Am I getting the right picture if the picture I’m getting is that it will cost me about sixty bucks a month to have constant unfettered access to the internet using my laptop? (I.e. not having to look for a “hot spot” of some kind.)
-FrL-
Erm…is this “picture” coming from your cell phone provider or somewhere else?
I can’t imagine that there is an across-the-board price for how much Internet-via-cell-phone costs.
As per the OP, I’m not talking about internet access on my cell phone, I’m talking about access on my laptop.
I have free wireless access through my university. However, it appears I am going to be moving away from my university for about a year. My free access through the university requires me to be physically on campus–which will be impossible if I move away.
So I’m trying to find out how much it would cost me to set things up such that I can continue to use my laptop to go online wirelessly, even though I’ll no longer be able to be at my campus. Of course there are plenty of places with wireless access for a fee–“hotspots”–but I was hoping to be able to go online from my workspace. (My workspace is not going to have a DSL jack in it, just to head off that suggestion.)
At the time I wrote the OP, I thought that things like AT&T’s “laptop connect” card would let me go online from anywhere, but on reading more closely, I think maybe this kind of card only works from particular locations. Is there a such thing as a device to plug into a laptop that allows internet access from anywhere?
-FRL-
Yeah, you generally get that product/service from a cell phone provider, like AT&T or Verizon or T-Mobile. What makes you think AT&T’s service only works from certain locations? From what I’ve been told (by friends who use their cell phone provider’s wifi service - I don’t have one myself), the service works anywhere you have cell phone reception.
There are two kinds of laptop coverage.
On one hand, the kind where you get a 3G card which lets you call through a cellphone provider. Expensive as all get-go and don’t even think of using it for anything requiring more speed than Facebook or email (and if you’re used to a fast connection, bring your knitting to do while stuff loads). Coverage is as good as your provider’s, which depending on country and provider can go from “100% of the country” to “only works in big cities.” Since you don’t list your location and I don’t remember where you live, I don’t know what kind of rates are offered there. Coverage for the 3G net may not be as large as coverage for cellphone service with the same provider (I know it wasn’t for Vodafone in France and Spain when I started seeing the ads).
On the other, the kind where your regular wi-fi card, the same one that connects to your wi-fi router at home or at work, can connect to other local nets (hotspots). Cost and quality for these varies with “who set up the hotspot,” you get both free ones that chew gum, take names and are oops out of gum and ridiculously expensive ones (I’m talking charging for one hour what your home provider charges for a whole month) which move like the hamsters are stoned duuuuuude.
Also, what’s this “workspace” you’re talking about? Is it in your home or somewhere where you could hook up a wireless router to the existing broadband connection and connect your laptop to that? Just because you don’t have a DSL jack next to your desk doesn’t mean you don’t have the ability to have an Internet connection. That is, unless you don’t have the ability to add a router.
Also, I’m pretty sure most “hotspots” do not charge a fee. They’re set up by businesses to bring in business not to make money. Not that that helps you have internet access in your “workspace” but I wanted to clarify that point nonetheless.
Nope. They charge a fee. There are many businesses that have wi-fi access, but the ones that have service provided by some paid hotspot provider (iPass, Boingo, Tmobile Hot Spot, etc) are far more frequent.
FWIW, indie coffee shops and public libraries are usually good bets for free wifi. In a pinch, lifestyle centers, mid-end chain hotels, IHOP and First Watch also usually offer free wifi.
I am dealing with something similar to the OP. I will shortly be receiving a wifi enabled laptop in the mail from my new employer. I had hoped to be able to work anywhere in my house, not just at the location of my cable internet and main home computer. Is it just a matter of buying a router and hooking my cable internet to the router? And the laptop will “find” the router?
Well, you have to put the Cd into the laptop at some point, but basically yes 
It’s just like any other plug’n’play periferic, but unplugged. Your cable provider will have routers available, depending on how much of a techie you are it’s the easiest option.
Another point to bear in mind is that the unlimited cellphone/3g deals are typically even less “unlimited” than ADSL/cable connections - they will usually have a cap of a few gigabytes/month of download, above which the costs rocket.
And just to clarify in case anyone else makes the same mistake as a certain high-powered lawyer person - no, a 3G card will not power your laptop from the internet, so you do still need to take your power brick with you on business trips 
Hugh Jass - something like this or any decent-quality competitor product should sort you out quickly and easily.
I have a wireless account with Verizon and have a card that cost me about $60. I pay $59 a month for unlimited Internet access using the card. It uses a PCMCIA slot but there are also Express and USB cards available. The coverage area is the same as for my phone and has been very reliable. It is not quite as fast as other broadband connections but is certainly fast enough for anything except very large downloads (<100MB).
It can be that simple if you don’t mind the possibility of neighbors or passers-by leeching the bandwidth you are paying for, and possibly gaining access to your computer files.
If you take the additonal step of reading and understanding the manual, and implimenting the security features built into the router (but turned off by default) then you can have a wireless connection with enough security that it will be far easier to find someone who didn’t take those precautions than to crack your security.
Good info. Thank you.
I sell these units and the service at my computer shop, so far they are pretty damn good. My guys carry them to provide internet access when they need it onsite at a location without internet. Verizon also recently cut the overage charges to like $0.25/mb compared to $1.00-$1.99 elsewhere.
As little as it sounds 5GB is alot of bandwidth when playing World of warcraft only averages 7MB/hr.
As a note, what you need technically are three things:
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A router. This tags the right data for the right computer.
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A modem. This converts the signals from the DSL signal or cable signal into data that can be read by your computer’s card (external or internal, whichever).
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A gateway. This is the radio that sends and receives the wireless signals.
If you are signing up for a service, make sure that all three things are included in the box they’re sending. If the Help Desk person doesn’t seem to know exactly what you’re talking about, insist on talking to someone else until you find someone who can confidently assure you that you’re getting all three. If you don’t get all three from them, you’ll have to start buying and plugging things together, and that can turn into kind of a nightmare.