Dial-up Internet

Does anyone know if there is a software that will automatically detect the dial-up connection number you need when you are travelling with a laptop,

I'm from Montreal and my internet provider is Videotron but I have to call them prior to travelling or when I'm there to get a connection number which is another long distance call.

Thanks

 

TonyT,

Where do I get the web address of ISP? I did a search on the net and nothing by that name came up.

Does it also cover the U.S. or just Canada?

Thanks

 

Anne--Do you know the name of your ISP? (It usually is part of your email address like anne@ISP.com ) Run a search at www.google.com and you should find the URL of its internet site.
Or can you phone the ISP (number on your monthly bill)? Usually those sites will have a button to find if there is a local access number in the location of interest.
If you cannot find the website, what is the name of your ISP?
There is also a possiblity the ISP will be in this group
http://www.freedomlist.com/

 

I do have the ISP for my internet provider and I know the numbers that I need to access cities in Canada but they don't support the United States so what happens when I travel to the states and would like to access the internet?

I am new to travelling with a laptop and would like to know how it works. How do I log on? Is there a free software that automatically detects the closest number to connect to? Someone told me there is but could not remember the name. Is there?

Any help you can give me would be appreciated. I don't travel that much but would like to be prepared and know what I need to do in advance.

Thanks.

 

Anne--Are you saying that your ISP only offers access numbers in Canada? If so, and you are planning a trip to the US, you either will have to pay for a long distance connection to Canada, or you could try an AOL, PeoplePC, etc. "free 30/45 day trial ". They have local access numbers all over the US. You can pick up the free installation CD's at many stores. Or you can sign up online. Just be sure to cancel before the "free trial" expires.
P.S. In the US the closeness of the access number's location has nothing to do with the cost of the connection. A local connection is usually free (unless the hotel charges--certainly free at someone's home), a long distance connection is usually all one price regardless of distance as long as you are dialing the US or Canada. You can also buy telephone cards to lower the price of the connection, but I am not sure how that works with computers.
P.P.S. And once you set up the PC (probably through "Create a new DialUp Connection) to access an ISP's local number (or long distance if necessary), you should be able to use it just as if you were at home.
P.P.P.S. Many hotels and other locations offer free wireless internet connections, if your laptop is set up to use that.

 

Welshjim,

Thank you for your response - I will try the PeoplePC by doing a search on Google. My laptop is also set up for wireless but unfortunately the last few places I have had to stay at did not offer it so I've had to use dial-up and my success rate so far has not been good because I'm always having a problem finding these dial-up numbers.

Anyway thanks for your reply and I will try that and see what happens.

Have a great day!

 

Anne--Your are welcome. Have a good visit.

 

The wired connection is for a dial-up or for the high speed??

I'm assuming that hotels that offer high speed don't require anything other than plug and instant connection to internet - am I correct or do I have to do something else to connect?

Thanks.

 

TonyT,

Thanks for your help. It obviously seems easier with a wireless connection but not all hotels have that yet. So for now I will do as you suggest and just search before I go and if need be at least I'll know what dial-up numbers I will need also. I'm also going to look for a company that can supply me with "pay-as-you-need" service since I don't need an ISP service monthly if I only need their access numbers 4 times a year.

Again thanks for putting me on the right track.

 

TonyT,

That's exactly the kind of guidance I need - it's good to know what to do and not do when you've never done it before.

Thanks again and I will do as you suggest and keep away from those providers. At the moment I am looking into PeoplePC - it sounds good but need to contact them to see if they can provide "pay-as-I-need" service.

Thanks.

Anne

 

TonyT--Please educate me. If the hotel has wired or wireless connection to the internet, does that mean they also supply the ISP? Or does Anne have to have an account with an ISP?

 

Jim - This is pretty similar to the hotels I've used that offer internet service via the hotel rather than only allowing you to use a phone line to dial your ISP.