Using Router for International Travel?

[Sakuya]

So I'm traveling to Hong Kong from the US and staying in a hotel that offers broadband internet via wire from the wall. Is it possible that I bring my router and connect it to that wire so I can create wireless internet so more than one person can use at a time? Would the hotel allow that? My router is on dd-wrt.

Also, since that router is for my home network, once I unplug it, will I have to reset all settings when I come back and plug it back in?

[AlanHK]

Are you sure they don't have wifi already? I though that was pretty standard for any hotel that had internet at all now.
Some laptops/netbooks don't have ethernet at all.
Ask them.

As for the router, it may be set up to use PPOE for a modem, if so you'd have to turn that off when using it simply as a bridge. Should be pretty simple from its setup webpage.

[dragonkeeper]

I have yet to visit hotels in an industrialized country out side of us that does not have wireless network in place. If this is not the case you should be able to use your router as a switch I'm currently using one of my old wrt as such. Please be aware that the electrical current in Hong Kong is 220V @ 50 HZ you will need to use an adapter to use your router. Some hotels provide guest with universal adapters.

[Sakuya]

I checked the hotel and they said complimentary in-room wired broadband internet access for one mobile device use only. I guess I will bring my router then.

[Joe The Dude]

That's a good idea.

An extra layer of firewall protection is always helpful, especially when using a semi-public network.

[TreeTops]

It looks like you could also use a virtual router if you use Win7. Here's a link to one I found:

http://virtualrouter.codeplex.com/

[oldfart13]

I looked at the virtual router software and it does not appear to be compatible with many devices. I have old D-Link wireless G adapters and none will work with that software. Only a few of the "N" devices will work. So, I guess I can't go down that route to use my ereader in another part of my house.

[jman98]

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Please be aware that the electrical current in Hong Kong is 220V @ 50 HZ you will need to use an adapter to use your router. Some hotels provide guest with universal adapters.

You are quite correct, but perhaps some additional clarification might be useful.

I'd like to add that I'm American by birth, I live in the USA, and I travel a little every year internationally.

Americans in general are completely and utterly clueless about the entire rest of the world. This includes things like electricity. While I'm sure that if you stay in a high quality hotel like a Hilton, Marriott, etc. AND you are in a major city on the west or east coast, yes, your hotel probably does have an adapter available. But if you stay in a Motel Six or La Quinta (cheap chain hotels in the USA), probably not. Or if you stay in a high quality hotel but it has very little direct foreign airport traffic, such as perhaps Salt Lake City, then there may simply be no demand for adapters in such places. If you have ANY devices that cannot operate on 110-115 V @ 60 HZ then you will need some kind of power adaptar and a plug converter for it and I would strongly suggest that you bring one yourself. While you certainly could buy such in the USA, most people will be completely unable to tell you where to go to buy them and I can promise you that a trip to get such will be very inconvenient and time consuming for you.