Laptop Connection

[Chala]

My question is this and it may be a dumb one, but does a laptop need a router for a wireless connection to the internet, or can it pick a connection out of thin air? Sorry i am newbie thanks.

[Halo]

Hi

Yes you will need access to a wireless router if your wanting to do this at home for personal use,

However your question of out of fresh air is also right as yes you could, BUT you would have to be close to a wireless routers signal and also have access to that signal as many routers have wireless encryption setup, the ones that dont, well you enter a grey area of legality and connecting to someone elses wireless internet connection.

There are whats called hotspots in some citys around the world in cafes, libraries, universities etc, some are free and some are not.

[Chala]

Halo, what do you mean by " some are free and some are not"?

[Halo]

In some cafe's and hotspots they will charge you to connect to their service, then issue you with a password, in some areas you may find free services, I know some citys in the USA and UK are trialing free city center wireless broadband for free.

If you are student then generally most Uni's have wireless hotspots and you will just use your Uni account to logon to those.


In your Connect to Wirless network box you will or may have listing of wireless connections in your immidiate area listed, they wil be named and with a status as to wether they are "unprotected" you can connect to these, but as I mentioned its a grey area to use someone elses internet connection as some who have connected have been procecuted for stealing! then you will see Protected network WPA or WEP etc these ones are secure connections in which you need a password to connect to.

[Chala]

thanks Halo :-)