Mobile hotspots?

I stayed at a very nice hotel recently that had an expansive lobby with free wireless Internet access but charged for room access. This place also charged $10 for room service french fries.

 

It seems like the crappier the hotel, the better chance you have to get free wifi.

And I always carry an ethernet chord just in case I am in a remote part of the building.

 

Thanks. I was thinking about replacing home internet with it as well, but it sounds like going the mobile hotspot route for that purpose wouldn't be worth it.

 

Well, I'm online from 6:30-7:45 a.m., then from like 7-11 or midnight. And I think it said you get 5000 page views or something on average. That's like a week's worth, MAYBE, for me.

 

Yeah, I'm the same way. Going to have to do some investigating.

 

It is probably worth it to sign up for a few hotel reward programs to snag some free wi-fi (understanding that OP said he was in the middle of nowhere).

Most hotels that have free internet make you use a code given at check - in to get it. I was desperate for a connection once and drove to a Hampton Inn where I sat in the parking lot and connected. I think the Hiltons have it set up where you can log in through your Hilton Honors account so I was able to grab a free signal in a pinch.

 

Things may work a bit differently where I am, but my smartphone can share its data connection with a PC. I've used it when my wi-fi's gone down to connect to my company's VPN when working from home, running several different applications. Speed-wise it's fine, and as I've only ever done it for a few hours, I've never seen any kind of hit on the bill (I have a 1GB data allowance that I don't tend to use much of).

I do that with the actual cord, rather than setting it up as a hotspot. As far as the computer's concerned, it's connected to an Ethernet hub.

 

If you're a freelancer, all your tech expenses are tax deductible. Look into an iPhone 4 (free w/contract and hotspot capable) with the lowest cost all-you-can-eat Verizon data plan.

 

No more unlimited data at Verizon.

 

I should have specified all-you-can-eat talk and text. The smallest data plan is 1G.

 

It's sounding like if I want to do a mobile hotspot just for game nights or in rare instances, it'd be fine, but as a replacement for home internet, it wouldn't be worth it financially since I do a lot of surfing.