Wi-Fi & connectivity

[EBP]

Yes. It used to work in hotels just fine. Now I don’t get the option. 

[renojim]

@EBP, does it show that it's connected to the Internet?

[EBP]

Yes. But I don’t have the option to say that I’m in a hotel to authenticate from my phone. 

[renojim]

@atc98092, is the resident expert on hotel travel.   I think if the Roku somehow thinks it has an Internet connection (even when it doesn't) you won't get the prompt.  I believe your options are limited - get a travel router, use you phone's hotspot, use a laptop that has the ability to share its Internet connection via Wi-Fi.

[atc98092]

Yeah, it's impossible to use if the prompt doesn't appear. Normally what triggers the prompt is a network connection that doesn't provide Internet access. What is probably tripping up the Roku is that whatever method it uses to determine Internet access is working, even though you haven't authenticated through the hotel access control. I can't think of any workaround when this is the case.

This is where I've used a travel router that allows bridging between your router and the hotel WiFi. And I do have to say that I can't always get the travel router to connect correctly. My only recourse when that happens is to use the hotspot on my phone as my Internet connection.

[EBP]

Thanks for your reply. It's super frustrating because that is the whole point of that hotel option and the reason I upgraded my older version to a newer version of the roku - to be able to use it in a hotel room. Roku support replied to me with the following: "We would like to let you know that unfortunately, Roku identifies this network as an unsecured network and so it is not showing the prompt to connect it as a hotel or dorm connection." I can get a travel router, I just wish I didn't have to. I don't have a hotspot option on my phone plan and even if I were to add one, I'm sure I'd go way over the data limit as I'm in this hotel for 2 months. Argh. 

[atc98092]

I was in a hotel for several months myself. What I did that greatly simplified things was to use a computer that had a wired and wireless connection. I connected the wireless to the hotel, and since it was a computer it was simple to make the connection. I then used Windows Connection Sharing and connected a network router to wired connection on the computer. I then had my own private WiFi that all my devices connected to. None had to connect directly to the hotel WiFi, so it was greatly simplified. Of course, I knew I was going to do this, so I took all the equipment I needed with me when I went there. I had to re-authenticate my one computer to the hotel WiFi once every 30 days. That was a Marriott property, and I know not a lot of hotels allow authenticating for long periods of time.

[EBP]

Thanks for your reply. It’s just frustrating because the only reason I upgraded my older Roku to a newer one was to have the option to select “hotel” and avoid having to do all that. It used to work just fine but for whatever reason isn’t working in my current hotel. Thanks for your suggestion. 

[EBP]

Problem solved. I called the hotel IT support desk and they were able to whitelist the MAC address of the Roku. No travel router required.

[atc98092]

Still something that shouldn't be necessary. The hotels need to improve their setups. Glad you got it working, though.