Expert: Scottgem Date: 6/26/2008 Subject: wireless internet connections
Question Hello! I'm really not completely computer illiterate, just a little confused. I am moving to Mexico in a month and am taking my laptop and I need to figure out the best way to get high speed Internet (I will be in a large, modern city where I will have access to broadband, high speed, whatever). I bought a router and a wireless card when I bought my computer but never could get the router to work and i dropped my computer and snapped the card in half so that's no good anymore. What is the difference between a wireless card and a wireless network adapter? Do I need a router? I never even used the one I bought. What is the easiest, least expensive thing I can buy so that I can access the Internet in Mexico and do you have any specific recommendations on brand, etc.? I mean, I know nothing about this stuff and don't even know where to begin when purchasing something like this.
Thanks!
Answer I'm not really sure what you will have in the way of broadband in Mexico. But assuming they provide the same Ethernet and 802.11 protocols we have in the US, then you need a wireless network interface card in the laptop. Wireless NICs come in both USB and PC card models. The card models fit into a slot in your laptop, the USB models attach to a USB port. The next thing you need is a wireless access point. Most WAPs come as part of a wireless router. The broadband modem connects to the router which then provides wired and wireless connections to the PCs you want to connect to.
