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Old 20 Jul 2017, 02:21 AM   #23
FredOnline
The "e" in e-mail
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester UK
Posts: 2,616
Using Hotel Wi-Fi with Linux

Quote:
Originally Posted by FredOnline View Post
I've been thinking on the limitations of a Chromebook recently, and have done some research on installing Linux on a HP Stream 11.

The HP Stream 11 typically runs Windows 8 or 10, and has a 32GB eMMC drive, and reviews have commented on the slowness of the system running Windows and also the fact that the Windows OS takes up a considerable amount of that eMMC drive.

The solution?

Run it on Linux!

I just bought an HP Stream 11 on an eBay auction for £56 (around US$70), and tested Linux Mint 18 XFCE on it in a live session.

That worked OK, so I wiped the Windows OS, and installed the Linux.

Running Linux Mint, the HP Stream 11 is now quite snappy, and I have access to LibreOffice, Thunderbird, etc, and have installed additional programs - Chromium browser, qBittorrent, XNView MP (photo editor, similar to IrfanView) and a few others.

All this has made the HP Stream 11 much more flexible to use, and less limiting, than my Chromebook.

I look forward to trying it out on my next vacation!
As I'm shortly due to travel on vacation to the USA, I have a question about using a Linux device with hotel Wi-Fi.

On previous vacations, I used Windows laptops and more recently, Chromebooks.

At the hotel chain that I normally use, when wanting to connect to the hotel Wi-Fi, an "interstitial" web page is normally opened by my browser, then I have to enter my surname and room number into the page, which then allows the connection to the internet.

This has worked OK for me using the Windows and Chrome OS's, and also on my Android smartphone and tablet, but I have read recently that laptops running Linux sometimes have problems connecting, because for whatever technical reasons I wouldn't really understand, the interstitial web page does not get generated.

As I will be using the laptop for some photo editing (crop/resize/image resolution etc) and then uploading the photos to a web site, in addition to the usual internet requirements on vacation, I don't want to arrive in the USA with a laptop that I will struggle with to get connected to the internet!

Does anyone else on the forum use a Linux laptop on their travels, that they can offer any advise on their experiences?

Update:

I visited my local ASDA superstore (US equivalent is Walmart) today, armed with my linux laptop.

I knew that my Android phone could connect to their free Wi-Fi by opening the interstitial page, and was pleased that my linux laptop also successfully connected, and the browser opened the interstitial web page, so I could then surf the internet.

A first try, and good to know it works!

Last edited by FredOnline : 22 Jul 2017 at 06:01 PM. Reason: Update:
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