Wireless Internet

[Charlietp]

How does Wireless Internet work? I am going to France and staying in a gite. The owners of the main house have broadband. Can I use my laptop to hook up to their internet connection using wireless internet?

[fo3nix]

I don't know the infrastructure in France (I'm sure someone else here has a much better idea of it though), but I'd assume it's very similar to the UK.

1) the broadband with come through either phone line or special line (like cable here), to a broadband modem. This then typically connects with an ethernet cable (like a chunky phone cable, with similar endings), to your computer.

In which case your should just be able to connect it up and have your computer work.

A small complication is that often here the modem gives you a USB connection and not an ethernet one. With this you may very well need some driver or software to install that the ISP usually sends with the modem.

2) wireless internet requires a router. Instead of connecting modem to computer like in (1), you connect it to the router. This then intelligently splits it up so a few computers can connect at the same time, as well as sending the connection as a wireless signal. If you want wireless internet, then you'll need a wireless router.

I may be entirely wrong though, if the infrastructure is different.

[Ethel]

Do you know they have wireless broadband?

If they do, they may allow you to connect and give you the password to enable you to do so.

You would probably have to sit outside their front door to do so, though!

[sarnieken]

The wireless transmission standards are either v similar or identical in most of the European countries so any kit you have in the UK will work in France.
The only way they differ is that industrial applications of wireless equipment require special permission.

To connect, you will need their wireless network details. This will include their SSID (Name of the network) their encryption type and any keys / transmission numbers they use. This is a string of characters at least 5 characters long and acts as a password to connect you to their wireless

Hope this helps,
K