Best Hotel Wifi in NYC?

September 15, 2012 1:54 PM

Which NYC hotel has reliable and fast internet access?

I travel to NYC for business where I often work in my hotel. One thing I have been unable to find is reliable and fast internet. I do not care if I am charged a nominal fee. I need to upload photos to an FTP but I have had trouble at numerous hotels.

What hotels have you had a great experience with the wifi in NYC?

posted by bodgy to travel & transportation around New York, NY (5 answers total)

I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria not long ago and they had reliable and decently fast internet access.
posted by brownrd at 3:07 PM on September 15, 2012

Since I live here, I don't know much about the hotels but - I'd be willing to bet you could get some good suggestions over in the Tripadvisor forums if you can't find your answer here. The sheer volume of travelers posting there should yield at least a few leads.
posted by blaneyphoto at 3:44 PM on September 15, 2012

At this very moment I am using the free wifi at the Hilton Garden Inn on 35th and 6th Avenue. I've had no problems whatsoever. Free and fast!
posted by fresh-rn at 10:06 PM on September 15, 2012

the key to solid internet at any hotel is wired internet. with wifi, you're typically fighting with all the other guests and/or the radio placement. i've never had trouble with a wired connection, even at hole-in-the wall euro hotels. most of the business-focused chains (e.g. the westin) usually have wired in the room, although sometimes it's hard to find under the desk. bring your own ethernet cable and you'll be home free. just ensure your hotel is wired.

if you need wifi, go to a wired hotel and bring your own travel router. i've had good luck with the tp-link tl-mr3020 (but there are ton of good ones). you set up the router with a password (so it's yours only), plug it into the ethernet, and voila, you get strong wifi all to yourself. double bonus: using a travel router means you only pay once for all your wifi devices.
posted by bruceo at 11:55 PM on September 15, 2012

Seconding wired. Stayed in New York for business for a year, 8 different hotels, every single one had awful wifi speeds. Wired was always better, often good. Find a way to get a wired connection with your setup
posted by Patbon at 11:10 AM on September 16, 2012