of us can call each other.  Cruise ships are rather large towns, approaching the size of a small city.  When it's supper time, how else can we plan when to eat, and which show to see afterwards.

 

It's not like that travel router will be shared with folks in neighboring cabins.  That would be against policy.  But for watching a streamed video, or streaming video to people off the ship, go for it.   And while you're in the cabin where the router is, go ahead, connect and check your e-mail.  

 

To keep the ship network gurus happy, buy a package for the cabin, and one for each person who will be using their phone while wandering.

[Ashland]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

No, just hook the device playing Netflix directly to the cabin TV. 

So just using our Firestick, HDMI cable & Universal remote. We've had no problem on some RCI ships but on some it didn't work. The interactive TV has given us trouble sometimes.

[Biker19]

47 minutes ago, Ashland said:

The interactive TV has given us trouble sometimes.

Yea, you need to be able to switch to the HDMI input for it to work. 

[foxgoodrich]

Is it really important for both of you to be online at the same time?  If not, then just get the 1 device plan.  You can use as many devices as you want...we typically use iPhone, iPad, and a laptop...just not simultaneously.   So when you log out on the laptop, you can log in on the iPhone...then log out on the phone and log in with the iPad...or whatever.  If that's not good enough, and you both need to be online at the same time, then probably paying the price for 2 devices (simultaneously) would be worth it for you.  Give yourself what you need/want!

 

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

So just using our Firestick, HDMI cable & Universal remote. We've had no problem on some RCI ships but on some it didn't work. The interactive TV has given us trouble sometimes.

 

Depends on the ship.  Odyssey 4D aft balcony doesn't have the swing out TV that her sisters did in side facing 4D balconies.  Harder to plug in the HDMI cable, nearly impossible from what I saw without tiny hands.  

 

Switching inputs can be done with their remote by disconnecting the TV from the network and cycling power by removing the power cord.  The menu that comes up can be navigated using their remote and there is an option for input.  Once the TV has seen the network it downloads code that hides those menus so you have to remove it from the network and hard power cycle it.  

 

It's relatively easy in an Oasis class balcony but impossible in other cabins like a JS on Quantum class or now the balcony on Odyssey, at least the aft balcony I had.  

 

Freedom class the TV is open on all sides so very easy.  

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

 

Depends on the ship.  Odyssey 4D aft balcony doesn't have the swing out TV that her sisters did in side facing 4D balconies.  Harder to plug in the HDMI cable, nearly impossible from what I saw without tiny hands.  

 

Switching inputs can be done with their remote by disconnecting the TV from the network and cycling power by removing the power cord.  The menu that comes up can be navigated using their remote and there is an option for input.  Once the TV has seen the network it downloads code that hides those menus so you have to remove it from the network and hard power cycle it.  

 

It's relatively easy in an Oasis class balcony but impossible in other cabins like a JS on Quantum class or now the balcony on Odyssey, at least the aft balcony I had.  

 

Freedom class the TV is open on all sides so very easy.  

Thanks so much for your info. We'll be in GS's & OS's for our next 7 cruises.

We're one of those that now prefer to watch movies at night vs ship nightlife  

[dada2199cc]

Bumping an old thread but my very long term used RAVpower travel router no longer sees ship Wi-Fi.

 

My last cruise was Dec 2019 Serenade (almost 3 years ago) and it worked fine.  Also worked on the flight down last night.

[dada2199cc]

Well, tried 3 hard resets back to original firmware and 3 different spots on the ship and finally got it to work.

 

Casino was a no go to find the main signal (too much interference?).  Deck 15 also wasn’t working.

 

Finally went to the stateroom on deck 12 and was able to get a signal and share it.

 

Hoping it lasts all trip!

[Ashland]

We had no trouble creating a hotspot recently on Serenade but it only worked in our cabin.

[dada2199cc]

17 hours ago, Ashland said:

We had no trouble creating a hotspot recently on Serenade but it only worked in our cabin.

I tested mine out *after* connecting successfully in the cabin and it worked fine in the casino, restaurants and elsewhere.  Obviously was just a problem trying to initially connect in busier areas!

[Blur]

Yes to both.  If your phone lets you hotspot a Wi-Fi source like my pixel.  I haven't done the phone hotspot on ship since hotspotting tends to heat up phone and drain battery but travel router worked great when in room.  I'd say it worked even better than just connecting directly since it boosts the signal if the source is weak.  Travel router did a better job with the weak voom connection.

[RobInMN]

Used my phone's hotspot on the last couple cruises to share the wifi with multiple devices. I found it easier than logging in & out, plus I could stream podcasts on my phone while using the larger screen of my tablet.