I've got a Dell laptop and as wierd as it sounds I don't know if I have a wireless network card in it or not. See, I thought that when I bought the laptop that one of the options we got was for a built in wireless card, but I've never been in a situation where I would be able to use it. Next year I have wireless access in my apartment and wouldn't mind making use of it. Is there any way to check and see if my laptop has the wireless card built in?
well take it to a starbucks or some othr wireless hotspot and see if you get a signal, if you do then you have internet wirelessly, otherwise buy a card.
im glad you started a thread about this. i bought a toshiba laptop a few months ago for school....all my classes were mostly math intensive so i didnt use it much for note taking. now id like to use it for the internet at home. i have broadband and would like a suggestion on the wireless networking equiptment i should buy. anyhelp would be greatly appreciated.
just look for a combo netgear or linksys networking deal, that includes wirelesss card, wireless modem and maybe a usb wireless thing. should be pretty cheap around 100 dollars.
Let's see if you have it installed first... - press "Windows" key "R" key - type in devmgmt.msc - in device manager window that pops up expand "Network Adapters" - see if you have something about wireless If when you bought the computer through Dell and currently have Windows XP that it came with (or installed from the restore cd) it should be there. I think Dell charges about $100 for the wireless option, do remember paying an extra $100?
Linksys has a wireless combo which comes with a router and I think I've only see the combo come with a "laptop card", but you can buy a Linksys 802.11b (11 mbps) router for about $50 and then a 802.11b usb or pci card for another $50. A router simply put is a multi-port device that allows two dissimilar networks to communicate (your computer and the Internet). All you do to install it is use a Cat5 cable to connect the modem into the router and then the router broadcasts wirelssly and availible to the wired ports.
Yes, wireless capability can be interesting; so much to rely on and just one part broken in the chain and the system is down. Dells can be particularly different sicne they offer their own internal wireless not named Centrino. Anyway, as I've said before, I'm looking into getting a wirless laptop and do want to avoid the card. I'm basically set on a Vaio, although that's not 100% certain yet. I've narrowed it down to either the V505 or TR series basically because I liek the lightweight, small and compact portability of them. What helped to make my decision much more relieving (of any laptop computer) was the conversation I had with a sales rep at a Circuit City. He basically gave me the comparability of M to P4 which was DEFINITELY good knowledge to have. I had no idea a 1.0 GHz M is comparable to a P4 2.3-2.5 (I forget) GHz P4. That should REALLY be advertised. As some have suggested before, there will alway sbe back to school specials in a month or two, so I'll probably wait until then, but does anyone know of a good place to purchase a laptop? I've heard good (and mostly bad) things about places like TigerDirect, but are there any other places that y'all have done business with? Thanks in advance.
I don't know about you, but if I have a problem I wouldn't want to call and talk to someone about it over phone or via email (unless you're buying factory direct). I think that the $100/$200 you save via online might not be worth the savings.
That's a very good point that I've thought about, but all computers come with manufacture warranties that may not cover everything, but still are good warranties. It's more of the fact that buying something like a laptop at a Circuit City or Best Buy, you're just overpaying, albeit just a couple hundred bucks. I mean, I guess if I'm already paying >$1500 for a laptop I might as well get it with a place that offers good tech support. But then again, most issues from computers these days are software related (unless you have a rat infestation) and solutions can be found online (like this place) or the many many people in everyday life who know about computers. Friends can at the very least help diagnose problems which I have a feeling has coincided with pretty much all tech and telephone service (like Delta for instance) moving overseas. Besides having a computer dropped or stabbing the screen (why???), the only time I've heard of someone sending a laptop back for repair was when the paint on the keyboard wore off. I guess it's a wash; it's always good to have that secure feeling of a warranty, but with devices being produced better and better, manufacturers have got to be losing money in repair service and support which further explains why many electronics are thrown away and replaced instead of repaired.
That's true. I guess its easy for me to say only a couple hundred bucks when its not mine. For a couple hundred bucks that you save you could double ram..or larger hard drive...or whatever else.
glad someone started this thread. i have a toshiba that's relatively new and i assumed it had a wireless connection. it has a 'mobility' sticker on it and even a little button that looks like "i" on the side. yet i can't get hooked up in a place with wireless. or at least, it doesn't hook itself up when i turn the computer on. am i supposed to do something proactive to connect it? FrancisFan, i didn't see anything about wirelss in the section you mentioned. all i saw was intel pro/100 ve network connection and 1394 net adapter #3. thoughts?
1394 is for a firewire, and pro/100 is your wired network connection. I don't think you have a wireless adapter, but you might. Let's try this: - Windows key and "r" - network connections chances are if you don't have a wirelss adapter the 1394 and pro/100 adapter will be the only objects that show up.
crappola. any suggestions on what i need to buy for wireless? i got a trap door looking thing on one side of the laptop and a dvd and floppy on the other.
The "trap door" is probably a PCMCIA slot. You can buy a PCMCIA wireless card for around $20-30 at tiger direct: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=367 But I like Linksys, which is basically the home-version of cisco (routers and switches maker that runs the Internet). Those are about $50. Most wireless access points are 802.11b which has a max transmission rate of 11 mbps, when a fast net connection if 1.5 mbps. I would also go with USB over the PCMCIA, b/c it works with your laptop and a desktop (assuming your laptop has usb ports). I bought my little brother one and its smaller than my wallet and works excellently and easy to setup.
