wireless internet

[mazzywoo]

Right! Consider me an absolute novice where computers are concerned, but just how do you get/connect to wireless internet please? We have an Advent laptop and it has a button for wireless but the instructions are so complicated that I would need to have a degree in I.T. to figure it out. Do we need any software or downloads to get started for instance? I would be grateful to you knowlegable people for any advice!
Thanks, Maz

[Ethel]

What hardware do you have?

You need a wireless router, correctly configured, before you can access the internet wirelessly at home.

If you do have a router - make and model, please.

[vehelpfulguy]

Do you have access to the internet via broadband already ?

If so then the wire comes into your house into a modem, then a wire goes from the modem to your laptop.

That is called WIRED internet.

To make this wireless you need to buy a piece of hardware called a ROUTER, in fact a WIRELESS ROUTER.

You then take the wire that currently come OUT the modem and goes into your laptop, and you plug that into your router.

The router then sends a wireless signal OUT that is then picked up by your laptop.

So the path is PHONE LINE to MODEM to ROUTER then wirelessly to your LAPTOP.

You should not need to install or buy any extra software if you are running Windows XP to use wireless as it is built in.

I would contact your ISP (if you have one) and ask if they have a wireless router, they will also probably have a setup CD that will set everything up for you.

[vehelpfulguy]

Microsoft have some good introductory articles about networking and wireless. There is a whole list here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/netwo rking/getstarted/default.mspx

[mazzywoo]

Thanks Ethel and Vhelpfulguy. We will contact our ISP to see if they do a router. Your answers were very helpful-thanks :)

[Ethel]

You can buy a router from the High Street, such as Comet, Curry's, PCWorld...

Or from the internet.

Some ISPs provide them free. Do not buy one from the ISP until you have researched the prices elsewhere.