I have a Toshiba Satellite, and I don't know if I need to have a wireless internet card or not. And if I do where can I get one? Sometimes I can get wireless, but other times when it says I have strong signal, I can't get it to work. Please help me!
2007-11-15 07:53:45 · 6 answers · asked by Andrea V 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Computer Networking
read your manual. it will have if you laptop is equipped with the needed hardware for a WiFi Lan connection.
If it already says you have a strong wifi signal then i would tend to believe on that statement that you have the hardware for wifi installed, and if you can not connect to the source, it is probably a secured network. there is a wifi wizard on xp, use it to attempt to connect, it will tell you if a key is needed to access the net that you are attempting to get into.
2007-11-15 08:01:09 · answer #1 · answered by mhp_wizo_93_418 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are three main different types of wireless.
Wifi - a.k.a. 802.11(b, g, or n). Odds are 802.11G is the type of wireless supported on your laptop. Wifi is what you find in restaurant hotspots.
Broadband wireless - this is sold by Verizon Wireless, AT&T (cingular), Sprint etc... You would have a special card for this and you would need an account with the broadband carrier. You won't just randomly pick up a broadband wireless signal. It works like a cell phone.
WiMax. WiMax is long range broadband wireless, not generally available in the US. WiMax will eventually be used to replace DSL or cable Internet connections.
If your getting any wireless signal, then you don't need a wireless card. Where is this wireless signal coming from, your house, school, hotspot....? If your house, do you have a wireless router/access point or are you picking this up from one of your neighbors? Do you have your own Internet service account?
2007-11-15 08:06:39 · answer #2 · answered by Fester Frump 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You already have a wireless internet card that comes built in to your laptop. If has worked in the past doesn't mean its gone bad.
Often times with a strong signal or not, there could be DNS issues just not allowing you to get on the internet. You maybe able to connect to a router or AP, but you won't get internet unless your DNS resolves. Just restart your computer and that is the easiest way for non technical people. You could also try moving closer to the Wireless access point/router if your signal is low.
I hope this helps, good luck
2007-11-15 08:01:07 · answer #3 · answered by mountainlvr65 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. I'm using a 3G/HSDPA wireless broadband USB modem on the South African Vodacom network (cell phone technology). It is a Vodafone modem and is equivalent to an internet card. The 3G network has area limits, but the modem can also work on the GPRS network. GPRS should always be available when you have cell reception in any area.
You might have a problem with the card itself or with the software that runs it and not with the network signal. I found that my software that operates the modem sometime lock up preventing me from connecting. This happened twice in the last month. In such cases I just close the software and reopen it a bit later.
Contact your Internet Service Provider. They will be able to assist you better.
2007-11-15 08:14:44 · answer #4 · answered by The Desert Bird 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you dont have a wireless Card, try circuit city, their pretty decent with prices. But if you do, try getting into your network connections located in your control pannel. And find the wireless network! Open it and search any local connections. goodluck
2007-11-15 08:02:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the connection maybe strong but it can still be blocked, try remember which ones you do connect to and make that your preference. Or check hotspot.com or freewireless.com for a list near you.
2007-11-15 08:00:25 · answer #6 · answered by razual2003 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