Finding
a Wireless Internet Hot Spot
There are several stores and
restaurants that offer wireless internet access, such
as Starbucks. If you have a particular destination in
mind, you can call the hotels to see if they offer the
service. There are also hot spot directories that you
can search to find wireless internet access.
Wireless
internet - WiFi Standards
802.11 is the Wi-Fi standard,
however there are other standards which are variations
of the 802.11. These include:
- 802.11a
- 802.11b
- 802.11g
- 802.11i.
The differences among these
standards includes speed, transmission frequency, and
price. 802.11g is backwards compatible with previous products,
but that is not the case with 802.11a. Make sure you check
on compatibility issues prior to purchasing products.
Wireless
Internet and Dial up
It is possible to share a
wireless internet connection with dial up, but it is not
a very good idea. Some access points, such as the airport
extreme base station from Apple, will allow this. However,
there is some slow down time with sharing a wireless internet
connection, and if you decide to share a dial up connection,
you won't be surfing anything fast.
Finding
a Wireless Internet Hot Spot in a Chain
If you are traveling and know
that you will be stopping at Starbucks, for example, and
want to access the internet, you can check out their website
to see what specific franchises offer wireless internet
access.
Paying for
Wireless Internet Access
Most likely, you will need
to pay for the high speed wireless internet access when
you travel. Starbucks for example uses T-mobile as their
wireless internet provider. You will need to have a t-mobile
account in order to access wi-fi at Starbucks. There are
some restaurants that may advertise free Wi-Fi, but in
general, you should expect to pay a fee.
Nationwide
Wireless Internet Service
There are a plethora of national
wireless high speed internet services available. AT&T,
Sprint PCS, T-mobile, and Verizon are a few which offer
nationwide service. You will want to check out various
pricing, roaming policies and fees for the various networks.
Mixing Apples
and PC's to Share Wireless Internet Connection
You can mix apple and PC on
a wireless network and share a wireless internet access.
For example, Apple makes an access point called the AirPort
Extreme Base station. Even though it is made by Apple,
it still uses the Wi-Fi standard, and PC computers with
a wireless adapter on the network will be able to share
the wireless internet connection
Mixing Wireless
Internet and Wired Internet
You can easily share a wireless
internet access while still maintaining a wired network.
There are many wireless routers on the market which offer
both wired and wireless network capabilities. It is also
possible to add on an access point after a wired router
for wireless access.
Configuring Wireless Access
Point to Share Wireless Internet Connection
Once you install the drivers
on your computer for the access point, you will be able
to open up the configuration software that comes with
the router. The IP address 192.168.0.0 is the lowest in
the network and should be dedicated to the router. Make
sure to follow the specific configuration instructions
that come with your wireless router, as each product will
be slightly different from one another.
Wireless
Internet Equipment
The beauty of the WI-FI is
that it set a standard for wireless networking. Because
of this, you do not need to have equipment from all the
same venders in order to run a successful wireless network.
You will be able to share wireless internet access as
well without having equipment from all the same venders.
Configuring
Wireless Internet Card
You will need to use the configuration
software that comes with your network card to configure
your computer to work at various hot spots. Simply type
in the hotspot network name (various depending on the
service you are using) and state the type of network,
such as access point. You can also scan available wireless
broadband internet access in the area and choose which
network you wish to connect with.
Wireless
Internet WIFI
WI-FI, the 802.11 standard,
is important for a variety of reasons. Having a standard
in the industry ensures that anyone using wi-fi will be
using the same standard, therefore equipment and connections
are interchangeable. Having a set standard makes setting
up wireless networks, sharing wireless internet access
and working with wireless equipment more users friendly.
