Linux Overseas: Shanghai Pudong Airport and BSA Twin Towers, Manila

OpenSUSE 12.2 does not have the most dependable Network Manager compared to Ubuntu-derivatives but as long as a hotel or airport's wi-fi service is set up properly, openSUSE can connect to WPA/WEP/WPA2 encrypted Internet access at more than acceptable speeds.

Shanghai Pudong Airport Terminal 1 Boarding Area

Shanghai Pudong Airport's free airport wi-fi service at the waiting area isn't as good as free wireless access in most international hubs such as Hong Kong International Airport. Moreover, the already hampered China Internet access is further made inconvenient by a login process that requests for a mobile number (two numbers actually). The waiting areas in Terminal 1 do have free Internet kiosks similar to Macau International. However, you won't know what's worst - that the kiosks run on Internet Explorer 6 (Windows XP) or that it's in Chinese. Bringing along a Knoppix LiveUSB is a good idea but the possibility of getting into trouble with security isn't worth the visit to your Facebook or Twitter account.

If you do decide to use the laborious free wi-fi access using your Linux machine (and create a SSH tunnel for extra measure of privacy), openSUSE won't have much difficulty detecting the access points. Once you're connected to the SSID FREE-AIRPORT-WIFI you can launch Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome to get to the 5-step signup process.

BSA Twin Tower Ortigas, Philippines

This fairly new condominium/hotel surprisingly provides exceptional wireless Internet for each room for free. Considering that some business hotels like the Manila Peninsula Hotel and Mandarin Hotel in Makati do not provide free wi-fi, it's a step up.

Each room is provided with its own wireless router. The front desk issues you the username (actually, it's the SSID) and the WPA/WPA2 security password on check in. The Cisco 2325 can be found on top of the cable box and DVD player and set up to act as a wireless access point so the room wi-fi service never really slows down. Connecting using my iPad 2 was easy (unusual in the Philippines) and openSUSE immediately connected and leveraged the broadband speed without issues with KDE's occasionally sensitive Network Manager.

Considering that my Linux machine sniffed out all the access points on my floor (plus rooms above and below mine), the unusual (and expensive) setup by the hotel is actually pretty good. Obviously, the country's broadband limitations are still there but even streaming video worked - adequate considering that it's a mid-level hotel in the middle of the city and just opposite the huge Megamall.