[psskid]

I was on vacation with my family and friends last week to a southern Mexican resort . We all brought our electronic gadgets including phones, laptops and tablets with us so we can keep in touch back home with the resorts internet connection.

Prior to leaving, I emailed the resorts international head office to confirm that there is proper high speed Internet service offered within the room. They promptly replied and did confirm that for $56.00 U.S. I would receive unlimited service to my device.

Once we landed and checked into the hotel, I used my Z10 to try the internet connection. I logged in to find out that the $56 is for a single device only. So my question is. What device do I choose? Laptop, Z10, PlayBook? After thinking about it for a couple of minutes, I chose the Z10.

Reason why? It offered the best options to spread the wealth.

I used the bridge feature to get the internet feature on both the Z10 and PlayBook at the same time. I was able to select which kids PlayBook could surf the web while I still had the ability to use the phone. I still had the option to use the laptop via the blackberry link.

Our friends had Samsung devices a d some of the people we met used combination Samsung / IOS devices.
They decided to get the service on just the laptop thus making the tablets and phones a paper weight. I saw people running to the lobby to use the free WiFi just to update their messages on the phone.

In short, BlackBerry does it again. They invent products that do more for people but never tell anyone about how they can use them. This experience not only made me happy that I had these products but it also showed some Android and IOS people down there what BlackBerry can actually do.


Posted via CB10

[m4salman]

What about Mobile Hotspot? I found that through wifi, I get even faster internet connection on my MacBook and my PlayBook, both centralised on one technology. Glad to see positive posts like this!

[qbnkelt]

I was on vacation with my family and friends last week to a southern Mexican resort . We all brought our electronic gadgets including phones, laptops and tablets with us so we can keep in touch back home with the resorts internet connection.

Prior to leaving, I emailed the resorts international head office to confirm that there is proper high speed Internet service offered within the room. They promptly replied and did confirm that for $56.00 U.S. I would receive unlimited service to my device.

Once we landed and checked into the hotel, I used my Z10 to try the internet connection. I logged in to find out that the $56 is for a single device only. So my question is. What device do I choose? Laptop, Z10, PlayBook? After thinking about it for a couple of minutes, I chose the Z10.

Reason why? It offered the best options to spread the wealth.

I used the bridge feature to get the internet feature on both the Z10 and PlayBook at the same time. I was able to select which kids PlayBook could surf the web while I still had the ability to use the phone. I still had the option to use the laptop via the blackberry link.

Our friends had Samsung devices a d some of the people we met used combination Samsung / IOS devices.
They decided to get the service on just the laptop thus making the tablets and phones a paper weight. I saw people running to the lobby to use the free WiFi just to update their messages on the phone.

In short, BlackBerry does it again. They invent products that do more for people but never tell anyone about how they can use them. This experience not only made me happy that I had these products but it also showed some Android and IOS people down there what BlackBerry can actually do.


Posted via CB10

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

Was WiFi not available? Also the Hotspot feature works very well, I've found.

[bikenski]

What about Mobile Hotspot? I found that through wifi, I get even faster internet connection on my MacBook and my PlayBook, both centralised on one technology. Glad to see positive posts like this!

I don't believe Mobile Hotspot can be used to share a public WiFi connection. In the OP's case it would have created a WiFi network sharing out whatever Mexican cellular service was available, leading to a huge global roaming bill.

[EchuOkan1]

Great insight. Thank you for sharing.

[00stryder]

Great story OP, glad it worked out so well for you! Truly, if BlackBerry goes under, BB10 and their latest offerings will go down as some of the greatest tech innovations that were never publicly lauded.

What about Mobile Hotspot? I found that through wifi, I get even faster internet connection on my MacBook and my PlayBook, both centralised on one technology. Glad to see positive posts like this!

On the Z10 at least (not sure about other devices) you can't use hotspot and wifi together. It automatically disables the wifi connection when you turn hotspot on (and prompts you the first time to tell you it's doing so.)

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

Was WiFi not available? Also the Hotspot feature works very well, I've found.

He mentioned that the resort charged for wifi in the rooms and the service was only extended to one device, unfortunately.

Posted via CB10 on my white Z10 & lovin' it!

[cmdr_dan]

Did they call it Zeta10 down in Mexico?

Glad you had a good time on your vacation, and thanks for sharing with us!

[psskid]

As far as I can tell, the hot spot only works with a cellular connections thus would not work there

Posted via CB10

[psskid]

One thing I did forget to mention that drove some people down there nuts..

I have a Netgear flv318g VPN router. I just tapped on the vpn connection and was able to remote desktop into my windows machine on both the Z10 and PlayBook.

Posted via CB10

[00stryder]

One thing I did forget to mention that drove some people down there nuts..

I have a Netgear flv318g VPN router. I just tapped on the vpn connection and was able to remote desktop into my windows machine on both the Z10 and PlayBook.

Posted via CB10

Okay, at that point you were just rubbing it in!

