Most people who are on the move invariably use a laptop as it is convenient to carry it around. Imagine how cumbersome it would have been to lug around a personal computer while you are on the go! Also, another feature that people using laptops want without interruption is access to the Internet. This can be done via either conventional wired Internet service or wireless service.

Today, thanks to the advancement that the Internet and its associated services have made, one can easily access Internet through wireless services. There is a wide range of wireless services, right from Wi-Fi to UHF to MMDS that allow consumers to access the World Wide Web with having to resort to wired Internet services. However, with all the benefits, there is a drawback too. A person cannot expect consistent service in every corner of the globe.

Check out your laptop. You will find a switch that is used to turn the wireless access on or off. So, if you want to get access to wireless internet, you would have to ensure that the switch is always on. Then you will be able to use Wi-Fi hotspots to get access.

Alternatively, you can opt for an air card and this will connect you to the internet after you click the OK button. This also uses Wi-Fi to access the internet. If you do not want to use this method, then you can first get standard Ethernet cable or DSL connect at home and then use a wireless modem to connect to the Internet via a router.

So, there are several ways to get wireless Internet connection for your laptop. Explore each type and then select one that best suits your needs.

By: Kum Martin

Are you Abroad? On a Business Trip? Get “Wireless Internet on the Move,” the new 3G international mobile broadband Internet access, added to the global WiFi hotspots, dial-up and Toll Free MobilityPass network allow travelers to connect instantly and safely connect wirelessly everywhere around the world.

Ready to use with any unlocked Mobile Internet phone, i-phone or any laptop, the 3G Mobile Broadband offers a plug and play solution for Pc, Mac or linux that includes an International 3G / UMTS / GPRS / HSPDA / EDGE USB modem Operating at incredibly fast connection speeds of up to 7.2 MB, and the data SIM card to connect users from continent to continent while matching any standard.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could stay in touch and manage your current e-mails securely wherever you are? Maintaining security online is especially imperative when using wireless Internet access. For this reason, the Mobility Pass service insure your privacy and confidentiality with an extra layer of data encryption VPN to secure the unified communication suite that include, Phone call, SMS Text messaging, push e-mails, fax, IM – Instant Messaging, files and emails backup and all other online and remote communications.

With international roaming internet access, travelers experience the ultimate freedom to roam the Internet anytime, anywhere. Not only does the 3G Mobile Internet access connect internationally, there is no contract, monthly fee, setup fee, or maintenance fee, and there is absolutely no billing for service not used, which means that users are able to truly pay as they go. This also allows users to control costs by paying as they go and managing credit available on their account.

Mobility Pass includes in every mobile Internet package privacy and confidentiality of all customer information as well as increased security for access to the mobile Internet. The beauty of the packages is that if the Internet is not used the customer is not billed unlike most of the competition that bills the customer regardless of usage and transfers. This makes it a logical choice for business people around the world. From the United States to Europe and Asia, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, and multiple other locations, A Mobility Pass access is the ideal choice for conveniently and securely connect business travelers.

By: Pierre Olivier

Laptops give you unbelievable portability for all of your computing needs, but as the need for communication grows more each day you need a computer that will keep you in touch. There are many options for portable computing. Laptops now come in many different sizes to match your specific needs. Large or small screens are the biggest factor affecting the size of a laptop. Extra options like media drives and larger batteries will add overall weight to laptops. The current trend for any traveler is to get the smallest computer that will get the job done. Airports have wireless internet access available, so a wireless network or wi-fi card is a good option. Large screens used to be popular but strict travel regulations have caused many people to get smaller screens. This will make the computer easier to deal with at security check points.

Major reasons for the trend in “less is more” with laptop computers, is that they have become simply more of a tool and less of a novelty. Most basic computers are very capable in running any business application and have the necessary options for general use. Basic laptops have also dropped in price dramatically. The options have become the expensive part as competition grows fierce to have the lowest priced computer available. People are now buying computers more frequently with less options because it is more cost effective that buying the newest technology.

Fast processors and large hard drives start out very expensive and quickly become standard features on basic laptops. You can keep more up to date by getting a new laptop every two years instead of getting the newest technology and trying to make it last for 4 years. Anyways, most laptops show a performance loss after about two years if the hard drive is not defragmented and formatted. It may not sound cheaper to buy a computer more often, but it also what you buy. Doing a little shopping around and assessing what you really need in a computer can save you the money that you need to buy one more often.

