Quick Tip: How To Connect Your Xbox One to the Hotel or Resort Wi-Fi

Richard Hay, Senior Content Producer

November 28, 2016

8 Slides
Quick Tip: How To Connect Your Xbox One to the Hotel or Resort Wi-Fi

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Wi-Fi connections at hotels and resorts is now almost an expected service as we travel for various reasons.

If you are headed out for a family vacation by car and want to have a rainy day option for the kids, or yourselves, once you reach your destination then taking along the Xbox One is a viable option.

While the console and many games can be used in an offline mode, it is also necessary at times to have a connection to the Internet. If the Wi-Fi connection does not require any kind of username or password then getting online is fast and easy.

However, the wrench gets thrown into the works when you need to use some type of credentials to log in to the network connection and of course the Xbox One console will simply fail to get a valid IP on that network because of the lack of any log-in credentials being provided.

So how do you get around this process?

Well, many resorts and hotels track your logged in device by its MAC (Media Access Control) Address. This is a unique 12 digit sequence (6 pairs) of numbers and letters that identifies a particular piece of networking hardware like an Ethernet or wireless card in your device.

Once you have validated a particular device through the hotel/resorts webpage for access the need for logging that info is no longer necessary although, depending on the length of your stay, might be required a subsequent time.

Whether you have to validate that device just once or multiple times, this tip will work for you to get your Xbox One online in these types of environments.

This gallery will show you how that process works by using a secondary device to log in and validate your credentials and then borrowing that devices MAC Address for your Xbox One to use and connect to the network.

Note: This works best if you have a device, such as a smart phone, that will not need a wireless connection during your stay at the hotel/resort so there is no hardware device ID conflicts as both attempt to connect at the same time. However, you could use the secondary device when the Xbox One is not connected without any issue because the local network simply sees that MAC Address as validation for access and not the type of device.

If you have any questions about this process just ask in the comments and I can help to clarify any confusion or issues you might be facing.

 

About the Author

Richard Hay

Senior Content Producer, IT Pro Today (Informa Tech)

I served for 29 plus years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer in November 2011. My work background in the Navy was telecommunications related so my hobby of computers fit well with what I did for the Navy. I consider myself a tech geek and enjoy most things in that arena.

My first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then I used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and WindowsObserver.com is the result of the work I have done on that site since 1995.

In January 2010 my community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when I received my first Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for the Windows Operating System. Since then I have been renewed as a Microsoft MVP each subsequent year since that initial award. I am also a member of the inaugural group of Windows Insider MVPs which began in 2016.

I previously hosted the Observed Tech PODCAST for 10 years and 317 episodes and now host a new podcast called Faith, Tech, and Space. 

I began contributing to Penton Technology websites in January 2015 and in April 2017 I was hired as the Senior Content Producer for Penton Technology which is now Informa Tech. In that role, I contribute to ITPro Today and cover operating systems, enterprise technology, and productivity.

https://twitter.com/winobs

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