Posted via CB10 on my white Z10 & lovin' it!

[jpash549]

You can put Connectify on your Windows 7 or 8 laptop and broadcast your own wireless signal which can be used by several devices. There is a free version with the Pro version about $40. Basically what you have is a software router.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

[FF22]

What about Mobile Hotspot? I found that through wifi, I get even faster internet connection on my MacBook and my PlayBook, both centralised on one technology. Glad to see positive posts like this!

While someone already pointed out the possible costs involved while out of the country, in the US, many (most?) carriers charge extra for mobile hotspots, I believe. So, again, there may be additional charges in using those features as opposed to the pb's bridge features.

[blueberrymerry]

I prefer bringing a tiny pocket router that takes an Ethernet connection and shares it via Wifi. Most overseas hotels and resorts don't have Wifi in the room but they do have Ethernet jacks.

If there's no Wifi or Ethernet but my phone has cell coverage, I prefer to just pop in a local data-enabled SIM and share the connection via Wifi or Bluetooth to my tablet and laptop. Thank goodness for Symbian

In other words, what the Z10 is doing is nothing special.

[00stryder]

I prefer bringing a tiny pocket router that takes an Ethernet connection and shares it via Wifi. Most overseas hotels and resorts don't have Wifi in the room but they do have Ethernet jacks.

If there's no Wifi or Ethernet but my phone has cell coverage, I prefer to just pop in a local data-enabled SIM and share the connection via Wifi or Bluetooth to my tablet and laptop. Thank goodness for Symbian

In other words, what the Z10 is doing is nothing special.

It's not about being special, it's the fact that in what appears to be a normal consumer's use case, he was able to leverage the Bridge to extend connectivity from his phone to his tablet. Sure, there are other options, but apparently they were not available/known to the OP and/or his other travelling companions during their trip.

Posted via CB10 on my white Z10 & lovin' it!

[1raygin]

Great post OP!

[psskid]

I prefer bringing a tiny pocket router that takes an Ethernet connection and shares it via Wifi. Most overseas hotels and resorts don't have Wifi in the room but they do have Ethernet jacks.

If there's no Wifi or Ethernet but my phone has cell coverage, I prefer to just pop in a local data-enabled SIM and share the connection via Wifi or Bluetooth to my tablet and laptop. Thank goodness for Symbian

In other words, what the Z10 is doing is nothing special.

The Hotels in Mexico only have a WiFi connection, the SSID is just "Rooms". Its easier just to drop one WiFi module into a building then wire all the rooms.

You would have to use a Wireless repeater and have the mac address on the repeater cloned to the main computer . Too much work. Bridge was so much easier.



Posted via CB10

[hreiner1]

tried that in the UAE
their ISP allows only one MAC adress

You can put Connectify on your Windows 7 or 8 laptop and broadcast your own wireless signal which can be used by several devices. There is a free version with the Pro version about $40. Basically what you have is a software router.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

[TheScionicMan]

I prefer bringing a tiny pocket router that takes an Ethernet connection and shares it via Wifi. Most overseas hotels and resorts don't have Wifi in the room but they do have Ethernet jacks.

If there's no Wifi or Ethernet but my phone has cell coverage, I prefer to just pop in a local data-enabled SIM and share the connection via Wifi or Bluetooth to my tablet and laptop. Thank goodness for Symbian

In other words, what the Z10 is doing is nothing special.

It's "nothing special" because you can replicate it IF you have additional hardware and a jack that didn't exist or spend more money and time to find a local SIM? OK...

[anon(1852343)]

So was the $56 fee daily or for your entire stay? I plan to take a family vacation when I win the lottery but like planning ahead



Thanks!

I was on vacation with my family and friends last week to a southern Mexican resort . We all brought our electronic gadgets including phones, laptops and tablets with us so we can keep in touch back home with the resorts internet connection.

Prior to leaving, I emailed the resorts international head office to confirm that there is proper high speed Internet service offered within the room. They promptly replied and did confirm that for $56.00 U.S. I would receive unlimited service to my device.

Once we landed and checked into the hotel, I used my Z10 to try the internet connection. I logged in to find out that the $56 is for a single device only. So my question is. What device do I choose? Laptop, Z10, PlayBook? After thinking about it for a couple of minutes, I chose the Z10.

Reason why? It offered the best options to spread the wealth.

I used the bridge feature to get the internet feature on both the Z10 and PlayBook at the same time. I was able to select which kids PlayBook could surf the web while I still had the ability to use the phone. I still had the option to use the laptop via the blackberry link.

Our friends had Samsung devices a d some of the people we met used combination Samsung / IOS devices.
They decided to get the service on just the laptop thus making the tablets and phones a paper weight. I saw people running to the lobby to use the free WiFi just to update their messages on the phone.

In short, BlackBerry does it again. They invent products that do more for people but never tell anyone about how they can use them. This experience not only made me happy that I had these products but it also showed some Android and IOS people down there what BlackBerry can actually do.


