Tunnelz

China trip guide

Does a VPN work on hotel Wi-Fi in China?

It can, once you’ve signed in to the Wi-Fi. Hotel Wi-Fi is a Chinese network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on it, and a roaming eSIM doesn’t help there. Sign in on the hotel’s page first, then switch your VPN on.

Updated

  • Before you sign in

    A VPN can’t connect, and a VPN that’s trying to connect can stop the sign-in page from showing.

  • After you sign in

    Now your VPN can connect, so switch it on.

Fig. 01
Why the order matters on hotel Wi-Fi. Simplified. Hotel networks differ.

Why hotel Wi-Fi is different

On your phone’s roaming data, many travel eSIMs send your traffic through a network outside mainland China. Hotel Wi-Fi doesn’t: it’s a Chinese network, so the blocks apply to everything on it, your laptop included.

  • A phone on roaming data

    Many travel eSIMs send your traffic through a network outside mainland China.

  • Anything on hotel Wi-Fi

    It’s a Chinese network, so the blocks apply to everything on it, your laptop included.

Fig. 02
The same hotel room, two different networks. Simplified.

The sign-in page comes first

Many hotel networks are what engineers call a captive portal. It blocks your traffic until you’ve done what the network asks, usually on a web page. Until then, a VPN can’t connect, and a VPN that’s trying to connect can stop the sign-in page from showing.

Since 2017, China’s Cybersecurity Law has required providers of network access to get real identity information from users, so the page may ask who you are, for example your room number.

Signing in with Tunnelz

Tunnelz spots the sign-in page and shows a card for it (how it looks):

  1. 1. Join the hotel’s Wi-Fi. The card says “This Wi-Fi needs a sign-in”.

  2. 2. Click Sign In to Wi-Fi. Tunnelz pauses, and the hotel’s page opens.

  3. 3. Sign in on the page that opened.

  4. 4. That’s it. Tunnelz switches back on by itself.

Fig. 03
Signing in with Tunnelz on your Mac. The page may ask who you are, for example your room number.

No card? Switch Tunnelz off, sign in, switch it on.

Tested in Shanghai

We tested Tunnelz in hotels in Shanghai in 2026. It gives you your own server, not shared with thousands, and the Smart route sends Chinese sites direct, so they stay fast. If your server is ever blocked, Replace Server can set up a new one in minutes, as long as the app can reach Vultr. In China that may take eSIM data or another network (how).

Hotel networks differ, so set up Tunnelz at home and check that it connects before you fly.

If you can’t get past the sign-in page

  • Ask the front desk how to sign in to the Wi-Fi.

  • Use your phone’s data. If your eSIM plan allows Personal Hotspot, you can share its data with your laptop for a while. A laptop uses data fast.

Fig. 04
If you can’t get past the sign-in page.

Only have a phone? A roaming eSIM usually covers this today; Tunnelz for iPhone is coming.

Questions

Why won’t the hotel Wi-Fi sign-in page open?
Often because a VPN is trying to connect before you’ve signed in. Switch the VPN off, sign in on the hotel’s page, then switch it back on. Tunnelz shows a card for this and switches back on by itself.
Does Tunnelz work on hotel Wi-Fi in China?
We tested Tunnelz in hotels in Shanghai in 2026. Sign in to the Wi-Fi when the app shows its card, and Tunnelz switches back on by itself.
Are Google and WhatsApp blocked on hotel Wi-Fi in China?
Yes. Hotel Wi-Fi is a Chinese network, so the same blocks apply as anywhere in mainland China. You need a VPN on it, even if your phone’s eSIM gets past the blocks on mobile data.
Is hotel Wi-Fi in China private?
Don’t assume it is. Canada’s travel advice says communications in China may be monitored at any time, and that you shouldn’t expect privacy online.
What if the front desk can’t help with the Wi-Fi?
Share your phone’s eSIM data with your laptop through Personal Hotspot, if your plan allows it. Watch your data allowance: a laptop uses much more than a phone.

Sources