Need Help on Basics

This is most likely a very basic question for most of you, but still a mystery for me. Hope you have enough patience to help me with this.

I just bought a 54 Mbps wireless PC card (NETGEAR WG511 v2) to use with my laptop for wireless Internet connection when I am traveling. What do I do to connect to wireless networks in hotels that provide wireless Internet to their guests ("wireless Internet in each room")? Just insert the card into the PC card slot on my laptop once I am in my room and - then what?..

With my PC card came a resource CD and installation instructions. The instructions tell me to first install the WG511 v2 software and then insert my wireless PC card. Then I am supposed to select the wireless network from the drop down list. How do I know what wireless networks are used in the hotels I am going to stay at?.. What do I do when moving to another hotel or trying to access the wireless Internet at the airport or elsewhere? - Should I carry the resource CD with me to go through the setup procedures each time I change the places?

In other words: I have a laptop and a wireless PC card. What do I actually do to get wireless Internet access where it is available?

Thanks!

Reply to
John Cluster
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"John Cluster" schreef in bericht news:TnMvg.2306$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...

You don't state what operating system you use. Most people nowadays have WindowsXP, so do I so I''l tell you what to do if you have the same. If you use another OS, the procedure should be similar provided you can find your wireless card setting menu.

When your system cannot detect any known access points the icon in the bottom right corner will give you a warning. Click on it and use the option to search for active access points. If there is one in your hotel room you'll find it. Tell your wireless card to connect to that AP. Usually it doesn't use encryption so you'll get a warning. OK that to use it anyway. If it does use encryption the hotel should provide you with the key information.

Once your cards has connected to the AP you can open a browser page. If it is totally free you can access any page you want. However, this usually is not the case and you'll be redirected to a page requiring you to identify yourself and/or issue your credit card details, the hotel can help you if this isn't clear straight away. Once you have taken that hurdle you're online!

You can try the procedure at home by switching off your home AP, you'll notice the warning. You can now look for other AP's active in the neighborhood. Switch on your AP again and see what happens next. Usually you'll automatically reconnect, otherwise you might have to select your AP and tell the card to reconnect. Apart from the credit card page, that is just what will happen in a hotel. Hope this makes sense...

Paul

Reply to
Paul

On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 14:25:55 GMT, "John Cluster" wrote in :

Use the Netgear wireless utility.

The Netgear wireless utility will show you the available networks and let you make a connection.

Reply to
John Navas

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