Would a laptop (wi fi enabled) work on a narrowboat please?.?

Question

Going on holiday soon,,just wondered whether i would be able to surf the net,during the evenings,or is this not possible.
I live in the UK btw.

Answer 1

if ur in a wifi hotspot yes ... u cant just pick it up anywhere tho ..

Answer 2

Whislt the information above about hotspots will be of use to you, you need to consider that most modern (built in the last 50 years) narrowboats have steel hulls and steel superstructure (there are some with fibreglass tops).

You will be sitting inside an earthed metal box which will act as a Faraday cage restructing the radio signal getting into the boat.

Another option worth looking at would be to get a 3G GPRS pcmiaa card for your laptop, here you use the mobile phone network (watch out for the costs). You will find more places with a mobile phone signal than you will looking for wifi hotspots.

The same comments about radio signals apply, so work near the window, or outside (now the sun has come out).

Answer 3

If you wish to surf the net while on holiday...and I think if you are concerned about the net while on holiday instead of relaxing, getting drunk, getting laid, etc, you are a sad sick man but on with the show...to surf the net you need a wifi hotspot. If the boat has one, great! If not you'll have to see what the offerings are at whatever port you are docked at. If all else fails you can perform the following
1.) Make colorful pictures and fix them to the screen. You can pretend you're surfing the net...you big power broker man you!
2.)Sock puppets! Yes they are not for children anymore. And with four or five socks you can have an entire cast to act out some wicked Shakespeare!
3.)Maybe you could go talk to the other guests? Have some fun, disconnect from the world and just relax
4.)Save your money, stay home and sit around the computer all day sad, lonely and pathetic...on the upside you can now buy that swinging Jedi costume and look totally krunk in your moms basement!!!

Answer 4

it depends on where you moore for the night, if you are in range of a wi fi hot spot or some one in a nearby house has an un secured wireless network with a strong enough signal then yes you can. If you do find a wireless network but the signal isnt very good then you MIGHT be able to boost the power to your wireless card for better performance, normally with a laptop they are set to conserve the battery but with some ( like mine) you can change the power setting, go into network connections and click on your wireless connection, then configure your card, you might be able to you might not, but worth a try.

Answer 5

You'll only be able to surf the web if you're in a wi-fi hotspot. (You'll need to be close enough to the hotspot for your wi-fi adaptor to be able to receive a strong enough signal. You may also find that you have to pay to access it ... unless you're lucky enough to find one that doesn't have WEP/WPA protection enabled. Even then, though, it would be against UK law for you to do this without permission.)

Answer 6

Buy a "Hot-Spot" meter. This will tell you if you are receiving a Wi-Fi signal. If you are, then the answer is "Maybe". The receiver may be encrypted.

Otherwise, the answer is no.

You'd be better off connecting you laptop to your mobile phone (via usb or bluetooth). it's slow and may be expensive - Check with your service provider.

JBV^_^

Answer 7

should do you need hotspots some cafes have them but why take wi-fi on canal enjoy the peace solitutude and no computers

Answer 8

Hi
Some marinas actually have 'plug ins' you may be able to find out where these are from the Waterways Board, good luck.
Ray. West York's. U.K.

Answer 9

How narrow is the boat lol