How To Stream Unlimited TV Shows & Movies In Hotel Rooms; Amazon, Apple TV, Chromecast & Roku Tips

By Rita Mendoza - 03 Nov '16 04:01AM
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To stream Unlimited TV Shows & Movies in Five-star hotels can be a bit tricky. Hotels are particularly fussy over their rooms' TV setups. With their inadequate TV cables, there is no way around it unless you bring your own cords and cables. Their tricky wireless internet is also insufferable for those who want better choices in terms of tele-entertainment. You will be forced to be extra imaginative to bypass the hotel's tricky "captive portals." Having the option to choose between the hotel room's wide-screen television and your laptop, most will choose wide-screen TV. So how to work around the hotel's fussy TV setup?

Streaming devices recently updated their systems to sneak past tricky captive portals in hotel rooms. While they seem impenetrable, devices such as Roku, Amazon, Apple TV and Google Chromecast have a way around the system.

Roku Streaming Device

The recent update of Roku streaming device has the feature "Hotel & Dorm Connect." The feature is designed to bypass "captive portals" by way of covering it to a Wi-Fi-emitting hotspot.

After plugging the Roku device into the TV HDMI port (best to bring yours), connect to hotel WiFi, and the instructions will be shown on the television screen. Roku streaming device can connect to hotel's WiFi using a laptop, phone, or a tablet. The captive portal page can be accessed from there, then stream away!

Amazon Fire TV stick

The new update of Amazon's Fire TV stick also includes the captive portal feature. It's much like Roku's - it has built-in web viewer that allows users to login directly. Rather than logging into a separate mobile device, Amazon Fire TV stick allows users to enter the details using a keyboard on the television screen.

Apple TV & Google Chromecast

While the Apple TV and Google Chromecast do not have the captive portal access, there are ways around it. Most hotel rooms have Ethernet cable that can be connected to a travel router. If the router is used to share WiFi, streaming devices like Apple TV and Google Chromecast can stream content from the laptop. Another alternative is called "MAC spoofing" which is "changing a bunch of settings to trick the hotel Wi-Fi into thinking your streaming device and laptop are one and the same."

Going on vacation and binge-watching TV shows and movies is a dream holiday - if you don't mind bringing a bunch of devices that is.

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