[breannishome]

I spontaneously bought a computer off of EBAY and it just got here today. Realy my only reason for getting it was to take on business trips with me to use the internet. Its....
Dell Latitude CPx
intell pentium III
Well it came with a brand new in the box wireless card...when I get to a hotel that has free wireless...Is all I have to do is install the program with the CD and then plug in the card to the side and then hit the Internet Explorer buttom to connect? It cant be that easy?
Another thing is that the laptop does NOT have an phone plug or an ethernet plug on it. I was told I had to get a modem...I am not sure what that is. If I go to a hotel cant I just hook up with the ethernet if I had one? I am confused and really want to use this for next week.Hmm..Not sure what else I should say about it...but thats the details. Bre

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Also what is WiFi????

[breannishome]

Also what is WiFi????

[pip22]

Welcome to the forum, breannishome.

Wi-Fi simply means wireless internet or "broadband without wires" (at least, without wires as far as the router anyway)

As far as your wireless card is concerned, yes, you install the software for it first (very important), then insert the card when prompted (or after rebooting) but not before.

Actually getting it to connect to a wireless router within range, however, may not be so straightforward. Most establishments with public wireless routers may have configured it to require a password (called a 'WEP' or 'WPA' security key) which you will need to enter into the setup utility of your wireless-card's software. This password requirement is there to stop non-customers 'freeloading' onto the network using a long-range wireless card and laptop in a car on the street or even from a room in the next block. if you only use wireless to get internet-access on the laptop, it doesn't need an ethernet port, and a phone-socket on a laptop is only used if you have a 'dial-up' internet account you want to connect to, using an analog (dial-up) modem. Rarely used nowadays (thank God!)

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to be able to physically plug the laptop in to a router or broadband modem because they aren't wireless models (a rare situation these days), or because you can't get wireless access to work, you can buy an ethernet laptop card (plugs into the same slot as the wireless card) which has an ethernet socket (more corectly known as an RJ45 socket) at the end of it. like this one: http://www.maplin.co...e...&doy=Search

Then you just need a CAT5 or CAT6 network cable with RJ45 plugs at each end to connect the card to the modem/router. These are readily available at most computer stores or online, ready made up to standard lengths of 3 or 5 metres (at least that's what they are here in the UK). Probably the most popular brand for CAT5/6 cables is Belkin.

hope I haven't confused you even more and that you have learned a little about what you need.

Edited by pip22, 23 February 2008 - 06:23 PM.

[breannishome]

Thank you. You explained it really well. I actually understood it. Thanks alot! M