Wireless Laptop

When I first heard about laptops with built-in wi-fi, I was perplexed, but intrigued. I did not know much about wireless technology; and I am still not an expert. I wanted to hold off on buy a laptop until I felt I had at least a basic understanding of what everyone was raving about.

I did research, read up on the subject matter, and listened to media experts. What I learned was that most laptops, if not all, come with built-in wi-fi capability. All you would need were a few 'hook-up' devices to make it work. (This turned out to be both true and untrue).

It turns out that you would need some of these devices for certain additional functions or expanded capabilities, but not for basic web access.

One such true/untrue-ism is that you need a router. This is true if you have broadband or DSL wireless service through the telephone or cable company at your home, and want to be able to use your laptop in any room of your house. You would need a router to pick up the signal in various locations of your home. But it is untrue if you do not have wireless computer service at home, yet you want to use your laptop when you go out, and are at public locations that provide free wi-fi connection. In this case, you do not need a router.

I had to learn this with some difficulty. It turned out not to be so bad, because I discovered the misunderstanding quickly, and was able to return the router to the place of purchase within the same week that I bought it. It went something like this...

I purchased my new laptop. The question then was what else did I need when I went to a free wi-fi location to get internet connection? From reading and listening to experts, I thought I had gleaned the answer to that one basic question, but the fact is that I had not gleaned it, or had misunderstood enough to believe that I needed a router.

When I went to purchase the router, with help from the in-store personnel, I found out what a router looked-like, and which router would work with my laptop. I bought it for what seemed a reasonable enough price.

In less than a week, I went to a free wi-fi location, and with a few questions and help from a laptop user that happened to be there, I was able to connect to the wi-fi available at that location, and, shockingly, I learned that I did not need a router for wi-fi connectivity and web access.

If you simply want to access the world-wide-web on your laptop while you are on the go, on the road, you do not need a router. You only need a router under certain circumstances, as mentioned above.

I was surprised and somewhat taken aback, but relieved at the probability of being able to get my money back for the router device that I did not need, at least for the time being. I also concluded that I had either not done enough research, or that nothing that I read or heard had really addressed my basic question, or given me the answer to the simple question of "Do I need a router?"

I declared then, that I would write about it. If I had trouble trying to glean just the bit of information, and "yes" or "no" answers that I needed from the forest of information about wireless laptop web connectivity, others might have the same questions.

There are, however, two very basic accessories that you might wish to have to go with your new laptop. A computer mouse, and a mouse pad. Trying to scroll around the screen and various pages with the scroll bar on the laptop, quickly tired me out. It is not very ergonomically comfortable for the hand.

When purchasing the mouse for your new laptop, get the mouse with a flat (not rounded) cable connection. Plug the mouse into one of the USB ports on the right side of your laptop. Don't forget to purchase the mouse pad to make using your mouse easy.

When you get to the free wi-fi location, after turning your computer on and you are at the desktop screen, go to the toolbar at the bottom of your screen, in the right-side corner, click on the icon that looks like a stairway. If you cannot identify this icon by looking at it, put your mouse over each icon until you see the one that says, "internet access" or "connectivity". Choose the option that is most relevant to where you are located, or ask the personnel in that location, what is the name of their wi-fi service provider.