Ok Guys n gals I have a laptop how do I go wireless as Cheaply as poss?

Answer 1

wireless computing is becoming cheaper and cheaper since companys like a.o.l and b.t have started doing internet setups from £9-99 a month including wireless router
however you still need to have a wireless laptop or desktop.and this can be done in various ways
1)using a u.s.b wireless device which will plug directly into any spare usb socket
2)using a pcmcia wireless network card which fits into a card slot in your laptop
3)installing a p.c.i wireless card into a spare p.c.i slot on your p.c
however although wireless computing is all the rage at the moment it is still the slowest way to use the internet as speeds are much slower than using ethernet or usb cables(speeds can be as slow as 32mbps)
your best bet is to either go to a.o.l(http://info.aol.co.uk/broadband/broadband-silver.adp?promo=228937&promoCode=228937) and take a look at their wireless broadband package or take up the bt home hub package(http://www.bt.com/index.jsp)
the bt home hub is what i am using at the moment and i have found it very good,ok it may be a bit more than you want to spend but "you pay for what you get",and i have found bt are excellent with service,equipment,connection speed(8meg),and overall reliabilty
also with the bt package you get a brilliant home hub with a)wireless capability b)5 ethernet sockets 3)a hub phone for v.o.i.p (internet phone)
there are many other i.s.p,s(internet service providers) but some are terrible ,and the service is awful
good luck

Answer 2

Well, you did not say if it was a Mac or a wintel, and that makes it harder to answer your question.

If you have a Macintosh laptop, unless it is really old - it has wireless networking hardware built in.

For less state of the art systems (HP, Dell, Compaq) they cut corners and they may not have included it. In that case, you will need to buy a Wi-Fi adapter. Your choices are a PCMCIA (PC Card Bus) card if you have a slot for it in the side of your computer. Or, the most popular choice these days, get a USB WiFi adapter and plug it in.

The 802.11g is will give you the best speed and interoperability but will cost a little more than the somewhat obsolete 802.11b WiFi devices.

You can probably get an 802.11b for something like twenty bucks and an 802.11g for ten bucks or so more.

Next, you need an access point in your house. You plug it into your Internet connection. You can either get one that has a 10-BaseT LAN connection that you jack into your existing cable/DSL modem, or get one that does the modem function as well and replaces it.

This all of course assumes you have a broadband connection to the Internet. If you do not, then you have just a couple choices.

The easiest and probably smartest is just to get broadband. It is fairly inexpensive these days to get DSL from your phone company. If you already have cable, it is also not terribly expensive to get cable modem added from your cable company.

If for some bizarre reason you have dialup and want to stick with it, for about $250 or so Apple sells an airport hub that will work with dialup. I have one and they work really well.

The first time you try to download a service pack for your OS you are going to have your phone line busy forever while you download it. However, it does work. I used mine over dial-up for months and it worked great - just slowly, of course.

Coffee shops and bookstores already offer by-the-hour rented Wi-Fi connections. Very expensive; something like $6/hour. If you pay by the month, then it is something like $40.

A lower cost alternative is coming soon. A large number, I think a quarter, of McDonald's restaurants are getting makeovers in the coming year. The makeover includes comfy couches and low-cost WiFi connectivity.

So if none of those other options appeals to you, McDonald's might be your kind of place.

Answer 3

Probably the easiest and cheapest is to get a wireless USB adaptor, a search of kelkoo showed a few for under £15. Plug it in and then go to a wireless hot-spot, you're connected.

There are many hot-spots around, just view your wireless network connections and choose one that is unsecured.

Easy.

Answer 4

Note: never access a wireless network that you have not gotten permission to do so.

Now, a good source of information on wireless networking can be obtained from here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7605_7-1023478-1.html?tag=wrc.ms

Answer 5

my first question is do you have a wireles card?
if so you can either burchase a wireless connection and put a wireless router in your house.

or you could just get a wireless card and try to steal your neighbors wireless conection

Answer 6

check owt www.pcworld.co.uk a gt a router and usb stick for 50quid a had t get me m8 t set it up as i didnt av a clue but 50quid is quite cheap i think

Answer 7

Try this http://www.broadband-deals.co.uk/wireless_broadband.php