Does my laptop already come with internet access or do I have to pay for it?

Question

I don't really understand too much about how the internet connects to my laptop. I am able to connect my laptop to my dial up internet at home using our home user name and password. But what about when I am at University? What does wireless internet mean? Does my laptop come with it or to I have to subscribe to it to use it. And what about high speed internet access, do i also plug that into the phone lines? Sorry if this is confusing but I just recieved the lapop for christmas and I would like to know how it works... Thanks a lot! Happy holidays!!

Answer 1

There are 2 type of wireless internet available. Most new laptops have the wireless hardware build in. When you go to a free "hotspot" and tell your computer to connect it will connect to the free service and act just like your computer at home. When you go to a pay hotspot as soon as you request your first website it will go to the pay internet site. There you will have to enter a credit card number or a prepaid member number. Then it will connect as usual. Some free sites may still ask for id such as sites at schools or hotels.

Answer 2

Most times if you have a Dial-Up Service you can find an Access Number in most major Cities/Towns and still access the Inet. Today many New Computers come with a Wireless Card Installed. BUT, you need a Wireless Router connected to your Internet, and most times Dial-Up not work, so, you need Cable or DSL.
With that said; There are what we call Wireless Hot-spots. This where you can connect to Inet through a wireless router free. You only responsible for your computer security.
The link help you find Hotspots in your area. On left you can search by City I think. Hotspots usually good for Laptops as they portable. BUT, you can get lucky and have a Hotspot close to where your Desktop is. I have a Friend that lucked into this setup with his Desktop Computer.

Answer 3

(My answer assumes you're in the USA. Outside the US businesses may operate differently.)

1. Your laptop is probably preinstalled with offers from internet providers (like earthlink, MSN, AOL, etc.), and the offers probably include a free month of service. They will require a credit card when you start the service, and if you don't cancel in the first month they will charge your credit card for service every month after the free month is up.

2. You are paying for your home dial-up service every month (or at least someone in your household is paying for it.) The dial-up service probably has phone numbers set up all over the county. Your start-up package or software from them probably has a way to select from a list of phone numbers, and you can probably find one that is a local call from your university. Of course that means you will have to have a telephone line and you will be tying it up when you are online. Roommates won't like that.

4. If you are staying in a dormitory or other rooms provided by the University, the University has probably already made some provisions for internet access for you. The rooms might be wired for ethernet connections (looks like a telephone connection but the size is slightly different). The rooms may be served wirelessly. You'll need to check with the University or whoever is providing your housing to find out the details. Access may be included as part of your rent. Or maybe you will have to pay a monthly fee. When you make arrangements they will provide you with a userid and password and instructions for connecting.

5. Most modern laptops will come with both an ethernet jack and a built-in wireless connection (such as 802.11g).

6. There are lots of ways of delivering high speed internet. It might come into the building over cable television lines, fiber optic lines, telephone lines (DSL), or other ways. From there it might be distributed to you by having wires go throughout the building to each customer, or they may save wiring costs by putting in a few wireless routers that can cover the whole building. The University or building management will be able to tell you what you will need to do to connect, and maybe you will need additional equipment like a cable modem.

The University will probably have wireless coverage in the libraries or other buildings, and you will have to find out from the library staff what the rules are for that.

good luck!

Answer 4

If it's a brand new laptop, you probably do have wireless internet access installed on it. When your computer starts up, there should be an icon down by your clock that pops up a message as to whether the wireless is connected or not. There are more than one icon that could be down there, but look for one with a computer and looks like parentheses coming out of it (this is the windows wireless icon).
Best way to test it is to get near a coffee shop or a wi-fi hotspot and try to connect. Right click on that above icon and select 'view available wireless connections' and you should be able to attach to one. Most likely, at a coffee shop, it will be an unsecured wireless, meaning you wouldn't need a password.
As for home, if your internet connection is a dial up connection, you should, like you said, be able to connect to it from your modem, not your wireless, because that is the type of connection you are subscribed to at home.
For the university, you will most likely want to check with their IT department or computer lab. They will give you any security codes or instructions you will need to connect to the wireless network or the LAN network (wired network).
You will want to make sure your firewall is turned on and that you have anti-virus protection at the least when you hook up to the internet, especially with a wireless connection.

Answer 5

You have to have access to an internet service and a way to connect your latpop to that service. For instance, your dialup is a way to access an internet service, which someone is paying for as a seperate item.
Dialup, wireless, DSL, cable, packet connections, etc. are ways to connect to the internet, but the service itself is a 3rd party product.
Most laptops these days come with a built in wireless connector.
This connector will allow you to connect to a wireless access point. (the point where your device and the internet interface). But again, the actual internet connection is a 3rd party, paid connection of some sort.
Many universities provide some sort of free wireless connection to their network and to the internet. Talk to your administrators about it, or other students.
(Your laptop connects to the wireless access point thru some mechanism within the laptop, probably a built in wireless access card. Once connected to the access point, you then are connected to whatever service is installed on that wireless network, which will likely be access to the Universities network and to the internet.

Answer 6

Ok, if you have internet at your home then you already have broadband access - they are one and the same. (wifi) hotspots refer to places in cafe's, trains etc where you can use wifi to access a network (possibly including internet access) out in the public. You need to get a "wireless" enabled router. Most routers will have it - the ones that do have an antennae sticking out of them ;) Make sure that it _at least_ supports 802.11g. I've been using a netgear dg834gt for years and it's more stable than my actually internet connection and has never needed reset in at least 3 years constantly on. You could try the following router, it has maximum coverage (with respect to netgear products at least). Other companies will have similar products.

Answer 7

No, your laptop does not come with internet access, you will need to subscribe to an ISP ( Internet servive provider), and if your computer has a wlan already installed on it you can use different wireless connection ports that are available places such as airport terminals, cafe's, etc.

if you have got interent connection at home you can use a router and an adapter to go wirless.

Answer 8

ok it probaly has a WLAN installed in it which means if you go to an airport and you have the WLAN on and there is an active conncetion then you can connect to the internet....the wireless internet is simple no wires lol...you have to sign up for internet bu if you already have it on another computer you can buy a router and then have wireless internet throughout your home...

Answer 9

I am not sure, but I think you have to have a WIFI connection. WIFI is hardware and software that enables you to connect to a wireless terminal ( truck stops, shopping malls, and colleges if they are equipped to handle WIFI).