Internet access at the Orleans

[njcurveball]

ANy veterans have advice on getting Internet access to check email and download files while at the Orleans.

DO they have hookups in the room or is there a WIFI close by? Any tips are appreciated.

thanks,
Jim

[OPM]

Hi speed in all rooms for $10/day. There is another thread here listing all the free wi-fi spots around town. Airport has free access also.

[km]

For years we had to write down our local access numbers for Vegas and hooked up to the dialup to get the files for about $1 per call. Which you can still do in a pinch because the high-speed sometimes goes bad there. In about 2003, they had ethernet hookup for $9.95 and then last year they installed the wireless access for the same price.

There are no Starbucks or other hotspots with free WIFI that I'm aware of near the Orleans.

Ernie was telling me that the business center at the Orleans has computer access and he was able to get the files for almost nothing instead of paying for the wireless in the room. Maybe he can comment here, but i think he said it was $5 for 1 hour of accumulative computer time. Need to bring a flash drive or memory stick to save the files.

You can't download and setup HTR2 to a public computer in most cases (although I did pull it off at a hotel in Seattle last year), so running the software and printing may be a problem in a business center. But if the Print-To-File option is used on the laptop and the file saved to to a flash drive, you might be able print from the business center.

The new little Sony that I travel with is a Centrino and has excellent sensitivity for any wireless access nearby. While in the hallway near the tournament room last year, i was able to get (free) Internet access from various wireless networks that were operated for conventions and seminars in the banquet area. But they were fleeting and went on and off, so it wasn't useful. Could not gain access to the $9.95 room wireless in the tournament area either, it seems to go dead when i get out of the elevator.

They always make a big stink about warning us that laptops must not be hooked up to the Internet while at the tournament. A few people have been inspected by security, but most of us have never been approached or hassled. In order to do it, you would have to have a WIFI mobile subscription through one of the cell phone companies. It would probably be as slow as dial up and not practical in a crowded indoor situation anyway.

They make a bigger stink about cell phones not allowed in the tournament, but almost everyone has one and answers the call in the hallway. More and more players are using their text messaging phones and Blackberries,etc. to work the tournament with a a partner since it is silent. Your partner can be at home studying the races and easily send you a cryptic text message "GP 3, 3" a few minutes prior to post with no one being the wiser.

The law about communication devices is supposed to be enforced "100 feet from betting areas". So I don't know why the cell phone or laptop is an issue in the auxiliery rooms that have no betting windows in them. When I was at the Ballys/Paris tournament in 2004 they had no problem with either since we were in a separate area of the hotel - we used the cell from our seats. So each hotel's security dept. sets up conflicting rules. At the Rio, for instance, you can't even carry a laptop into the racebook without being hammered by security.

[JimG]

Thanks for the information. In addition to wi-fi access in the room, am I correct to assume they still have ethernet access as well in the room? You mentioned ethernet in 2003 and hopefully the wi-fi did not replace, but was an addition. Thanks.

Jim

[km]

re: Ethernet in the rooms at the Orleans
I assume they are still in all the rooms, it's pretty much as standard to have ethernet wiring in all major hotels now, even if there is WIFI. Might want to get either a wireless card or dialup access number as a backup though.

[OPM]

They had Ethernet in Oct 05.
GE

[njcurveball]

I got the Wireless access today and it was as simple as getting the pass code off of the TV for $10.99 a day, it is a bit much in the "real" world, but in "Million Dollar Tournament Land", it is quite a bargain!

I had some spurts of high speed, but for 2 hours, it was mostly dog slow. I switched over to the Ethernet connection that they have on the desk for the same price. It is much faster for me. You simply plug it in and click ok to get on.

Either way is very simple and $10.99 per day (probably plus Hotel Tax at checkout). Perhaps there is just not enough wireless bandwidth for all the handicappers this week? I would suggest the Ethernet connection if you don't need to roam the room and use your laptop in the bathtub. ;-)


Good luck to all!
:)
Jim