Sharing Wi-fi Across Devices?

[DamianG]

Hi

I think I once read how someone was able to share the onboard wi-fi on several devices using an accessory (wifi router?) so can anyone provide more details on how this works please?

I'm just thinking that there may be time when we all want to use our devices at the same time on our forthcoming cruise and whether there is a way to overcome "taking turns" (i.e. login on one device, then logout on that for the next user etc.).

Thanks in advance.

Damian

[tartanexile81]

There is absolutely no way of taking turns. I buy a package for the whole cruise and if I forget to log out on my phone, I get a message if I try to use my iPad. The only way round it is buy more than one package.

 

I usually do longer cruises with lots of sea days but on a recent European cruise I just used my own 3G / 4G connection on my phone and iPad. I have Feel At Home on 3 and there is a long list of countries where I pay no more than my usual contract. It includes the USA fro example

[CCFC]

You can buy a travel router that connects to the ships wifi, you can then connect to the router with as many devices as you want. Netgear do one which I have and works fine.

[kenhem]

You can buy a travel router that connects to the ships wifi, you can then connect to the router with as many devices as you want. Netgear do one which I have and works fine.

A couple of questions. Having checked online for travel routers they range from around £20 to £250, in your experience how much should be paid for one that works ok on a ship?

Secondly, what is their range on a ship, do devices have to be reasonably close to the router to pick up the wifi?

Thanks for any advice.

[CCFC]

I paid £25 for a Netgear Trek N300, its only really useful in the cabin though you can take it with you. If you find a plug it will work anywhere.

[DamianG]

You can buy a travel router that connects to the ships wifi, you can then connect to the router with as many devices as you want. Netgear do one which I have and works fine.

 

Great, this is what I had in mind (I omitted the key word "travel" when I referred to a router) and it is good to know that it will work (just in the cabin will be fine).

Thanks very much & all the best.

Damian

[picsa]

You need a travel router that has WISP mode, not all do, and one that allows you to set the MAC address.

 

This allows you to sign in with your phone or tablet to the network you want to share through the popup webpage, then spoof the MAC address of your phone/tablet to the router.

 

The router then connects to the network and as it has the phone/tablets MAC the network thinks it is the phone/tablet which authenticated through the webpage.

 

WISP mode both connects to the network and provides a WiFi hotspot for other devices to connect, as with a normal router.

[DamianG]

You need a travel router that has WISP mode, not all do, and one that allows you to set the MAC address.

 

This allows you to sign in with your phone or tablet to the network you want to share through the popup webpage, then spoof the MAC address of your phone/tablet to the router.

 

The router then connects to the network and as it has the phone/tablets MAC the network thinks it is the phone/tablet which authenticated through the webpage.

 

WISP mode both connects to the network and provides a WiFi hotspot for other devices to connect, as with a normal router.

 

Great info, thanks very much.

Damian

[T101]

Does anyone know P&O wifi will allow you to share with another device using your phone as a personal hotspot?

[Snow Hill]

12 hours ago, T101 said:

Does anyone know P&O wifi will allow you to share with another device using your phone as a personal hotspot?

I am fairly sure you need to be attached to land based cell towers in order for hot spot to work. 

[paulatsea]

Later post

Edited October 4, 2023 by paulatsea

[paulatsea]

13 hours ago, T101 said:

Does anyone know P&O wifi will allow you to share with another device using your phone as a personal hotspot?

I don’t see why not - hotspot is local to both your devices and uses Bluetooth / local WiFi to transmit data from the device on WiFi to the other device and vice versa.

Also you can both use one WiFi package - but not at the same time - so it can be shared like this as well.

Edited October 4, 2023 by paulatsea

[Snow Hill]

5 minutes ago, paulatsea said:

 

I don’t see why not - hotspot is local to both your devices and uses Bluetooth to transmit data from the device on WiFi to the other device.

Also you can both use one WiFi package - but not at the same time - so it can be shared like this as well.

With Bluetooth you can only share to one device and it’s very slow, the wifi option is quicker and allows more than one device. A travel router would be better option than hotspot on your phone. 

[paulatsea]

Yes but it also creates a local WiFi network that the other device connects to - it’s been good speed when I have done it on a ship in port connected to 4G and my wife’s phone connected to my hotspot.

