Uplink MX to WIFI

[Mkozicki]

Okay this may seem a strange question but I am wondering if anyone has found any sort of adapter out there that would allow the use of a Z3 or MX device to convert the Ethernet uplink port to connect to a guest WIFI connection.

My need is so that traveling workers could take a Meraki security device with them and set up a remote workstation in a hotel with only WIFI access in the room.

I know this is a long shot but figured it would not hurt to ask.  It would also need to have some way that the user could connected to the walled garden of the hotel to put in the name and room number or whatever they ask in order to be granted access.

I have found a few Ethernet to WIFI adapters out there for sale but I don't know if they would work or not because most want to use the WPS button on your router and there is not going to be such a thing at a hotel.

[BrandonS]

It's most likely possible, but you can decide if it is worth the time required to configure, test and support.  I would try with MikroTik. Super cheap and can do almost anything imaginable.  They're about $25USD: https://mikrotik.com/product/RBmAPL-2nD

[BrandonS]

And I'll just add that it will be impossible to have a consistent repeatable configuration because every hotel can use many different methods to authenticate as a wireless client.  Some you may be able to find a way around, maybe spoof MAC address after first authenticating via phone or laptop or other kludgy methods.

Actually, I think MacOS and probably Windows have an internet sharing feature that could possibly maybe work?  Connect to hotel WiFi via laptop that has wired port and enable internet sharing.  Plug in Meraki to wired port of laptop and go?

[Bruce]

Based on my experience of hotel Wifi (which I know varies from country to country - and even within a country), I wouldn’t be looking at this as an option. I’d look at providing a 4G/LTE modem (or cell phone) and get the employee to use a cellular connection while travelling. Will likely be easier to manage. In fact you could look at using the Z3C or MX67C for this purpose. Now this obviously assumes there is good cellular coverage… which may not always be the case.

[Mkozicki · Accepted solution]

We are going to get a cell modem for the travel solution with the Zx units but just because I don't like to give up I also found a solution to connect the Zx to I think any WIFI network.

We found the TP-Link AC750 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router on Amazon and it looked like it would allow us to do what I wanted.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5RCZQH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

So what I found works is setting this up with the option switch set to the middle setting (share hotspot).

Then we can connect wireless to the unit using the built in wireless and do a quick setup to have it connect to the WIFI network we want.  Then when we try and access the internet we can log in to the splash page that the hotel puts up and the unit is not connected to the internet.

Next we can plug the Zx device in to the ethernet port on the AC750 and when it boots up it gets an IP address from the AC750 and can get out to the internet and bring up the auto VPN.

We then have our own wired and wireless network running over the hotel WIFI including VPN back to the home office.

I know this is a strange solution but once I got it in my head I just wanted to make it work and we tested it out this week when I was traveling and it works great.

Mike