Wireless Internet help

[Kim]

Aite guys, I'm going to hong kong next month and I need some info on how I can have access to a wireless internet card for my laptop. I'm currently using a wireless router card, but that has limited functionality. I was wondering if any of you know any good brands and good prices for wireless internet cards so that when I stick it in my laptop on the plane, I'm good to go. Also, I want to know how the billing works for it, like do I have to pay extra to my ISP or is it just another connection to my current ISP.

My ISP is Shaw Cable atm.

[Jerome Scuggs]

Linksys.

[Creature]

Buy a Netgear 802.11b (or 802.11g) depending on how much money you got. One of those routers MIGHT come with a wireless USB card. Stick it into your laptop, plug your ethernet cord from the cable box (one Shaw Cable gave to you when you first got it probably) to the ehternet port that functions as a splitter (it's usually the one seperated from the rest), boot up your laptop, it'll say wireless network found and you connect and everything should be fine. :-)

[Fallen Angel]

Aite guys, I'm going to hong kong next month and I need some info on how I can have access to a wireless internet card for my laptop. I'm currently using a wireless router card, but that has limited functionality. I was wondering if any of you know any good brands and good prices for wireless internet cards so that when I stick it in my laptop on the plane, I'm good to go. Also, I want to know how the billing works for it, like do I have to pay extra to my ISP or is it just another connection to my current ISP.

My ISP is Shaw Cable atm.

A wireless internet connection on a plane?
That's not going to work using WiFi or BlueTooth.
You'd need to be in close proximity to an access point which you won't be.
One option would be to use a cellphone as a modem, but that's very slow and incredibly expensive. Plus, I don't believe they allow you to take a cellphone aboard a plane (not sure about that though). Another option would be to use a mobile connect card (by Vodefone) or a similar device.

[Kim]

Any prices for the suggestions you guys made? It's not gonna be incredibly insane like $100+ is it?

Also, my cousin's house, which is where i'm gonna be living at in Hong Kong uses dialup, so will my wireless connection be as quick if i use this wireless card to connect all the way back to canada like this?

[Fallen Angel]

Any prices for the suggestions you guys made? It's not gonna be incredibly insane like $100+ is it?

Also, my cousin's house, which is where i'm gonna be living at in Hong Kong uses dialup, so will my wireless connection be as quick if i use this wireless card to connect all the way back to canada like this?

Look, you need a internet hook-up like ISDN, cable, xDSL or whatever that you connect an access point. Using a wireless NIC you connect to the access point and thus the internet. There is NO WAY IN HELL you'll be able to connect to your own access point from half way across the globe (maximum distance is 150 meters with a clear LOS unless you use a directional antenna).

[Kim]

Okay if I get a remote antenna for my laptop, will it be billed differently or what? Like i've seen the people with laptops that have wireless cards with its own antenna on them. I'm guessing they have access to the internet without connecting to a router.

[Fallen Angel]

Okay if I get a remote antenna for my laptop, will it be billed differently or what? Like i've seen the people with laptops that have wireless cards with its own antenna on them. I'm guessing they have access to the internet without connecting to a router.

No, you can connect an antenna to the WiFi NIC to improve the signal quality, but you'd still need to be in close proximity to the access point. If you want to be able to connect to the internet from anywhere, you'd need a mobile connect card, which is basically a dial up connection (based on cellphone technology). Alternitively, some cellphones can be used as modems. Either way you will not be able to use your current internet hook-up you have at home and yoú will pay per minute which can get REALLY expensive REALLY fast.

[Khako]

Get 802.11G Network cards but make sure that you have a 802.11G Port Router as it would be useless to have a B-Router and a G Network Card.

Recently I bought a new 802.11G Network card and it cost about $90 CND. The Router is about $120 and I saw this at Best Buy. As for the B Network card, it cost about $70-80 while the router is about $100-110.

Best brand to get is Linksys, but if you just want cheaper ones, go for DLink.