Thread: wireless for the laptop

Originally Posted by weeds

looking at upgrading from our dial up method

was thinking ADSL or broadband but than thought as i have a laptop wireless might be the go. was thinking wireless might be more usefull when we are travelling, i.e. tassie

i know nothing about seting up the laptop or which service provider to go with.

what do i need to buy
which service provider/s should i look at
i'm currently with optus and have had no problems with dialup
will my laptop handle it, its a toshiba satellite pro 4600 running xp ??

Have you checked if wireless is available in Tassie? Mobile coverage is very limited so it might pay to check about the net.

I had a nice holiday there a few years back and I phoned ahead to check if the internet was available for me to use. One delightful lady asked "what's the internet?" .

Originally Posted by weeds

looking at upgrading from our dial up method

was thinking ADSL or broadband but than thought as i have a laptop wireless might be the go. was thinking wireless might be more usefull when we are travelling, i.e. Tessie

i know nothing about seting up the laptop or which service provider to go with.

what do i need to buy
which service provider/s should i look at
i'm currently with optus and have had no problems with dialup
will my laptop handle it, its a toshiba satellite pro 4600 running xp ??

Using your inbuilt wireless connection is OK in wireless hot spots but is quite expensive. I use it when I go away but only for mail downloads - not surfing. I also have a $4.95/month unlimited download dial up account with my Optus (over and above my Optusnet broadband cable account) that I normally use when I'm away or at work.

Go ADSL or other broadband and set up a wireless router at home. Buy a wireless card for your existing desktop and you can access the 'net from both the laptop and desktop - simultaneously. (** see below)

If you get a router with a print server built in, e.g http://www.dlink.com.au/Products.asp...&Sub2=5&PID=61 and you can print from either computer to the printer. You can buy print servers with either parallel or USB connections for the printer.

** Oh, those routers can also be used with a cable connection(s) to the computer(s) so you could co-locate the router at the desktop and use a cable connection thus saving you the cost and hassles of a wireless card.

I will point out that I often have to muck around with the wireless connection. It sometimes inexplicably loses its settings and has to be reconfigured. I wouldn't use wireless if I could use a cable to the router.

Ron

If you don't mind a bit of a wait you can try council libraries. We used one in Coffs harbour and could use it for 30 minutes at a time as visitors. Internet Cafés are what my sister uses on her trips around Oz.

When I was in Tassie most caravan park and accommodation places let me use my dial up without too many problems. We typed our messages off-line and received messages and sent what we typed so we did not tie up their lines.

This guy is the go... he has all the info you need. He was recommended to me by the tech that put in my cable.

Oz Cable Guy

Originally Posted by barryj

If you don't mind a bit of a wait you can try council libraries. We used one in Coffs harbour and could use it for 30 minutes at a time as visitors.

Now that is good to know. Coffs is where I've been using the paid hotspots when I go up there to check on my rental property.

Ron

Originally Posted by weeds

looking at upgrading from our dial up method

was thinking ADSL or broadband but than thought as i have a laptop wireless might be the go. was thinking wireless might be more usefull when we are travelling, i.e. tassie

i know nothing about seting up the laptop or which service provider to go with.

what do i need to buy
which service provider/s should i look at
i'm currently with optus and have had no problems with dialup
will my laptop handle it, its a toshiba satellite pro 4600 running xp ??

ADSL and Broadband are one and the same. Wireless Internet comes in a couple of flavours,
Telstra have a CDMA system, got mobile reception? got Internet. This is very pricey, business or rich kids only.
Agile and Internode provide a tight band wireless Broadband to rural areas, antenna on the roof, router connected to computer inside.

The suggestions for Internet while travelling are very good, take that advice.
Some computer shops also have a machine set up for just that purpose, mainly tourist areas surprisingly. Do your happy snaps onto CD for you while you check your emails.(can we sell you a memory card for your camera while you are here?)

You dont say if you use a desktop with dial up at the moment?
The Tosshie, newish, may have wireless LAN(local area network) already on board. (This is what most people mean when talking about wireless networking. When you connect to the Internet, you are connecting to a world wide WAN(wide area network), different kinds of beast, tied together with common protocols.)
If not, a PCMCIA wireless network card will be needed, to connect to a router or wifi hotspot. Or just use a blue network cable from computer to router like I do, not pretty but it is secure.
Be carefull with home wireless networking, if not set up with a good working knowledge of network security, it will be open to plunder. Windows automatic networking? You might as well put to sea in a colander.
Get good advice on that please.
You don't need a bill for a Porsche you did not buy in Vladivostoc or some where else exotic, you have never been to. Nor do you need little Johnny Jones from down the street using your download quota to download porn, over his wireless network capable laptop. Think it doesn't happen? I caught a mates teenage boy doing just that, using his laptop to use the next doors wireless network to connect to the Internet.

If you are happy with Optus, speak to them about upgrading to Broadband, if possible in your area. If it is not possible on your landline, don't panic. The Feds, have a system to get broadband up, called the Hibis scheme. Your local ISP should have the application forms, or Google "hibis" and apply online. This is how I got my Broadband, in a rural area with no phoneline.

{$39.95 \ month :- 512 K\s feed for internet phone, 8 Gb download limit (shaped, not over charged, or worse, cut off), no upload charges}

Shorty.

thanks guys

i thought there may have been a reasonably cheap way to access the net more convienantly i.e on the road @ wi-fi hotspots

i don't use a desktop at home

food for thought

Originally Posted by weeds

thanks guys

I thought there may have been a reasonably cheap way to access the net more convienantly i.e on the road @ wi-fi hotspots

i don't use a desktop at home

food for thought

I just tried a Google search for wifi in Australia. Optus and Bigpond hide their coverage maps well and pricing is not cheap.

I think the two guys touring on the TV ad in the Kombi with the kids, strange combination for travelling but who am I to judge , is misleading. They appear to be in hilly bush country as well.

Sales gimmick?