skip navigation

Hotel (Dialup Access)

CITES > network > scenarios > hotel-dialup

Scenario: Dialup access from a hotel

If you're in a hotel without Ethernet or wireless access, dialup networking is a widely available alternative. Nearly every hotel room has a telephone. However, hotel phone charges are almost as notorious as room service charges; you'll need to do some homework before plugging in your modem.

Note: Some interfaces, including Illinois Compass, won't work correctly over dialup because the response time is too slow. If you need to use Illinois Compass or other high-bandwidth services, you may need to borrow a computer with a high-speed connection; see Borrowing a Computer for advice.

Getting connected and staying secure

There are three things that you should ask at each hotel:

• Is the telephone in the room connected to a digital phone line?

If the hotel uses digital phone lines, you can't connect a standard analog modem to their system.

• What are the extra costs involved in calling from this location?

These may include charges from the hotel and/or long-distance charges associated with calling an access number from a different area code.

• Should I change the number that my modem usually dials?

Most hotels require you to dial an extra number to reach an outside line, typically 9.

In addition, if your ISP has access numbers in the area where you're staying, you will find it's much less expensive to use a local-area access number than to dial long distance to reach your usual access number.

Each of these points is explained in more detail below.

About digital phone lines

Before you plug your modem into ANY phone line, make sure that the system is not a digital phone system.

You can burn out your modem if you try to use it with a digital phone line.

Although digital phones often require a six-pin or eight-pin line in order to function, four-pin lines (the sort used with modems) will fit the slot used by digital phones. (On the Urbana campus, all yellow multiple-line phones are digital.)

If the cable you unplug from the phone or the wall looks thicker than the cable you ordinarily use with your modem, it's probably a digital phone line even if it fits into your modem. However, the cable may or may not be thicker than usual. If you're looking at a phone that provides multiple-line capabilities, chances are higher than average that it's a digital phone.

If you think there's any chance you might be looking at a digital phone line, ask someone who can give you a definitive answer before using your modem with that line.

About calling costs

Hotel fees:

Before making any calls from a hotel phone, make sure you understand the fees the hotel will charge.

If the telephone fees aren't posted in the room, contact the front desk. There may be different fees for local calls, for long-distance calls, and for "data calls" (the type of calls that your computer makes to your ISP).

Long-distance fees:

If you need to call long distance from the hotel to reach your ISP's usual access line, you'll pay long-distance rates for the time you spend connected to the network.

Alternative numbers to help avoid long-distance fees

There are two ways to reduce or avoid long-distance fees.

Local-access number in the hotel's area:

If you can find a local-area phone number in the vicinity of the hotel that connects to your ISP, then your call will be charged at local rates rather than long-distance rates.

See the Long-Distance Dialup Access page for suggestions on how to choose an ISP that provides the range of access locations you need.

UIUC 800 number with UIUCnet Dialup/Premier:

You can use a personal UIUC 800 number to receive reduced long-distance rates when dialing either the free UIUCnet Dialup modems or the UIUCnet Premier modems. (Note: You'll need to make arrangements for a personal 800 number before leaving on your trip.)

If you're a long way from Urbana-Champaign, your network access may be slower through the 800/UIUCnet Dialup combination, since your data will need to travel to campus before continuing on to its destination.

However, the combination of a personal UIUC 800 number and UIUCnet Dialup can be one of the least expensive methods of calling long-distance for a network connection.

Dialing extra numbers

If you need to add extra numbers such as an area code or initial 9 to your dialing string, the Advanced Dialup Configuration pages explain how to create a new location definition for your hotel and manipulate the string you're dialing.

If you need to use a calling card, the process can be more complex, because every calling card is different. See the Calling Cards page for assistance with determining the right sequence to dial for your card.