Unsolicited Questions: Why does the hotel Wi-Fi keep dropping my connection? Part 2

Continued from Unsolicited Questions: Why does the hotel Wi-Fi keep dropping my connection? Part 1

Linux users rejoice

There's little doubt iOS and Android will be subject to the timout limitations set by the hotel Wi-Fi. There's really no workaround unless you have access to the router and can configure the settings properly (most Southeast Asian hotels are equipped with either a TP-Link or Linksys and the odd Westell).

An observation that may or may not surprise Linux users is that a standard recent Linux distribution doesn't get kicked off as quickly from a public Wi-Fi network and may even save the user the hassle of having to log in to the hotel Wi-Fi page. In fact, my openSUSE 12.1 KDE machine didn't get disconnected at all in three separate network environments whereas an iPad or iPod would get disconnected every 10-20 minutes or so. Moreover, after logging in to a hotel Wi-Fi the first time, Linux network managers will ensure you won't have to visit the log in page again (while iOS will actually prompt you if you get disconnected, switch off your wireless or connect to another public network). In anecdotal evidence, Windows surprisingly performs better than MacOSX at maintaining third-party network authentication.




Then again, I wonder why tourists gripe about Wi-Fi at all or bother the front desk staff (who probably can't contact the offsite tech guy anyway). It's a vacation! There are plenty of better stuff to do than tweet or post a Facebook pic of the fish you just ate.

Bonus Tip

Kuala Lumpur International's budget terminal, McDonald's and a few public places in Hong Kong place a specific time limit for Wi-Fi access. Most now offer a generous 3 hour limit while others limit access to an hour or 2 hours at most.

If you're that desperate about Internet access (or suffer from Internet addiction), don't worry about places which have a specific Wi-Fi time limit. Just surf with one device until you hit the time limit and then switch to a different device, say your girlfriend or boyfriend's tablet or smartphone. Most public Wi-Fi limits are designed to "recognize" and "remember" MAC addresses, the unique hardware identifier of a network chip. Most people have more than one Wi-Fi capable device so if you're not bored with the Internet when you hit the limit, just switch to your laptop or tablet.