Do dell insperson laptops come with some sort of wireless way to connect to the internet?

Question

It doesn't necessarily have to be wireless but does it come with anything that I can connect to an internet signal.Im pretty new to computers and a family member just got me one.I hope theres nothing else that I have to buy to make it work.All help is greatly appriciated!

Answer 1

Most laptops today come with a wireless card included in them. Check the documentation (or web site) and it will tell you. The card is able to pick up a wireless signal. But you also have to have something to transmit that signal. (Kind of like your car comes with a radio, but you can't use it without a station broadcasting the signal).

I assume that you have some kind of high speed (broadband) Internet coming into your house - usually either cable or DSL. You would need to purchase a wireless router. It connects to the cable or DSL box and then broadcast a wireless signal that your laptop can use to connect to the Internet. The signal is good for about 150 feet.

You can also use the wireless card if you go to a "hot spot". Most Starbucks, many restuarants, public libraries, etc are "hot spots". They broadcast a wireless signal that people can use while they are in the building (usually free).

Finally, if you go into the Control Panel of your computer and running the Wireless Wizard, it is possible that you might find someone else who is already broadcasting a signal in your area. If the signal is not password protected, you may be able to "piggyback" on that signal and get to the Internet. However doing that is illegal (it can be treated in a civil court as "theft of services" or a criminal court as "hacking"). So it is not recommended.

Answer 2

yes it does. click 'start'. click 'control panel'. click 'network and internet connections'. click 'network connections'. right click 'wireless network connection'. click 'view available wireless networks'. you should see a list of wireless networks to choose from.