Wireless Internet: Travel with laptop and "free" wireless internet at hotels
Travel with laptop and "free" wireless internet at hotels
by cahall5050 - 10/28/05 7:30 AMI am seriously considering a new job where I will be required to have a laptop top computer (not furnished by the company) There will also be a lot of travel involved. What will I need for the "free" wireless internet that most hotels and motels offer these days? Do I have to have particular things installed on my computer? How would I connect to the wireless services? I may be a newbie to this, but don't want to look like one! Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.
Laptop
by wheelzntoys - 10/30/05 8:53 PM In reply to: Travel with laptop and "free" wireless internet at hotels by cahall5050Most new laptops have wireless cards, that is all you need.
They usually give you a password and your laptop automatically recognizes the hotel wireless signal.
What password???
by kaleon - 12/19/05 1:41 AM In reply to: Laptop by wheelzntoysi have a wireless card but no password 
You need...
by engineer331 - 10/30/05 9:21 PM In reply to: Travel with laptop and "free" wireless internet at hotels by cahall5050In order to connect to the wireless internet at hotels and such, you will need a Wi-Fi card. Many laptops have one built in, but external ones are available as well. There is a dizzying array of different formats, but it is actually quite simple. All Wi-Fi cards follow a specification called 802.11, followed by some letter, A, B, G, or N. A is very uncommon. B is very common. G is faster than (but backwards compatible with) B. N is new and even faster, but is also backwards compatible to G and B. So, if it says it’s a B, G, or N, you’re good to go.
It is very important to realize that these public wireless connections are very insecure. Anyone within range of the hotspot can, using easy to use tools freely available on the internet, intercept your data. In order to prevent this, your company will give you a VPN client, which will enable you to securely access the company’s network. Basically, all of your computer’s web traffic is sent securely to your company’s network, and from there it is sent out over the Internet. If they do not provide such a thing, you will need to sign up for a proxying service. They are inexpensive and will keep your data safe. For more information, you can listen to Security Now: Episode 10, which (after summing up last weeks episode) talks about wireless network security.
Good luck on your job decision.
hotels
by teknogeek - 12/17/05 7:11 PM In reply to: You need... by engineer331i take it you are working in the states - in europe and asia (if u are travelling internationally) most of the hotels charge a premium for internet access....
WiFi in a hotel
by brazierdv - 9/29/06 3:35 PM In reply to: You need... by engineer331I have a Dell Inspiron 8200. The manual tells me that the comptuer is not compatible with PC cards but is with express cards. Is a wireless express card what I need if I want to use WiFi in a hotel?
Thanks.
Don.
WiFi in a hotel
by brazierdv - 9/29/06 4:05 PM In reply to: WiFi in a hotel by brazierdvMy error. It does use a PC card.
"Free" hotel internet
by dallas2000 - 1/3/06 7:43 AM In reply to: Travel with laptop and "free" wireless internet at hotels by cahall5050Check with the hotel before making reservations. Some provide free internet access and some ask for an hourly rate. However, the free are easy to find. (i.e. Travel Lodge=free...Red Roof Inn=$6.00/hr) All are very insecure. Install a firewall on your laptop before using any public wi-fi hot spot.
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