Members russrags Posted October 18, 2007 Members Share Posted October 18, 2007 1st new laptop in quite a while, and I am wondering about connecting wireless to the Internet. Not that that's a big deal, I'm on the Internet right now wireless as I type this .... but my Q: With a wireless laptop do you actually have to subscribe to an Internet provider??? I'm connected, but I don't ever remember setting anything up in the computer with my information??? I don't have a router, I just pull in someone else's signal. Stupid Q I know ... I'm really pretty smart, I promise !!! Ha!! Ha!! RussNashville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fuzzlabs Posted October 18, 2007 Members Share Posted October 18, 2007 1st new laptop in quite a while, and I am wondering about connecting wireless to the Internet. Not that that's a big deal, I'm on the Internet right now wireless as I type this .... but my Q:With a wireless laptop do you actually have to subscribe to an Internet provider??? I'm connected, but I don't ever remember setting anything up in the computer with my information??? I don't have a router, I just pull in someone else's signal.Stupid Q I know ... I'm really pretty smart, I promise !!! Ha!! Ha!!RussNashville If your computer is working on the Internet without you doing any setup, it is getting that information from however you connect to the internet. On a wired computer that would be your ISP. With a wireless, if you don't have a wireless router or access point, then you are getting onto someone else's wireless connection, either legally or illegally. Note - if you are getting onto a neighbors wireless connection, whether they have it protected or not, and you don't have their permission, you are breaking the law.... now if you are doing it someplace with free access (cafe, bookstore, etc.), you are good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted October 18, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 With a wireless laptop do you actually have to subscribe to an Internet provider??? I'm connected, but I don't ever remember setting anything up in the computer with my information???There are a lot of free wireless access points - a lot of coffee shop/bakeries have them and even some cities even have them. You can connect to the Internet with those just for the taking. There are also a lot of people with wireless routers in their home who haven't taken the steps to secure them, so you might be poaching on a neighbor's connection. On a PC, if you click on the network icon it'll tell you where you're connected. If is says something like "Linksys" that's a neighbor (who has an unsecured Linksys router). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted October 18, 2007 Members Share Posted October 18, 2007 Some airports and hotels have free wireless, others charge. The free stuff is good! You can also buy a wireless card that connects to a particular provider, like Sprint or Qwest. It's conceptually like having a cell phone with internet access wired into your laptop. But both the card and the service will cost you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff Leites Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 There are several web sites that will tell you where the wi-fi hotspots are in a particular area. Here one: http://www.wififreespot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphajerk Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 if you have an internet connection at home via cable/dsl, just get a WAP for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jlampson Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 WAP = Wireless Access Point aka wireless gateway/router Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphajerk Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 sorry, lazy typing that out. and secure it. change default SSID. i choose not to broadcast it, but i dont have to deal with other people coming to my house needing internet on their laptops, if they do... i can set them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members russrags Posted October 19, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 Hey thanks guys .. your all soooooooo smart.I've been a paid Internet subscriber since 1996, so I'm not trying to beat the system. I was just curious why I could pick it up without any of my info. Yea my neighbor has a Linsky, I found it the other day when I was hooking up a scanner for him. He's such a good neighbor and I'm really good to him too. I'll have to tell you his story sometime, he's a real music lover. RussNashville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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