My mom’s thinking about a Kindle.
I have a linksys wi-fi router on my network and also one at her house.
Both use wi-fi wpa personal security. I think that’s also called PSK.
How hard is it to set up the Kindle? I know manually entering the 22 character Encryption Key manually will be a PITA.
Will the Kindle save both network setups for my house and moms?
How does it work for free wi-fi at Barnes Noble and other hot spots? Does the kindle automatically grab whatever connection is available?
If no wi-fi is available at all. Can you plug in a cat5 cable directly?
Can you still read books saved on the kindle without any internet connection at all?
Yes, it works with that linksys router using a passkey or not. It’ll find the network and then you enter the key at the setup screen.
Setup is easy. It hunts for wireless networks, then you enter the passkey once. If you visit a place like McDonalds, it will find their wireless network.
If you go to a relative’s house, where there is a secure connection, and they give you the passkey, enter it at the setup screen. When you head back to your relative’s house, you don’t need to re-enter it.
Without getting too technical, once you enter the encryption key, the router will recognize the Kindle afterwards and allow you to connect without having to re-enter the key. Or, you may be able to add it to your router’s access list by entering it’s MAC address. It’s not too tough though.
There is NO ethernet connection on the Kindle. The WiFi connection is really just to allow you to download books directly onto the Kindle without having to download them to a computer first, and then sync it to the Kindle.
Yes, you can store books on the Kindle and read them without a WiFi connection. Think of the Kindle as an iPod (or a storage drive), but for books only. Once you put a book on there, it’s on there for good unless you remove it.
The mumbo-jumbo is pretty much saying that it will only allow you to connect directly to an access point (your router), and not an ad hoc network (someone connecting to a wireless network, and then you’re connecting to THEM instead of the access point directly).
Don’t worry about the 802.1x authentication method verbiage. Your router will work just fine.
Moms going to get the 3G+Wi-fi Kindle That way she can connect through the free cell phone connection or wi-fi. At home, I’ll get her setup using wi-fi. She can use the cell phone 3g connection wen she travels.
I may get one to. Then we can lend books back and forth. I’m glad Amazon started allowing this.
AFAIK, only selected books are available for loan. Of my Kindle books that could be characterized as “bestsellers,” only one is lendable. There are forums out there on ways to work around the lending issue. My daughter and I have overlapping reading tastes and are working to find the best way to easily share Kindle books. Any ideas from Kindle Dopers on what might be most efficient? Right now, we’re thinking it might be to share the same Amazon account.
From what I understand registering users to your account and sharing books that way is less limiting than the “Lending” feature. I believe you can share any book in the account for any length of time.
Lending is only the books that allow it, and then only once per book, for a two week time period.
