While on a Cruise Ship @ Sea - No Cellular Service / Sharing the Ships WiFi

[Android Central Question]

While on a Cruise Ship @ Sea:
No Cellular Service / Sharing the Ships WiFi

Can I Pay for WiFi on 1 device and Share that connection through my android or Other device, ie. create an access point or repeater?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! No, you can only use your device as a hotspot to share a cellular mobile data signal.

Please register on this forum, which will allow you to engage in discussion more easily, as well as post images. https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/409154-join-android-central-community.html

 

[Mooncatt]

Welcome to Android Central! No, you can only use your device as a hotspot to share a cellular mobile data signal.

Maybe it depends on the phone, because my LG V60 has the option to share Wi-Fi via mobile hotspot. Not sure why one would do that considering the tethered device should be just as able to use the source Wi-Fi.

 

[B. Diddy]

Maybe it depends on the phone, because my LG V60 has the option to share Wi-Fi via mobile hotspot. Not sure why one would do that considering the tethered device should be just as able to use the source Wi-Fi.

Hmm, that must've been one of LG's wacky innovations. Not making fun -- LG was known for thinking out-of-the-box so often, but never got enough credit (or traction) for it.

OP doesn't want to have to pay for multiple wi-fi plans on the cruise ship, which is why they want to try to tether off the one phone that does have the paid plan.

 

[Mooncatt]

Hmm, that must've been one of LG's wacky innovations. Not making fun -- LG was known for thinking out-of-the-box so often, but never got enough credit (or traction) for it.

OP doesn't want to have to pay for multiple wi-fi plans on the cruise ship, which is why they want to try to tether off the one phone that does have the paid plan.

Never been on a cruise ship, but so many places now offer free WiFi that I didn't think any place still charged for it separately. I guess that makes sense.

 

[B. Diddy]

Never been on a cruise ship, but so many places now offer free WiFi that I didn't think any place still charged for it separately. I guess that makes sense.

Oh, cruise ships will gouge wherever and whenever possible -- the passengers are a captive audience, after all.:-\

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

You can do this with the Auto-Hotspot feature of samsung phones... but I think that will only work for samsung devices logged into the same account.

You might be able to share the WiFi connection with the mobile hotspot feature, but it would be a lot of hassle for me to verify, so I'm not going to lol (I don't even google for "android central question" accounts)

Whatever you do though, get yourself a good VPN, networks like the ones on cruise ships aren't exactly secure. You'd probably be fine because everything is HTTPS now, but I wouldn't risk it anyway. In fact, you could use a VPN to accomplish what you're looking to do, but that is too sophisticated to go into here.

 

[hallux]

Never been on a cruise ship, but so many places now offer free WiFi that I didn't think any place still charged for it separately. I guess that makes sense.

Oh, they certainly do!

As for why would you want to do this if both devices can connect to WiFi - they charge PER DEVICE. It's not that you can only use one device for the entire cruise, but you can use only one at a time so if two people want access at the same time you have a problem and the reason for wanting to share the WiFi connection. Of course, that means the two people would need to be in proximity for it to work...

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

Oh, they certainly do!

As for why would you want to do this if both devices can connect to WiFi - they charge PER DEVICE. It's not that you can only use one device for the entire cruise, but you can use only one at a time so if two people want access at the same time you have a problem and the reason for wanting to share the WiFi connection. Of course, that means the two people would need to be in proximity for it to work...

Everybody gotta get them scrimp cocktail snaps to the gram!

 

[spARTacus]

Some of the Samsung phones (not all) do indeed have "share wifi" as part of their mobile hotspot features. That does indeed permit the host phone only to be the single one to do the wifi logging on and other devices to use the shared out wifi without requiring a logon. I am not entirely sure how it works, but almost like a mini router. Perhaps it uses the 5ghz or the 2.4ghz wifi radio aspect of the phone for connecting to the master wifi and then uses the other of the 5/2.4 to share out the separate local wifi hotspot. The "client devices" don't have to be Samsung either. I have had at least two different models of laptops successfully connected via wifi to a Samsung phone's shared out wifi as part of mobile hotspot. However, I think the hotspot feature is still basically for sharing out the phone's mobile network. The "share wifi" part of it I think is just an additional aspect. I have never tried the arrangements in the absence of an actual cellular connection. I assume the hotspot sharing might not even start or turn if there is lack of a cellular network.

You could also look into some of the small travel wifi routers. Some of those are supposed to be for the exact purpose you describe (so only one login is required but multiple devices to connect to the wifi). I think lots of those travel routers work well for your scenario when the have to connect via wired/ethernet to the master network. I think things always get a little goofy when there are capture portals in place for wifi logon (which is the case for probably 95 percent of all commercial wifi), even though many of those little travel routers seem to basically have two or three (or more) separate wifi radios in them.

I suggest you try out a few experiments with a few different paid or free wifi services around you, before getting to the ship.

 

[VidJunky]

While we're having this great discussion an no in put from the OP, I would also like to add there is often a way to share via a cable connection. I had this on my HTC and Samsung also has this under Mobile Hotspot and Tethering settings. Cables come in 10 ft lengths, probably longer if you looked, which still gives some separation. You're not sitting in each others laps.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Maybe it depends on the phone, because my LG V60 has the option to share Wi-Fi via mobile hotspot. Not sure why one would do that considering the tethered device should be just as able to use the source Wi-Fi.

It allows it to function as a WiFi repeater and extend the network range, very useful in a larger house.