Wireless laptop on campus and off?

Question

The college I am going to attend offers wireless internet service. Will I still be able to use the internet when I am not on campus, say when I'm home? Inside the dorms they have internet connection set-up for desktops. Is that same for laptops, can they also be connected like desktops instead of being wireless? Can laptops be easily connected to a printer? I also hear people complaining that laptops are slow. I won't be downloading games and lots of music, just basic research and typing? Will that make it slow? Lastly, will my laptop survive the four years I'm in college?

And thanks for all your help!

Answer 1

Will I still be able to use the internet when I am not on campus, say when I'm home?
-----No, but that would be great :P

Inside the dorms they have internet connection set-up for desktops. Is that same for laptops, can they also be connected like desktops instead of being wireless?
-----Yes

Can laptops be easily connected to a printer?
----Just like a desktop, or even easier if you use a USB cable. I have to point out that in most Universities, if you plan to use their printers, then you have to use the computers supplied on their computer labs. But you will be allowed to have your own printer in your dorm.

I also hear people complaining that laptops are slow. I won't be downloading games and lots of music, just basic research and typing? Will that make it slow?
----No, it will be just fine. Some high end laptops will also run games better than some desktops, but they are expensive.

Lastly, will my laptop survive the four years I'm in college?
----Hard to say, but I can tell you all my laptops averaged 3 years before something went wrong. Hard Drive problems are the most common, but can be replaced for less than $50 if you do it yourself. Other common problems include LCD going bad. This can be either a cheap fix($15 for inverter), or very expensive($400 for the whole LCD), and it's probably the only reason why you should get a Service Plan - at least 2 years(trust me, if it's a bad quality LCD it will go bad withing the first 2 years) -. You shouldn't need an accidental damage plan if you take very good care of it.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Any fairly recent laptop with WiFi capability should also have USB ports and an RJ-45 socket (like a phone jack, but wider with eight wires).
An inexpensive Ethernet LAN cable should work for the dorm hookup. The LAN is probably twice as fast as the WiFi, but both are very fast for your needs. Both should give access to the same data and to each other (they probably are merged at the campus router station).
At home, you need an ISP, either Dial-up or DSL/Cable (or a {very rare} local WiFi access point). Most laptops have an RJ-11 jack for a standard telephone connection, if you have the account with an ISP who will give you the phone number to dial from the computer screen.
The campus should have a network printer or several, if not, maybe you can network to a friend's printer down the hall. USB printers are common and cheap, but the ink replacements cost a lot.
Laptops are not slow. For your needs, a slow one and a fast one would not show a noticeable difference in speed. What can be slow, is the campus network, if too many people are playing games, etc.
With proper care, barring accidents, a laptop can last four years. Don't count on it. College is contact sport more than a monastery. Make friends with a geek. Keep your data backed up (the campus network may have a daily program for this on the network). Some schools have guidelines for what computers and Operating System Software are used by their professors. Get as detailed information as possible from their experts before buying anything.
You will become dependent upon your machine. Have a contigency plan/fund to replace it and its data always ready to go, unless you like repeating entire semesters.
Remember - you can save a lot on yellow markers and a fair amount of time - if you buy Used Books.

Answer 3

I will break this down by question.

Will I still be able to use the internet when I am not on campus, say when I'm home?

-No, the wireless provided by the campus is limited by the range of their routers. You can only access it on campus because it doesn't reach very far.

Inside the dorms they have internet connection set-up for desktops. Is that same for laptops, can they also be connected like desktops instead of being wireless?

-Yes. Laptops have your standard network plug usually on the back.

Can laptops be easily connected to a printer?

-Yes, they connect just as easily as a desktop.

I also hear people complaining that laptops are slow. I won't be downloading games and lots of music, just basic research and typing?

-With their nature of portability, laptops are often much slower than desktops of the same price. But, any new laptop should be plenty fast for what you are going to be doing.

Will that make it slow?

-No, only if you download a bunch of spyware, adware and viruses while you are doing it. Make sure you have antivirus and antispyware programs installed.

Lastly, will my laptop survive the four years I'm in college?

-There is no way to guarantee that, as improvements in technology happen so often. I can say that for only internet research and typing, it should last you much longer than 4 years. If you change what you plan on using it for it might not last as long for you.

Answer 4

in accordance on your message the venture is on your router. you have not point out your router module besides verify the kind between pc and on the spot router. often regardless of if that's extra advantageous than one hundred meters distance on the spot community won't artwork. And between router and pc any wall is there, it additionally won't artwork, that's counting on your router module. So verify your router handbook and be sure the sign variety of your router. in case you're thinking that situation is on your pc, till now you restoration the pc via a USB community Dongle and plug on your pc and verify regardless of if your on the spot community is working on your USB community Dongle.