Connecting to internet

I'm moving into a park that offers free wireless internet. I understand I
have to buy an adaptor for my desktop. Is it a Linksys Wireless G Usb
Adaptor? Do I have to pay for an ISP? The manager said it was free after I
bought the adaptor.

How does this work?

You could use a USB adapter or one that would go in a PCI slot at the back
of the PC. He just needs to give you any encryption code that you "may" need
to access the router



"Jean Staffen" <jstaffen@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
news:aNcph.8569$pQ3.2561@newsread4.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
> I'm moving into a park that offers free wireless internet. I understand I
> have to buy an adaptor for my desktop. Is it a Linksys Wireless G Usb
> Adaptor? Do I have to pay for an ISP? The manager said it was free after I
> bought the adaptor.
>
> How does this work?
>
>

"Jean Staffen" <jstaffen@peoplepc.com> hath wroth:

>I'm moving into a park that offers free wireless internet.

I'll assume that means a trailer park. Trailers have metal walls,
which makes wireless a bit difficult. The usual method is an outside
antenna.

>I understand I
>have to buy an adaptor for my desktop. Is it a Linksys Wireless G Usb
>Adaptor?

How should I know? You didn't bother mentioning your computer or
operating system. Also, you'll need to know how far away from the
central access point your parking place is located. Also, if there
are any trees in the way as those also block the signal.

I suggest you wait until you move in and see what other people are
using. I think you'll find a subtantial number of creative
installations, with rooftop antennas, rooftop client radios, and
perhaps some repeaters.

>Do I have to pay for an ISP?
>The manager said it was free after I
>bought the adaptor.

The trailer park pays for the ISP service. However, don't assume that
they're doing it out of pure generosity. You'll pay for it somehow,
although much less than if obtained your own ISP service.

>How does this work?

It works quite well depending on number of users, backhaul bandwidth,
interference, trees, line of sight, etc.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:21:10 GMT, "Jean Staffen"
<jstaffen@peoplepc.com> wrote:

>I'm moving into a park that offers free wireless internet. I understand I
>have to buy an adaptor for my desktop. Is it a Linksys Wireless G Usb
>Adaptor? Do I have to pay for an ISP? The manager said it was free after I
>bought the adaptor.
>
>How does this work?
>

hi, jean. i assume you mean you're moving into an RV park or mobile
home park so i'll go on that assumption.

wi-fi is merely another means of distributing a broadband internet
connection (typically DSL, cable or satellite). since the 'park' is
providing the wi-fi connection to the net you won't need your own ISP.
so if you have an ISP now you should be able to dump it once you're
set up in the park. free e-mail accounts can be had from hotmail,
google and yahoo (google is my favorite as they offer secure,
authenticated mail servers).

as to how you can connect to the wi-fi signal that all depends on how
large the park is and how they've engineered the network. we travel
extensively in our RV and have encountered free wi-fi in many, many RV
parks. they run the entire gamut from parks where the owner has
placed multiple transmit/receive points around the park (best case)
blanketing the park in a mesh network to parks that place a single
wireless access point on top of a desk in the office (not so good).
the more transmit/receive sites a park has the better the coverage
will be in that park. and if those transmit/receive sites are outside
and up in the air (on top of buildings, list poles, etc) the better
the coverage will be.

my laptop has a built-in wi-fi card which enables me, in most cases,
to connect to the RV park's wi-fi system from inside my RV. since you
don't have built-in wi-fi you'll need an external adaptor for your
desktop. those come in two varieties...a USB adaptor that simply
connects to an available port on your PC or a PCI card that would
install inside your desktop. a USB wi-fi adapter can either be a
small single-piece adapter or a larger adapter consisting of a
receiver with a cable allowing you to place the receiver on a
dashboard or near a window and which then connects back to the PC via
the USB cable. the PCI cards may have a small telescoping antenna
and/or a connector allowing you to connect an external antenna to it.
there are many, many different manufacturers of these devices (belkin,
USR, buffalo, linksys, netgear, etc).

before you buy anything i'd wait until you move into the park and can
determine how well the network has been engineered in terms of
coverage. talk to your neighbors who are actually using the system to
see what hardware they have and how well it is working.

73,
rich, n9dko

Jean Staffen <jstaffen@peoplepc.com> wrote:
> I'm moving into a park that offers free wireless internet. I understand I
> have to buy an adaptor for my desktop. Is it a Linksys Wireless G Usb
> Adaptor? Do I have to pay for an ISP? The manager said it was free after I
> bought the adaptor.

Same question, phrased differently in another post?

The ISP is already being paid for by the park.

Where did the idea about the Linksys come from? Maybe that is what works
for people in this park. If they are telling you to buy a particualr
adapter, that's the one to get ;-)

You might ask if they provide any assistance, and ask about a firewall.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5