Posted via CB10

[deswayze]

The bridge feature is brilliant. I also love how the bridge allows you to share either the cell or the wifi internet, but preferring the wifi when available to keep costs down.

As we now travel with two Z10s and three Playbooks I have recently acquired a Dlink DIR-506L pocket router which I use in hotels. It can act as a router, hotspot, repeater, or even share a connection over a 3g usb stick. It has a built in battery so it can run standalone for up to 4 hours. I am using it right now in a hotel to share its wifi. The benefit is that you can preconfigure all your devices to connect to it, rather than have to set each one up for the hotel when you arrive. I have a license for Connectify but prefer to leave my netbook at home as my Playbook and Z10 do it all. The only downside is that to configure Dlink you need to bring an iOS or Android device because there is no BB app and the Playbook browser doesn't work well with the built in web interface on the Dlink. But I did find that the Dolphin browser works well with the Dlink so I use it from my Playbook to set it up when I arrive. Once you have connected it to the hotel wifi and enter the hotel security login information from your Playbook all devices connect automatically as the hotel only sees the Dlink's MAC.

[00stryder]

The bridge feature is brilliant. I also love how the bridge allows you to share either the cell or the wifi internet, but preferring the wifi when available to keep costs down.

As we now travel with two Z10s and three Playbooks I have recently acquired a Dlink DIR-506L pocket router which I use in hotels. It can act as a router, hotspot, repeater, or even share a connection over a 3g usb stick. It has a built in battery so it can run standalone for up to 4 hours. I am using it right now in a hotel to share its wifi. The benefit is that you can preconfigure all your devices to connect to it, rather than have to set each one up for the hotel when you arrive. I have a license for Connectify but prefer to leave my netbook at home as my Playbook and Z10 do it all. The only downside is that to configure Dlink you need to bring an iOS or Android device because there is no BB app and the Playbook browser doesn't work well with the built in web interface on the Dlink. But I did find that the Dolphin browser works well with the Dlink so I use it from my Playbook to set it up when I arrive. Once you have connected it to the hotel wifi and enter the hotel security login information from your Playbook all devices connect automatically as the hotel only sees the Dlink's MAC.

Sideloading the Android app onto your Z10 doesn't work well?

Posted via CB10 on my white Z10 & lovin' it!

[FF22]

The bridge feature is brilliant. I also love how the bridge allows you to share either the cell or the wifi internet, but preferring the wifi when available to keep costs down.

As we now travel with two Z10s and three Playbooks I have recently acquired a Dlink DIR-506L pocket router which I use in hotels. It can act as a router, hotspot, repeater, or even share a connection over a 3g usb stick. It has a built in battery so it can run standalone for up to 4 hours. I am using it right now in a hotel to share its wifi. The benefit is that you can preconfigure all your devices to connect to it, rather than have to set each one up for the hotel when you arrive. I have a license for Connectify but prefer to leave my netbook at home as my Playbook and Z10 do it all. The only downside is that to configure Dlink you need to bring an iOS or Android device because there is no BB app and the Playbook browser doesn't work well with the built in web interface on the Dlink. But I did find that the Dolphin browser works well with the Dlink so I use it from my Playbook to set it up when I arrive. Once you have connected it to the hotel wifi and enter the hotel security login information from your Playbook all devices connect automatically as the hotel only sees the Dlink's MAC.

Not to derail the thread too much.... Dlink's website has a video and mentions Google and Apple's stores for setup apps. But you are saying that you can do the setup using the Playbook and Dolphin or do you still need to setup stuff "in advance or at home" before using it or can this all be done "in the field"? I had trouble at a motel last week where we stayed for two days. I guess the pb was too far from the office (if I walked halfway to the office it would connect) and could not connect to the wifi and this could be a solution.

[offyoutoddle]

Bridge sharing Internet connection is not a full tcp ip connection. Try checking imap gmail or even blackberry world. A wifi hotspot available in any modern smartphone is much better - if you rely only on bridge you will eventually hit the limitations. Fortunately any bb10 device will do wifi sharing too

Posted via CB10

[00stryder]

Bridge sharing Internet connection is not a full tcp ip connection. Try checking imap gmail or even blackberry world. A wifi hotspot available in any modern smartphone is much better - if you rely only on bridge you will eventually hit the limitations. Fortunately any bb10 device will do wifi sharing too

Posted via CB10

Yes, but hotspot wouldn't have done the OP any good in his story. He was out of the country on a wifi network, can't use wifi and hotspot at the same time.

Posted via CB10 on my white Z10 & lovin' it!

[offyoutoddle]

Yes, but hotspot wouldn't have done the OP any good in his story. He was out of the country on a wifi network, can't use wifi and hotspot at the same time.

Posted via CB10 on my white Z10 & lovin' it!

very true, just making sure people realise its not a full tcp ip connection - it can be a pain if you don't know why certain apps aren't playing ball!