Wifi blocked?

Stayed at Ballys past weekend. Not much of a problem with their construction. Did not want to use their $15.00/day/connected device wifi (or something). We always use our Verizon phone for mobile hotspot. Could not connect. Always had it in other casinos. Down stairs at Sidewalk Cafe and at Nosh, I had full bars. In elevator going up to 62 floor (really 12th) had 2 or 3 bars service. As soon as I stepped out of elevator, down to 1 bar. No connection. Photos to show our room location.
This might sound like the 'Sky Is Falling' or black helicopters type of thing, but does anyone know if they have a block for self wifi setup? Or was it coincidence and my bad luck?

 

Cell phone jammers exist, but are illegal, and I doubt a hotel would use one like that. Probably just happened to be a bad signal where your room was.

 

We stayed at Bally's in late March & didn't have that problem with Sprint iPhones....service was a little slow at times but not too bad.

 

They aren't blocking you, but they aren't helping you either.

Large glass, steel, and reinforced concrete buildings are not good for cell signals. Even the glass has been tinted with metals that will affect signal penetration. The way around this is to use repeaters, which are frequently installed in large commercial buildings.

The casinos are likely putting repeaters in the lower floors (not necessarily for the benefit of the patrons), but not in the upper floors. Your reception in the room is then dependent on the location of the nearest cell tower for your provider, and your mileage will vary.

In my personal experience in Vegas, my cell usually works great on the casino floor but is crap in my room, unless I get really, really close to the window. Even then, I seldom get a strong signal. There was a period, when LTE was new, that my cell didn't work at all in the casinos while my wife's older phone worked just fine, but apparently they've gotten newer repeaters since then.

 

I am staying at Ballys in July, is that a view from the North tower or South?

Ernie

 

Looks like North tower....Jubilee tower has Eiffel Tower, Paris pool...etc or back of ph & mountains....

 

I see that the towers are now called the Jubilee and the Indigo. Very confusing when it was easy to identify North and South.

 

That sound correct. Just my luck.

I stayed in the Jubilee tower. My room was about half way down the hallway. Jubilee sits closer to the Strip and north view is not blocked by Indigo tower. Indigo is the big tower to the right of the High Roller in the pic. The South view from Jubilee is as you mentioned.

 

Keep in mind, even if this happened, it was not wifi that was blocked, but your cell signal. Nobody is going to block cell signals. Just bad luck.

 

You're not crazy. I've had the same experience at the Wynn and other higher end hotels. I always assumed they have a wifi blocker so you have to buy the hotel's expensive service. I've never had a problem using cell phones though.

 

Wifi has been included with the resort fee when you stay there for quite some time.

I have this same problem going into some stores in town. It's due to all the metal and block in the building weakening the signal from the wireless company. It's especially bad for me at Treasure Island in the casino from the buffet down to the Mystere theater there, so I turn my data off so my phone battery doesn't die from the constant connect/disconnect.

 

We have issues in some places on campus where I work, too. My phone is almost always fine, at 80% by the end of the day, but some days - depending on where I have meetings - I'll look and be down to 20% battery. Just keeps searching for signals (wifi or 4G).....

 

Jeez, I just realized that CET properties are charging the same for resort fees as the MGM properties and the MGM properties have wireless internet included, whereas CET properties do not. I don't know why people stay at CET properties. Even when they're free they're not worth it.

 

My main cell phone is Verizon and so is the mobile broadband card. Both are spotty in Bally's. Moving 10 feet in any direction usually helps.

 

AT&T bad at Ballys and Harrahs ok at Palace Station on side facing Uptown/Stratosphere . Thanks for the turn of the data hint Shock. I was wondering why my phone would get hot and battery run down so fast in Vegas

 

Most smartphones have a setting to turn off 4g which puts you on 3g. That helps a lot sometimes in low 4g service areas. Typically the only places I have had verizon issues in vegas is at newer places when they first open. Usually they tweak things during hotel openings, etc. I am hearing cell service is spotty at Linq for example......

 

Keep in mind cell signal is pointed and designed so its strongest at ground level, not 62 stories up. Seems like something in that elevator shaft was helping to repeat the cell signal. Could just be the way the signal bounces off the walls.

 

To clarify Indigo tower is south tower and Jubilee is north tower?

Ernie

 

I thought it was the other way round as they refurbished the South tower, but happy to be corrected.

 

That is a Jubilee south tower room with a north strip view.

No it's Jubilee/south tower

Other way around

Indigo = North tower
Jubilee = South tower.