Seeking clarification of free wireless internet hopes

sofasurfer · 2007-02-23T01:14:55+00:00

I'm fed up with my crappy dialup internet connection. Now I learn thatI can get wireless internet if I build an antenna and if there is asignal around my area.I've read lots of stuff about coffee cantennas and parabolic dishantennas. I understand how to construct the antenna.I just installed a wifi card in my pc. As expected it detects nosignal. So, building an antenna is the next step. But first I needsome verication about my chances of success.I have read that a wifi card can pull in a signal up to, maybe, acouple hundred feet, a cantenna can get one from a mile or two and aparabolic dish can reach out 8-10 miles.There are 3 WIFI hotspots withing about 3 miles of my house. Theclosest is about a mile and a quarter.I can mount a antenna or dish about 15 ft up on a tower.So my main question is...Is it true that its possible to access theinternet in this way?If this is possible, I can understand aquiring a signal from a strongsignal source. But is a signal from MY source...my pc and wirelesscard...able to get out there to the WIFI hotspot for an upload to theinternet?What else do I need to know?