How does wireless internet work?
Question by lisa h: How does wireless internet work?
I have a 2004 gateway laptop, Im going to vegas in about 30 minutes and read on the casino site their is wireless internet available, do I need a adapter or something for my laptop to get wireless or is a adpater or reciever built into the laptop, sorry guys I have no clue about computer stuff looking for speedy response leaving within minutes. thank you
Answer by Lewis P
Some laptops have built in WIFI which can be activated by a switch on the site or somewhere on your keyboard…without knowing the make and model i wouldnt know. If not then buy a wireless adaptor…usually a USB device and it sends out radio waves to the router in the hotel…you would just need to switch this on and go to Network connections and search for the hotels wireless then put the password in that they would more than likely give you at reception…
hope that sorta helps
most laptops with built in have a slide switch with a picture of a antenna and radio waves on either side that you turn on. some have it automatically look whenever notebook is turned on, friends is like that but it shows hima pc image by clock with a red X on it if no connection is found.
if you have a laptop from 2004 your going to needs a wireless card adapter. they basically work as the same concept as your cell phone. towers that send and receive a signal to communicate back and fourth. a standard pci wireless adapter should work fine.
If your laptop has a wireless receiver built in then you probably wont need to worry, if you do need one you could cheaply buy a usb one but you may want to check what wireless signal the casino uses
802.11b and 802.11g will work fine if youve got one and the hotel has the other then there is 802.11n which is a lot faster and wont work with yours if you have one of the others built into your laptop, but your pretty safe if you can find out what one they use and get an adaptor of the same sort
Wireless Internet uses electromagnetic waves just like the radio uses waves to transmit signal. You can go to http://www.howstuffworks.com and type in “wi-fi” or go to http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-wifi-channel.htm to find out more information. Some newer (~2003+) notebooks have an included wireless adapter that is controlled with a switch on the notebook. You might want to check for a switch before buying a wireless card at the store. You might just have it built-in already, but not turned on. It’s best to match your wi-fi card with the router. So, if you do end up buying a wi-fi card, go with a name-brand like belkin, d-link, netgear, and try to match it up with the brand of your router (the box with the rabbit ears that sends out the wireless signal). Hope this helps.