By: David Stone

Almost all new laptops already come complete with a wireless transmitter and receiver built into the motherboard, or installed in a special port in the casing. If you wish to add wireless to an old laptop, you can quickly and easily upgrade without having to splash out on a brand new machine.

1. Step 1
Check your laptop manual or visit a computer store or web site to find out if your laptop has a compartment for a wireless card. The good news is that this compartment offers you a really easy solution to installing wireless. However, the bad news is that the wireless card is nearly always a ‘proprietary part’ which means that you will have to buy the card from the same company who manufactured your laptop, and pay whatever price they charge for the card. Some manufacturers discourage people installing these cards themselves, and so you may have to end up paying for an engineer to install the card for you.

2. Step 2
Another way to add wireless to an old laptop is by purchasing a plug and play wireless transceiver PC Card. The main problem with this is that your laptop may only have one or two PC Card slots, so obviously you would be limited to how many other cards you could have installed. To overcome this, some companies combine a wireless transceiver with a network interface card (NIC) which gives your laptop access to connect to either a wireless network or a wired Ethernet in one unit. Something else to bear in mind is that the card will probably have a small antenna that protrudes from the side of your laptop. It’s a good idea to remove the card before you put your laptop away after each use to ensure that the antenna does not get damaged during transit or storage.

3. Step 3
A second plug and play solution is to use a USB wireless adapter, which simply plugs into one of the spare USB ports on your laptop. As with PC Cards, they are available from a wide variety of computer and IT stores, which helps to keep competition healthy, and prices relatively low. A USB wireless adapter will also stick out from the side of the computer as well, but is a much more robust solution. Unlike the PC Card antenna, the USB unit will be able to stand the majority of knocks it receives, however it is still advisable that you get into the habit of removing the unit when shutting down your computer after each use.

Conclusion
As you can see it is incredibly easy to turn your old laptop into a wireless laptop. It is also a much cheaper option when compared to the cost of buying a brand new laptop. By adding wireless to an old laptop, not only are you saving yourself money, but you are saving yourself the time of having to back up and transfer all your files and programs to a new machine.

By: Gary Hendricks

With the development of wireless networks this means that no matter where you are as long as you are in contact with a hotspot you can check your emails or surf the net wherever and whenever you want. However although it is a great system it can have its problems also and one of the most common ones faced is a loss of internet connection. In this article, we will go through some of the stages that will help to fix a wireless network connection when it suffers a problem.

In many cases because when you are out and about with your laptop you will not actually have access to the hardware for the network you are connected to. Therefore, the only way you will be able to rectify this connection problem is with your laptop itself. Generally, within a matter of minutes you will be able to get the connection back that you have just loss.

However it is important to remember that when ever you are trying to rectify a fault on your laptop or PC and not just the network connection you do it one step at the time. You also only make one change at the time on it or you could end up in a much more serious position than you are in currently. Also by changing, things one at a time it actually helps you to quickly discover what works and what does not. This you can then note down and use in the future if you need to.

Step 1 – You know that you have the right hardware installed on your PC or laptop in order to connect to the internet but you can not actually work out why it is not connecting. What you need to do is go into the control panel on your PC or laptop and then go into network connections.

Step 2 – Upon doing this you will be shown a window on the screen in front of you, which shows you the possible network connections that are available for your laptop or PC. On this screen, you will see an icon saying wireless network you need to move the cursor over this and right click on your mouse. A list of different options will come up and you need to highlight and then click on properties.

Step 3 – If all seems okay then you need to come out of here and then click on the icon again with the right button of the mouse and this time select repair. What this does is actually severs any connection you may currently have with the network and will then try to re-establish it once more. The connection it makes will either be to the current network you have been using or to one which has much better connectivity.

However when it comes to a person trying to fix wireless network connection if they discover that this does not rectify the situation the only other choice they may initially is to actually reboot their PC or laptop. But you don’t need to shut your machine off completely all you need to do is restart it and hopefully you may find that this is all it takes in order to rectify the problem.

