If you’re trying to use a VPN in your hotel and it’s not working with the hotel WiFi, don’t panic. It’s not the WiFi that’s causing the issue, it’s the online service you’re trying to access.
Fortunately, there’s a number of fixes you can try to get around this issue.
This article will explain how you can fix your VPN not working with hotel WiFi.
See also:
VPN not working with hotel WiFi: Fixes
If you’re trying to access a geo-blocked online service with a VPN and its not working, chances are your VPN is being blocked by the website or app.
To get around this, try these easy fixes:
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Delete Cookies
If you’re trying to access a geo-blocked online service, most services try to prevent VPNs from connecting to their servers because they can potentially allow users to access their content in locations where they don’t have the rights to distribute said content.
One way your VPN can be blocked is via your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used to make your online experience more streamlined. They’re not malicious; in fact, they’re beneficial, however some Cookies contain information disclosing your physical location.
If this information differs from the location you selected with your VPN, online services can tell you’re using a VPN and will block your connection.
To fix this, try deleting your Cookies.
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Change to a different server on your VPN
Your VPN might not be working because the online service you’re accessing has blocked the IP address your VPN has given you.
The good news is online services don’t have the ability to block VPNs in their entirety. They can only block the IP addresses the VPN provides.
Changing to a different server will give you a new IP address. And if this IP hasn’t been blocked by the service you’re trying to access, your VPN will work on the hotel WiFi again.
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Change to a different protocol
VPN protocols determine how your online data is rerouted through the VPN servers. Some are faster than others, while some are more secure.
Your VPN might not be working because the protocol you’ve selected is no longer compatible with the streaming service or website you’re trying to access.
Check to see if your VPN supports multiple protocols and change to a different one and see if that works with the hotel WiFi.
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Update your VPN
Always ensure you’re updated to the latest version of your VPN.
Chances are your VPN knows about an error or bug that might be preventing it from working with the hotel WiFi. When this happens, it will probably release an update with fixes to these problems.
To ensure you’ve downloaded these fixes, update your VPN to its latest version.
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Upgrade to a more reliable VPN
If the above fixes haven’t fixed the issue, then the online service you’re trying to access has managed to block all of your VPNs IP addresses.
This has happened because your VPN can no longer get around the VPN blocking techniques employed by the service.
The best way to fix this is to upgrade to a VPN that has effective measures in place to stay ahead of these sorts of VPN blocks.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) works very well and is the best VPN on the market. This is because it plays a game of cat and mouse with online services to ensure you’re able to connect reliably wherever you are.When online services identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month), ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) will close that IP address and open a new one that hasn’t been blocked.
This will prevent you from running into the issues you’ve come across with your current VPN and it will allow you to use a VPN with hotel WiFi reliably anywhere in the world.
Why has my VPN stopped working with the hotel WiFi?
The reason your VPN has stopped working with the hotel WiFi, is because the online service you’re accessing has managed to block your VPN.
If you’re trying to watch geo-blocked content with a VPN, the service tries to prevent VPNs from accessing its service. If your VPN has stopped working, it has managed to block the IP address you’ve been given.
The best VPNs have ways to get around this to ensure you can access geo-blocked content reliably. However, if you’re VPN is no longer working, then it either doesn’t have measures in place to prevent this from happening, or the measures it does have are no longer working. And the service you’re accessing has managed to /block all the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
How is my VPN being blocked?
Most online services use three main techniques to block VPNs:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When online services sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN and it blocks it.
- Online services monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Online services teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, online services will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
Lesser VPNs struggle to get around these blocks and subsequently all of their IP addresses get blacklisted by online services. This is what has most likely happened to your VPN and it’s why you’re coming across errors connecting to the hotel WiFi.
Do VPNs work with hotel WiFi?
The good news is you can use hotel WiFi with a VPN however you need to use a VPN that can get around online services VPN blocks.
Basically, what this means is you need to use a VPN that has measures in place to ensure that services cannot block all of its IP addresses.
The best VPNs for this are ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
There are a few reasons why these VPNs work so well. They have reliable and fast servers all around the world; they are incredibly secure and most importantly they have measures in place to ensure that services cannot block all of their IP addresses.
Although unlikely if an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) gets blocked, both ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP address and open a new unblocked one.
This will allow you to use the hotel WiFi reliably with a VPN anywhere in the world.
The best VPNs for hotel WiFi
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
Is using a VPN with hotel WiFi legal?
Yes, using a VPN with hotel WiFi is completely legal, unless you’re in a country where VPNs are prohibited. These are China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
If you aren’t in one of these countries, then using a VPN with hotel WiFi is legal.
