Wired Ethernet Connection at Hotel

[Rick Bilonick]

I'm using FC4 on a Dell Inspiron 2200 and connecting through the wired
ethernet port. I connect all the time through this port at work and also
connect wirelessly without problem. When I try to connect using the wired
ethernet port using eth0 at a hotel using the gui interface, it connects
sort of but I cannot view web pages or do much. I can see that I'm
assigned an ip (I'm using dhcp) and I can guess at the gateway ip and the
dns ip. If I create a route to the gateway (either using the route command
or using the network gui) and enter the dns ip, I can then surf web pages,
use ssh, etc. The only problem is I have to re-activate the connection
frequently.

Any idea on why using dhcp doesn't work more automatically and more
easily and why I keep losing the connection? I've run into this problem
before with this laptop at other hotels that used wired ethernet. Wireless
dhcp works as expected.


Rick B.

[Mikkel]

RICHARD wrote:
>  I'm using FC4 on a Dell Inspiron 2200 and connecting through the
> wired
>  ethernet port. I connect all the time through this port at work and also
>  connect wirelessly without problem. When I try to connect using the wired
>  ethernet port using eth0 at a hotel using the gui interface, it connects
>  sort of but I cannot view web pages or do much. I can see that I'm
>  assigned an ip (I'm using dhcp) and I can guess at the gateway ip and the
>  dns ip. If I create a route to the gateway (either using the route command
>  or using the network gui) and enter the dns ip, I can then surf web pages,
>  use ssh, etc. The only problem is I have to re-activate the connection
>  frequently.
>  
>  Any idea on why using dhcp doesn't work more automatically and more
>  easily and why I keep losing the connection? I've run into this problem
>  before with this laptop at other hotels that used wired ethernet. Wireless
>  dhcp works as expected.
>  
>  
>  Rick B.
>   
Dumb question - is the hotel using some type of proxy server? I only
have limited experience with this, but I remember being required to
fill out some information on a local web page before being able to
access the Internet. Then again, this was before they started
offering free Internet access.

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!

[Michael A. Peters]

On Mon, 2006-05-01 at 10:12 -0500, Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:

>  > 
>  Dumb question - is the hotel using some type of proxy server? I only
>  have limited experience with this, but I remember being required to
>  fill out some information on a local web page before being able to
>  access the Internet. Then again, this was before they started
>  offering free Internet access. 
Last hotel I was at worked that way.
Before anything worked - I had to open a browser window, which was
redirected to their home page - and agree to the terms of usage.

This was the case with wired and the wireless that they offered.

Make sure your browser allows javascript - the place I was at used
javascript in their agreement page thingy. So if you have a firefox
extension that only allows it for specified sites, or you have it
disabled, you may need to adjust your browser settings.

The wired one only made me agree once a day - but if I changed mac
address (attached another computer), it expired the old mac address and
made me agree with the new one.

[Jeff Vian]

On Mon, 2006-05-01 at 09:26 -0400, RICHARD wrote:
>  I'm using FC4 on a Dell Inspiron 2200 and connecting through the
> wired
>  ethernet port. I connect all the time through this port at work and also
>  connect wirelessly without problem. When I try to connect using the wired
>  ethernet port using eth0 at a hotel using the gui interface, it connects
>  sort of but I cannot view web pages or do much. I can see that I'm
>  assigned an ip (I'm using dhcp) and I can guess at the gateway ip and the
>  dns ip. If I create a route to the gateway (either using the route command
>  or using the network gui) and enter the dns ip, I can then surf web pages,
>  use ssh, etc. The only problem is I have to re-activate the connection
>  frequently.
>  
>  Any idea on why using dhcp doesn't work more automatically and more
>  easily and why I keep losing the connection? I've run into this problem
>  before with this laptop at other hotels that used wired ethernet. Wireless
>  dhcp works as expected.
>  
> From your description it is very simple. 
The hotel network is not set up the same on
the wired side as it is on
the wireless side.

You need to complain to them and get them to fix the wired side so DHCP
works the same as it does on the wireless side.  It would be good
business for them to do so, and they will (usually) recognize that once
they know the problem exists. File the complaint at the corporate office
for the hotel chain.

You say this is at several hotels, and the fix will be the same for
each.  If there are several for the same chain you can identify, a
single complaint may get them all taken care of, although, one complaint
per hotel would catch more attention. 

>  
>  Rick B.
>