# Wireless internet and my laptop **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-internet-and-my-laptop/158917 "2003-03-04T02:51:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-internet-and-my-laptop/158917/1 "2003-03-04T02:51:31Z")
I have a laptop with a wireless card in it. It helps a lot here at school because that way I am connected to the interenet anywhere I go within 100 yards of campus, but once I’m gone is the card useless? Are there any interenet servers that support wireless (forgive my ignorance, I don’t that much of the technical aspects of computers)? If not, how would I go about getting some sort of wireless interenet? Do providers offer any high-speed cell-phone based internet connections that I could use anywhere? Are they expensive? I would really appreciate the help. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-internet-and-my-laptop/158917/2 "2003-03-04T03:01:08Z")
There are places (coffeeshops and the like) that offer wireless internet to their customers. Also, you can buy a wireless router to connect your own high-speed internet connection to the laptop. -lv ---
**Author:** ![viking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@viking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/viking)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-internet-and-my-laptop/158917/3 "2003-03-04T03:51:16Z")
Right. the wireless card is only useful within about 100yards or so of a `base station' or `wireless access point’ (WAP). They’ve put a bunch of waps covering your campus. Some airports have 'em. So do many coffe shops, etc. And you can buy one for about $200, maybe even less recently. The WAP, though has to be connected to something wired, like a dsl or cable modem. The other idea, a high-speed cell-phone based deal, I have not heard of. Of course, you could hook the modem up to a cell phone (it doesn’t care whether the phone is a land-line or a cell), but you’d pay through the nose in minute fees (both cell air time and dial-up connection time), and you’d only get 56k, which sucks. There may be some other deal with the digital PCS type services but I haven’t looked into that. ---
**Author:** ![Zon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/838e76/32.png) [@Zon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zon)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-internet-and-my-laptop/158917/4 "2003-03-04T04:18:05Z")
Unlimited Sprint PCS wireless is about $100/month. I think the speed is about 128kbps. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-internet-and-my-laptop/158917/5 "2003-03-04T04:48:08Z")
Your school probably has a 802.11b network. The access point you would need are down to $50 or so (after rebates) nowadays. Isn’t progress wonderful? You still have to get internet connectivity somehow - DSL or cable modem preferred of course.