wireless.....please help

[jpkaplan]

Okay, I know there are several threads to this but none have completely answered my questions.

What exactly can I do with the wireless card?

Where can I access this other than my house?

How much are these other services if I have to subscribe to one?

What do I need to buy for my home to be able to access this?


***Is it worth buying?

[ojleblanc]

I'll start with the basic info I've gathered...

A WiFi card will allow you to access a network wirelessly, whether it is in your home, office, coffee shop.

It seems the best setup is a high-speed internet connection, a wireless router or access point, and a wifi card. The Wireless router or access point communicates with the wifi card. This commucation allows the high-speed internet connection to be shared by multiple devices. For example, if you have a high-speed internet connection on your PC in your home office, you may want to be able to surf the web on a notebook in your living room from time to time, or on your Clie in the kitchen if you wish. You'd be able to do this with the setup I've described.

You could also do this in your office.

Public places like Starbucks have setup networks for folks to access for a fee. I hear that CNN will set up such networks in airports in the next year. You'd need a wifi card to access them. Imagine being able to check email or surf the web during a long layover!

I find all of this exciting, though not necessary. Nevertheless, I did buy a wifi card and am excited to learn more about how this all works. Perhaps someone else here will fill in what I've missed and correct me where I've gone wrong!

[n2ifp]

Wireless basically means freedom or not tethered to an Ethernet cord.

[Token User]

What exactly can I do with the wireless card?
You can do lots of things - scrape ice off a windshield, spread epoxy on a heatsink, and even out a wobbly table leg (though I recommend a NZ90 for that :) )

However, what most of us do is use them in any situation where a wireless ethernet connection (802.11b via a hotspot/wireless access point - not to be confused with GPRS or 1xRTT cellular phone connectivity) is desirable. Once connected you have access to the internet (via NetFront, or an alternate such as WebProV), eMail (via Clie Mail or an alternate such as Eudora or SnapperMail),
IP enabled applicaiton such as HotSync (if you have set up the firewall of your home system to allow tunnelling through), Avantgo, WorldMate, etc.

Where can I access this other than my house?
Any place that an 802.11b connection is available to you. Schools, universities, coffee shops (StarBucks), bookstores (Borders) ... the list is growing. Check out 80211planet.com for a list of possibilities in your local neighbourhood.

How much are these other services if I have to subscribe to one?T-Mobile offer this service for $29.99/month - all you can eat. Other plans available.

What do I need to buy for my home to be able to access this?Go to the wireless forum. Look up routers. This has been hashed to death ad infinitum. Personally, I use a DLink 640+ WirelessRouter /w 4 port 100bT hub. Others just use a straight access point. You can even piggy back off a PC with a wireless card installed if you want to go down that route.


***Is it worth buying?
Hell yeah ... you'll never guess which room in the house I just replied to this message from :D

[jpkaplan]

1.  On the TMobile site it states that for $19.99 you get 5mb transfer a month, is that enough?

2.  On the list of hotpsots on 802.11planet it show other networks at locations other than TMobile, do they all work together?

 

[muybweno]

I was considering the T-mobile plan for interent access through the NX70V. they're charging 19.99 for a 10mb download package in my area, which is somewhat ok....but if you want to know how much a website takes just to load up to your clie...this website is roughly 300KB just to download just because of all them pictures on the top border...takes forever to load on my clie when i'm using netfront and when i'm very close to the wireless terminal at my house.

so 10mb is kinda small for me but then again, you would only be checking your email and instant messaging other people...so i guess in some cases it would be worth it. You may have more frustrations on low battery life than the amount of megs you can download, because my clie can only go for about 1 hour of battery life before i have to recharge it.

hope this helps you out.

[jpkaplan]

who else has good plans?

[Phydeaux III]

I think you're a little confused about the Tmobile plans. The 10Meg plan is intended for a cell phone or PDA through the cell phone NOT for wifi access. The wifi access is called Hotspot and is 29.95 per month for unlimited service. This is the service that is available in Starbucks.