Wireless In San Diego

I’m staying at the San Diego Hilton this weekend. It’s a late summer getaway to see a baseball game, eat and drink too much, and generally just get away from it all.

I was assured that the Hilton offered wireless internet. Sure enough, as we unpacked in our room I noticed a card on the desk that read “Getting Connected to the Wireless Network”.

So I think to myself, I’ve connected to hundreds of wireless networks in my time, I don’t need the Hilton’s instructions. I’ll just boot up my laptop, click through the captive portal page, and check my email.

Except there’s no wireless signal available.

That’s when I decided that maybe I should read those instructions more closely. Here’s what they say:

Getting Connected to the Wireless Network:

Make sure you have the required equipment.

– A computer
– A 10/100 Ethernet network interface card (NIC) installed
– TCP/IP protocol properly installed on your computer

Strange, you need an ethernet card to connect to the Hilton’s wireless network. Also, it’s been about a decade since computers came without TCP/IP installed, but that’s beside the point.

The instructions continue:

Configure your laptop and NIC adapter:
Step 1: Make sure your computer is off. Insert the provided category 5 cable (located on the desk) into your computer’s network interface card. Turn on your computer.

Hmmm. Apparently I need to use a Cat 5 cable to connect to the “wireless” internet at the San Diego Hilton.

For the last time people BROADBAND IS NOT THE SAME AS WIRELESS.

I hope this helps someone.

Fortunately, I brought a Linksys access point for just such an occasion, so I really am using wireless right now.