TL;DR:

• Best safety: use your phone’s hotspot or a travel router.
  
• Change your router’s admin password and enable WPA2/3.
  
• Update firmware, turn on a VPN, and use HTTPS sites.
  
• Watch for fake networks and risky captive portals.
  
• Follow our quick setup checklists before you connect.

Public hotel Wi-Fi can expose your devices to snooping and rogue hotspots. The safest fix is to create a private bubble for your devices in the room. You can do this with a phone hotspot, a travel router, or a laptop that shares its connection. This guide shows simple setups, the exact settings to use, and mistakes to avoid.

Dates in this guide reference the current date, 23 September 2025.

Is hotel Wi-Fi risky?

Law-enforcement and security agencies warn that hotel Wi-Fi can be weak. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center advised caution with hotel networks in an October 6, 2020 PSA. CISA says to use strong Wi-Fi encryption and firewalls, and to favor WPA3 when possible. NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence notes that public Wi-Fi can allow eavesdropping if traffic is not protected. These points support one theme. Treat hotel Wi-Fi like any public hotspot. Build your own shield.

Three safe ways to make a private network in your room

Pick the approach that fits your gear and trip.

Option A: Use your smartphone hotspot

This is the fastest and often the safest option.

What you need: A phone with a data plan that allows tethering.

Steps

1. On iOS or Android, open Personal Hotspot or Tethering.
   
2. Set a unique network name. Avoid using your name or room number.
   
3. Set Security to WPA2 or WPA3 if offered.
   
4. Create a long passphrase. Aim for 16 characters or more.
   
5. Turn on the hotspot. Connect your laptop and other devices.
   
6. Keep the hotspot off when you are not using it.
   

Pros: Simple, private, avoids hotel networks.
Cons: Uses mobile data. May be slow or blocked indoors.

Option B: Use a travel router

A travel router sits between you and the hotel network. It creates your own private Wi-Fi in the room. Your devices join your router, and only the router joins the hotel network.

What you need: A small travel router, a USB-C charger or power bank, and its setup app or web page.

Steps

1. Power the travel router. Connect from your phone or laptop to its default Wi-Fi.
   
2. Change the router’s admin password right away.
   
3. Update firmware. Most have a one-click update page.
   
4. Set your private Wi-Fi:
   
   • Pick your own SSID.
     
   • Security: WPA2-PSK or WPA3-SAE. Use WPA3 if all your devices support it.
     
   • Passphrase: at least 16 characters.
     
5. Join the hotel network from the router:
   
   • Use “repeater,” “WISP,” or “hotel” mode in the admin page.
     
   • Select the hotel SSID. Enter the password if asked.
     
   • If a captive portal appears in a browser, complete it once from a device connected to your router. The router stays authorized and your other devices ride along.
     
6. Optional, stronger security:
   
   • Turn on the router’s VPN client. Use a reputable provider.
     
   • Turn on the router firewall. Leave UPnP off.
     
   • Disable WPS if it exists.
     
7. Connect all your devices to your travel router’s Wi-Fi. You are now behind one NAT gateway, which cuts device-to-device exposure on the hotel LAN.
   

Pros: One login for all devices, stable connections, extra security.
Cons: Needs a small setup. Captive portals can be clunky in some hotels.

Option C: Use Ethernet, then share privately

If your room has an Ethernet jack, use it. Wired beats wireless for stability.

What you need: A laptop with Ethernet or a USB-to-Ethernet adapter, or a travel router with a WAN port.

Steps

1. Plug the Ethernet cable from the wall or desk into your router’s WAN port. Or plug it into your laptop.
   
2. If you use a router, follow Option B steps for Wi-Fi setup.
   
3. If you used a laptop, share the Ethernet over your own Wi-Fi network:
   
   • On Windows, use Mobile hotspot. Share “Ethernet” over Wi-Fi. Pick WPA2 security and a strong password.
     
   • On macOS, use Internet Sharing from Ethernet to Wi-Fi. Set a secure password.
     