With the ships Wi-Fi it’s probably too slow unless it’s starlink - but technically I think it would work ?
Unless it’s blocked somehow by P&O service but I don’t see how it could “see” that you are using your phone as a hotspot. 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by paulatsea

[T101]

Thanks for your comments. We’re cruising on P&O’s Arvia out of Southampton on the 27 October. I believe the ship will be fitted with Starlink by then 🤞🏼

[DamianG]

We were unable to share a single WiFi package across multiple devices on our last two cruises on Iona and Arvia. Previously (2018 & 2019) we were able to do this via a travel router but could not do that on either cruise. We couldn't use the Hot Spot function on a mobile phone either.

 

Without knowing the technical details of how P&O have managed this it appears to me that they have somehow blocked sharing WiFi and instead have introduced different pricing for the number of devices requiring use of it when booking the WiFi package.

[DamianG]

When I try to add internet for our next cruise it automatically asks whether I want to book an individual package for each member of our party:

 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by DamianG

[paulatsea]

You may use multiple devices on one package but can only use a single device at any one time. If you wish to use multiple devices simultaneously, you will need to buy additional packages that are available at a discounted rate. 

 

from P&O site .

[paulatsea]

What if I want to connect with a different device? 

You may use multiple devices on one package but can only use a single device at any one time. If you wish to use multiple devices simultaneously, you will need to buy additional packages that are available at a discounted rate. 

[paulatsea]

https://www.pocruises.com/my-cruise-tcs/wi-fi-tcs
 

fyi folks . Couldn’t see anything specific about using your device as a hotspot -but probably comes under a general exclusion - sounds as if they have blocking technology for this - as said in above posts.

[9265359]

On 7/9/2018 at 12:51 PM, DamianG said:

I think I once read how someone was able to share the onboard wi-fi on several devices using an accessory (wifi router?) so can anyone provide more details on how this works please?

 

Yes you use a travel router - I use a GL.iNet router and they start at around £30.

 

At any hotel (or cruise ship) you log onto the WiFi with your phone so the hotel has the MAC of your phone which it then uses to 'recognise' the device.

 

You then disconnect and if you have not already done so copy your phone's MAC to the WiFi router and then connect the WiFi router to the hotel's WiFi.

 

The hotel's WiFi seeing a MAC it recognises allows the router to connect and you now connect whatever you want to your router. 

 

Primarily I don't use it to avoid the 'multiple device' restriction as most hotels don't place any such restriction these days because they generally don't charge,, but to run a VPN back to a Raspberry Pi at home so bypassing any geo-restrictions on being abroad (the banned B word that has removed the ability to be able to watch streaming services outside the UK if you don't take similar steps).

[DamianG]

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

What if I want to connect with a different device? 

You may use multiple devices on one package but can only use a single device at any one time. If you wish to use multiple devices simultaneously, you will need to buy additional packages that are available at a discounted rate. 

 

You simply logout of P&O WiFi on that device and login on the different one. My son, wife and myself were all taking turns on our last cruise. 

[paulatsea]

2 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

You simply logout of P&O WiFi on that device and login on the different one. My son, wife and myself were all taking turns on our last cruise. 

Yep that’s what we did. 

[terrierjohn]

6 hours ago, 9265359 said:

 

Yes you use a travel router - I use a GL.iNet router and they start at around £30.

 

At any hotel (or cruise ship) you log onto the WiFi with your phone so the hotel has the MAC of your phone which it then uses to 'recognise' the device.

 

You then disconnect and if you have not already done so copy your phone's MAC to the WiFi router and then connect the WiFi router to the hotel's WiFi.

 

The hotel's WiFi seeing a MAC it recognises allows the router to connect and you now connect whatever you want to your router. 

 

Primarily I don't use it to avoid the 'multiple device' restriction as most hotels don't place any such restriction these days because they generally don't charge,, but to run a VPN back to a Raspberry Pi at home so bypassing any geo-restrictions on being abroad (the banned B word that has removed the ability to be able to watch streaming services outside the UK if you don't take similar steps).

That sounds fiendishly clever if it works on the new starlink system.

Edited October 4, 2023 by terrierjohn

[paulatsea]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

That sounds fiendishly clever if it works on the new starlink system.

I want one !