How To Connect Your PS5 To Hotel Wi-Fi

For many of us, establishing an Internet connection is just part of the experience of buying a new device. It's one of numerous setup screens that often appear on a new PC, tablet, or other such system. Typically, it's also the key to a lot of the features of the device in question.

The likes of smartphones and laptops are designed for travel, and for establishing Wi-Fi connections in various different locations wherever they find themselves. Laptop work from a coffee shop has become a huge modern world trope. On the other hand, game consoles may discover your home network on initial setup and then never need their Wi-Fi settings fiddled with again.

For extended stays away from home, though, you might want to bring your PlayStation 5 along for the ride too. That's no mean feat, considering the size of the system, but sometimes you just need to break free from the confines of your home broadband. If you're looking to use a hotel's Wi-Fi for some online PS5 gaming, then, here's how to get your connection set up.

Maybe it's been a long time since you initially set up your PS5's Wi-Fi. Perhaps you're brand new to the process. Either way, finding a hotel's Wi-Fi network is, in effect, no different than setting up your own. You will, of course, need to know the hotel's network and password, not to mention whether the particular establishment will allow you to do so in the first place (limitations on free guest Wi-Fi can be problematic for online gamers on the go, after all).

1. Open the main Settings menu from your PS5's home page.

2. Hit Network.

3. Select Settings.

4. Leave Connect to the Internet alone for the moment, and open Set Up Internet Connection.

5. You'll be presented with a list of Registered Networks (such as your personal one you've already connected at home), and Networks Found beneath that. From the latter list of available networks in the hotel's local area, select the applicable one for the hotel you're staying at.

6. Input the password (inquire at the desk if it hasn't been provided for you) and confirm.

7. The system will then establish the connection you selected.

If the hotel's own Wi-Fi doesn't appear in the Networks Found list, you can hit the triangle button on your controller from that menu to search for local networks. There are some further potential issues to consider before you get started playing, though.

On following these steps, a message stating that "your Internet service provider or your router might be preventing your PS5 from connecting to the Internet" may appear. If you receive this authentication failure warning message, you can resolve it by selecting How To Authenticate, and then using your mobile device to connect to the PS5's network using the password displayed on the next screen. Once your devices have confirmed that you're making a legitimate attempt to get online with your console, you should be able to do just that.

Once you're online, it's crucial to be vigilant, as ever, with your use of public Wi-Fi. The best VPNs can be vital travel companions, but they aren't always available. Before getting carried away by all the fun of your gaming session, Internet security powerhouse Norton notes that steps such as ensuring you're on the hotel's own genuine Wi-Fi (rather than a devious decoy one) and being wary with your password use can save an incredible amount of grief. You can never tell when or how a cybercriminal may attempt to target you when you're away from the security of your own network.

Another caveat is that, of course, the connection strength surely won't be of the quality that veteran online gamers may be accustomed to at home. As an interim measure, though, it certainly beats having to go without gaming for the duration of your trip.