needed: fast internet for laptop away from the house?

Question

I have a Sony VAIO SZ340 and it has a wireless card built in so I can get a signal but it is kinda weak once I leave the house and of course there are dead spots. I have been researching what I should get and I have gone to Circuit City, Best Buy, & Staples and they all say Linksys but they don't tell me which one. I really don't want to spend more than 150 bucks on this and I need it to be portable so that I can take it somewhere, start up my comp and the router and get going with a mega fast connection preferrably on the beach or somewhere that doesn't have an ethernet port. I say this b/c I spend too much time inside and I want the freedom of being able to do my work (which is internet-based) on the beach if I wanted. Please help me I need serious answers thank you.

Answer 1

You can't take the router outside, it needs a line connection. You can only get a few hundred feet range from any router. To work outside in any location you could try a cellular card, but this can be quite expensive to run.

Answer 2

It depends on what speeds you want and what your operating system is.
If you are just browsing even older b is faster than any of the internet connections you will encounter.
If you are transferring files in a network or between computers then the increased speed is desireable.
The problem is that with any distance away from the router ( after 30 feet for sure) the speed drops off like a stone.
Most people are never more than 1 mb/s
If you are browsing an older b card is more than adequete
If you are transferring large files then g would be better , the new n is best ( with a n router very rare now and there is no guarantee that your n will work next year or will work with anotther brand of router)
If you have vista you are screwed
For the most part only the newest ( most expensive ) n cards or some of the internal network laptop intel for example work'
It all comes down to whether drivers are available for your version of windows.
If speed is most important to you best to use a direct cable.

Don't let them fool you.
A standard b card may be adequete.
A run of the mill may be better for file transfer
If you can get the same brand card as your router - faster ,
easier to set up and tech support cannot tell you to screw off

Oh and one last thing that is most important
Change the channel in the router from the default of channel 6 to 1 or 11
( I am assuming that you have or will get a wireless router )

Answer 3

So im guessing you are leaching off other peoples internet connections and using hot spots. I have not heard of any hotspots at beaches but I guess its possible.

Im not going to say a PCMCIA card will help with your received signal streangth. I guess if your built in has a bad antenna or something it could be the problem, but im guessing it just because you are far away from what ever signal you are leaching off of.

There are many PCMCIA Cards out there and I prefer D-Limk myself, but if you want a linksys try the WPC54GR. It is a high gain version of there regular adapter and will increase reception range and signal streagth.

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1138744085400&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=8540039789B02

Answer 4

you can get a wwan cell card offered by sprint verizon cingular. they all offer 3g speeds which is fast enough for what you want. of course there is a monthly payment though. If you have a cell phone that has high speed internet you can tether the connection to the laptop and use the phone as a modem which is free most of the time

Answer 5

If it is worth around $40 a month, go with a wireless card from a major cellular provider. I use the one with Verizon, and I have internet anywhere that I have cell phone coverage.

Answer 6

You probably just need a repeater.