[wireless network setup] for a displaced New Orleans girl

Some help for a New Orleans girl

I fortunately evacuated with my brand new dell laptop with internal wireless. I was able to steal (loot?) wireless access where I was staying in Florida and also where I am now in Ohio. However, I will be trying to get back to south Louisiana somewhere--they won't let us in to New Orleans yet--and I will need to work from wherever I am by accessing Tulane University's systems when they are back online.

I have never set up wireless and I honestly don't know the first thing about it--providers, equipment. Could someone please give me the ABC's of how it works?

Thanks.

Margot

 

I moved your thread and modified the title a little.

I have a vague idea how this whole thing works (very vague) so I'll also be interested in seeing the responses.

 

There are two types of wireless and I think you mean the LAN 802.11 type.
(The other is broadband WAN wireless and requires a special Wireless WAN broadband modem to access which normally installs as a PCMCIA card or USB to a PC)
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobileoptions/broadband/index.jsp
This is internet access, just like cable modem, DSL, or dialup. You have to pay a provider for access.

I think your internal wireless is standard 802.11
What that means is you have an access point which can connect to a wireless router which sets up a network (a wireless Local area network or LAN) . You connect the router to a DSL or Cable modem to share that internet connection with the members of the LAN which connect to the router via wireless.

Often people who set up a wireless lan , forget to restrict access (protect it with WPA/PK and a good password) and leave on the network SSID broadcast which makes it show up to anyone who has a wireless card in their computer when they get in range.


Range of these wireless routers is normally about a hundred feet , although some cheap models have shorter range and there are premium ones which claim to have up to a mile (provided of course that the access point at the other end has similar power).


So, if you are asking what you need to set this up yourself.
You need broadband internet access (Cable or DSL) and you need a wireless router which connects to the cable/dsl modem and sets up the network you will access using the card in your laptop.

If you are asking how to find other open wireless; well these again fall into two catagories; those who forgot to protect theirs and those who are willing to share it regardless of the cost/ risk.

There are also places like airports and coffee shops which will sell you temporary access for a fee (or give it to you free while you are a customer.)

 

Thank you--that was very clear. To have my own setup, I need to subscribe to a broadband provider wherever I end up and buy the equipment to plug in to their system that will send/accept the signals to and from my computer. Otherwise, I should try to find a locale where a compliant neighbor is already subscribing or go to a central area that already has it available to all.

Thank you very much.

Margot