LAPTOP CONNECTION TO INTERNET

[glowman]

Please can someone help, I have a Dell Laptop and want to use it in this country how or what do I need to connect to the internet

while in my caravan

 

[BeemerMal]

Terry.....Most modern laptops are built with an integrated wireless To connect to the Internet, away from home, you need the wireless connection.network port or if not you can buy a wireless adaptor ("WiFi") that plugs into a spare USB port on the laptop.

You can also connect by using a mobile phone but this is both very expensive and is old technology.

Many caravan sites, here and abroad now have have a WiFi hub (this is a base where any computer with a WiFi connection, within range, can connect to the internet.) You can purchase time by the hour, day or week from the owner of the hub and they will provide you with an access code to log in. The benefit of this is you can surf from the comfort of your own caravan. Rates do vary though and I think many are far to expensive though.

Alternatively you can look for a free WiFi hot-spot in a nearby town. Often you can access the net for free. Norwich is the first City to provide free WiFi access throughout the entire city centre area (6sq miles). Many other towns and cities do so as well and more will follow.

I have also managed to get free WiFi access whilst in Spain from places like Marinas and large shopping centres. Before you go away try Googling "WiFi hot-spots" in the area you are going to. Mal

 

[glowman]

Hi Beemermal,

Thanks for the answers.

A few questions come to mind.

When you say within range, What is the range in terms of distance, and when you say purchase by the hour ,roughly how much should one expect to pay, generally.

I take it with the instructions one should be able to pick up the signal without to many problems.

This sounds like what I'm looking for.

Thank you

 

[Guest]

If you dont have a laptop with Centrino wireless set-up you need a laptop with 32Bit Card/Bus slot that takes a wireless wi-fi laptop card. Such as -

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=219530&criteria=wi fi card&doy=14m8
100 metres is about maximum distasnce depending on what is between you and the point you are connecting to.

The following article explains connecting quite well-

http://usatoday.jiwire.com/wifi-users-guide-what-is-wifi.htm

 

[ColinA]

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[Guest]

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[BeemerMal]

Terry.....euro is right regarding connectivety.

With regard to WiFi access it depends on the strength of the signal being transmitted from the WiFi host hub. I visited a very large campsite in Spain earlier this year and could get excellent access over 300 yds from the hub but it all depends on line of site and obvious obstructions that all weaken the signal.

Usually the connectivety window on your laptop will tell you whether the signal is excellent or weak. If it is weak it has a habit of disconecting which is tiresome. It will also tell you what WiFi connections are in range of your computer, some may be secure (needs a password to connect) and some may be unsecured, which means you can usually access these for free.

But remember, if you use unsecured access it is best not to do anything that requires any of your own secure personal passwords, eg bank accounts, etc because as it is an unsecurred network there is a chance others may obtain access to your info while you are on line. This is also important if you use a shared computer in an internet cafe, always clear down any information before you log off.

Don't be alarmed by what I said in my last paragraph, just be careful...Mal

 

[BeemerMal]

Terry...Connectivity rates vary so much that it is impossible to say how much. At the moment it seems quite expensive in the UK but I only tend to use free sites or just wait until I get home. The Caravan Club has WiFi on many of their sites but I believe their rates are quite expensive at present, most probably because it is not widely used.

In Spain the charges varied from _10 a week at one campsite, another charged _20 a week but only _35 for a month for secure access. But, again, mainly to retrieve emails I often used free WiFi sites....Mal

 

[Guest]

I've connected to wifi over 500+ metres away but distance is a lot less in most places. Quite often its only around 20 metres due to walls of buildings.

3G data card is quite quick and as I have it as a perk it gets used quite a lot.

 

[Surfer]

We have a "Card" from T-mobile which slots into the side of the laptop. Subscription costs

 

[Guest]

My card is the same sort of set-up as Ian's and speed is very good.

Aerials to boost the cards performance available on Ebay quite cheap.

T-mobile offer a good package for UK use, but if you ever caravan in Europe the data card charges could cost as much as your holiday!

 

[emnipetro]

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