Pros: Often faster and steadier. Avoids crowded hotel Wi-Fi airwaves.
Cons: Not every hotel offers Ethernet.

The golden settings that matter

These small tweaks give big wins.

• WPA3 or WPA2 only. Do not use open Wi-Fi. Do not use WEP.
  
• Strong router admin password. Different from your Wi-Fi password.
  
• No WPS. Turn it off if present.
  
• Auto updates. Update the router firmware before trips.
  
• Firewall on. Keep default deny inbound. Disable UPnP.
  
• VPN on. Use your router or device client when possible.
  
• HTTPS first. Check for the lock icon in the browser. Use apps from trusted stores.
  
• Randomized MAC on devices. Keep “Private Wi-Fi Address” or “Random MAC” on for public networks.
  

Quick start checklists

Use these short lists at the hotel door.

1) Phone hotspot

• Turn on hotspot, set WPA2 or WPA3.
  
• Strong passphrase, unique SSID.
  
• Use a VPN for work or banking.
  
• Turn it off when done.
  

2) Travel router on hotel Wi-Fi

• Change admin password, update firmware.
  
• Create your own SSID, enable WPA2/3.
  
• Join hotel Wi-Fi, finish any portal once.
  
• Turn on VPN at the router.
  
• Disable WPS and UPnP.
  

3) Travel router on Ethernet

• Plug WAN to the wall jack.
  
• Same Wi-Fi security steps.
  
• VPN on.
  
• Enjoy a stable link.
  

Solving captive portal problems

Some hotels use web pages that pop up before you get on the internet. If your router connects but the portal does not load, try these safe fixes:

• Open an http site like to trigger the portal page.
  
• Temporarily turn off your VPN until after the portal login.
  
• Reboot the router and try joining the hotel SSID again.
  
• If support asks, register the router’s MAC address once, then keep the same mode.
  
• If nothing works, plug into Ethernet or fall back to your phone hotspot.
  

Extra steps for work laptops

• Turn on your company VPN.
  
• Use MFA on email and apps.
  
• Keep OS and browsers updated.
  
• Do not allow file sharing on public networks.
  

Streaming sticks and game consoles

These devices often cannot open a portal page. Pair them with your travel router. Once the router completes the portal, your gadgets go online without prompts. If the hotel blocks streaming, use Ethernet if possible or your phone hotspot.

Regional notes and hotel rules

• Some countries limit or regulate VPN use. Check local laws before you travel.
  
• Read the hotel’s terms. Some ban personal routers. Using one may require asking the front desk to register its MAC or to move you to a port that allows NAT.
  

A simple, safe default plan

When you arrive:

1. Look for Ethernet. If present, use it with your travel router.
   
2. If not, try your travel router on hotel Wi-Fi.
   
3. If the portal fails or the network is slow, use your phone hotspot for sensitive work.
   
4. Keep your VPN on after you finish any portal login.
   
5. Power off gear when leaving the room.
   

Common mistakes to avoid

• Joining look-alike SSIDs without checking with the front desk.
  
• Leaving your router on its default admin password.
  
• Using open Wi-Fi for banking, shopping, or work logins.
  
• Turning on UPnP or WPS because “it is easier.”
  
• Skipping firmware updates.
  
• Keeping the same SSID and password across trips and homes.
  

Why it matters

A private room network cuts your exposure on shared hotel Wi-Fi. Your devices talk only to your router. Attackers on the hotel network cannot reach them directly. A VPN adds another layer by encrypting traffic out to a trusted server. These two steps reduce the biggest public network threats while keeping travel simple.
 

Sources:

• FBI IC3, “A COVID-19-Driven Increase in Telework from Hotels Could Pose a Cyber Security Risk for Guests,” https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2020/PSA201006, Oct 6, 2020.
  
• CISA, “Securing Wireless Networks,” https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/securing-wireless-networks, Feb 1, 2021.
  
• NIST NCCoE, “Use Public Wi-Fi Safely,” https://www.nccoe.nist.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/HolidayTravelTip-UsePublicWiFiSafely.pdf, Nov 2022.