By: Paul Abbey

On black Friday this past year I decided to pick up a new wireless router. The wireless N support was obviously a nice selling point, but the key feature for me was the range booster. I like to work on my laptop in different rooms around the house and some are pretty far from my wireless router. The range booster helps to transmit the signal farther and stronger than a standard router, resulting in a better experience in all rooms of the house or office.

The router I ended up buying was the Cisco/Linksys WRT160N. I’ve owned Linksys routers for years and have always had a good experience with them.

A Linksys router for wireless internet

After a simple and quick install I was up and running wirelessly, or so I thought. After a few minutes my wireless connection started giving me problems. The connection would drop every few minutes and then pick up again a few seconds later. This was annoying and rendered the router completely and utterly useless.

Having your wireless router drop the connection on a regular basis is a fairly common problem. You may encounter this problem after many months or even years of good use out of the router. Of course there is always the possibility that something is faulty with the router itself. There is, however, one important step that may fix the problem and get your router back on track. It worked perfectly in the above-mentioned scenario and has worked for me numerous times in the past.

The first thing you need to do is to check whether you have the latest version of the router firmware! If you don’t, then you should upgrade immediately!

In simple terms, the word firmware denotes the program or software that controls the hardware. The best place to look for the latest firmware is the manufacturer’s site. In this case I went directly to the Linksys website and searched for it. To install the latest firmware you’ll have to log in to your router’s admin control panel (typically done through a web browser) and then to go to the section that allows you to perform the upgrade. After the firmware has been upgraded the router is rebooted and then things are hopefully in good shape. I’m writing this article after hours of uninterrupted wireless internet connectivity.

There is one more important steps that you must take to ensure the most reliable Internet connection: Go to your computer manufacturer’s site and make sure you have the latest drivers for your wireless card. Even after upgrading the firmware, you need to ensure that your device is not partially responsible for the problems. So go ahead and download and install the latest drivers for your computer’s wireless card. This step is just as important as the firmware upgrade so don’t be lazy and ignore it.

Happy surfing…

By: Uri Kerbel

You see them everywhere; laptop computers used by consumers, regardless of their location – on the bus, train, at work and at home. But how did they actually come about? Who had the first idea to take a large personal computer and turn it into a small, compact, transportable device?

The first recorded idea of a laptop computer was penned by William Moggridge in 1979. He designed a computer that was one fifth of the weight of a desk computer, and which was first used by NASA on the space shuttle program. It did not, however, appear anything like the laptops we have today. This was largely due to the fact that smaller versions of the components that are necessary to run a computer had not yet been invented. As such, this first effort for a laptop was not surprisingly bulky, slow and had to be connected to a mains power supply. Nevertheless, you could still use it on your lap.

As the 1980′s progressed, many other designers came up with ideas for portable computers. Manny Fernandez is believed to be the first to promote the term ‘laptop’ for his 1983 Gavilan computer. Furthermore, Adam Osborne was the creator of what is thought to be the first laptop to resemble what we now have today, although it only had a five inch screen and weighed twenty-four pounds.

The term ‘notebook computer’ began being used in association with laptops toward the end of the 1980′s as the designs headed more for a folding book-like appearance. These laptops were still incredibly expensive, however, with many only being able to be afforded by top executives from large companies.

As demand increased for the new portable computers, so did their design and function. Technological advancements and innovations in computer parts led to the ability to further reduce a laptop’s size, therefore making them easier to transport for the daily commute. The newer laptops had improved their battery power, whilst more applications were available that allowed a user to simulate their office access, and environment almost anywhere.

Of course the evolution of the internet has played a large role in the development of the laptop. Wireless internet receivers are now a necessary component of any laptop, especially if you wish to take advantage of the integration of wireless internet into public areas such as cafes and trains – an option that has become very popular in recent times amongst individuals. Programs utilising this wireless technology to create a secure connection with a fixed server in an office have also improved the ability to work remotely.

Laptops are now a coveted commodity. Luckily they are more affordable these days with some great laptop deals [https://www.computacenterexpress.com/connect/primary/vendor/vendor.jsp?PAGE_FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026165&Site=CCDirect] available both online and in retail stores. With a varied range of specifications available, the most difficult decision may be selecting the laptop that best suits one’s needs.

By: Isla Campbell