stumpy Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 Hi, I'm a bit lost with WiFi for laptops and as I'm thinking of replacing mine I could do with knowing a bit more Does 'wireless LAN' mean that a laptop is WiFi compatable? How common are hotspots in the UK and how are they charged? Do you need an existing ISP or does the hotspot operator somehow charge you? Any pointers gratefully received! Cheers, SD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomc12 Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 Generally wireless LAN and WiFi are the same thing especially since they have set standards here in the US for interoperability. If your laptop is 802.11b enabled, you will just have to buy a PC card for wireless transmission (about $50). I don't know about the UK-in the states, if you have a broadband connection to begin with, that ISP may offer you free wireless connection. If you don't have broadband, then can access it temporarily through various companies. Location of hotspots varies, but have to be within 300 feet. If you have a broadband connection at home, just need a wireless PC card and a router ($100-$200) to access it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 Newer laptops are in the process of switching over to 802.11a which is 5 times faster and still compatible with the 5 year old 802.11b standard. One may think 802.11b's 11mbps is plenty, but my experience is you only approach this speed under "ideal" conditions where both pieces of hardware are in line of sight, close proximity, and low electrical noise. In real world usage, my experience is the speed is often only a tenth of that or lower. It's also good to get a laptop with imbedded WiFi because the antenna is inside the monitor giving it better range and doesn't create an appendage like PC Cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 So where does 802.11g fit in? Thought it was faster than "a", compatible w/"B", but has less range?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 I guess you are mixing up the "a" with the "g" Standard. Both have a nominal Speed of 55 instead of the 11 of the "b" Standard, but only the g is compatible with the b. So at the Moment the best choice would be to buy a g Card or make sure the Laptop is g enabled. The a Standard has the same Speed but is * not compatible, so you can't connect at public Spots, and also has less range than b / g. Hope this helps! Sunny 5 Days to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 What I am seeing are chip sets and IBM thinkpads for instance with both "a" & "b" together. It wouldn't be practical to have "a" alone because it wouldn't be compatible with much. I took a look at Dell and they offer "802.11b/g3"! :: WTF is the "3" part??? Kind of ridiculous acronym and confusing roadmap to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumpy Posted November 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2003 Thanks guys, b/g setup looks to be the way to go. Dell's bluetooth wireless setup seems to adopt this standard. BTW, anyone using a laptop as their main machine? Would be interested in hearing how this works out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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