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Wireless Tips and Tricks

By Becky Waring

Want a better Wi-Fi experience on the road? The two keys are a long-range Wi-Fi card and a Wi-Fi travel router. With a long-range card, you can connect to even the weakest hotspot signals, and maximize throughput. With a travel router, you can unwire your hotel room, or even set up a temporary Wi-Fi net at your parents' house during the holidays. Read on for our top five tips for the wireless traveler.

1. Finding Hotspots on the Road

Question: How can I find a hotspot when I can't get online to search for one?

Answer: While JiWire's online hotspot locator is the most powerful way to search for worldwide hotspots, there are several ways to take it with you, as well. The Portable Hotspot Locator comes in PC, Mac and AvantGo versions. You can also search for hotspots on your browser-enabled cell phone, at wap.jiwire.com.

Whichever way you go, you can filter the Hotspot Locator for free sites, as well as for a number of other useful parameters, such as service provider and location type (airport, hotel, cafe, etc.). JiWire's provider comparison page shows rates for all major Wi-Fi service providers.

2. How to Get Connected at a Wi-Fi Hotspot

Question: I'm new to Wi-Fi. I can use my laptop at home with no problems, but when I go to a free Wi-Fi location, I can't get onto the Internet. My PC tells me that I have a good connection, but when I try to access the Internet, I get "Page Not Found" and can't log into my work email. What am I doing wrong?

Answer: It's not what you're doing wrong, but what you're NOT doing that is the problem. There is one key difference between home and office Wi-Fi, and public hotspots. With home and office Wi-Fi, usually all you need to do is select the right access point from the list of SSIDs, and you'll be connected. Public hotspots are different. Even if your Wi-Fi card shows that you are attached to a hotspot's access point, you may not yet be connected to the Internet. The key secret to remember about getting connected at a public hotspot, whether free or paid, is that you need to open a NEW browser window first, before using email, IM chat, or other Internet functions. This browser window will usually pop up a screen for you to log in, or at least click "Okay" to whatever terms and conditions the hotspot imposes.

This system allows paid hotspots to collect login or credit card information, and free hotspots to put up information screens and responsibility disclaimers. It's just one extra step, and should only take a few seconds at a free hotspot. Some free hotspots ask that you create an account with a password. When you return the next time, logging in will be quick and painless.

What if you've opened a new browser window and still don't see a login screen? Make sure your browser home page is not blank (or it won't trigger the needed port opening), and that you have updated your system with the latest Service Packs (SP2 handles Wi-Fi much better than SP1). You may also need to simply get closer to the access point (your signal may be too weak to connect).

3. Long-Range Wi-Fi Cards

Question:: The Wi-Fi reception in my laptop simply isn't good enough to bring in many hotspot signals unless I move very close to the access point. What can I do?

Answer: : Many notebooks have rather wimpy Wi-Fi reception, although some newer models with wrap-around antennas pull in very strong signals. If yours is in the first category, the best advice is to add a long-range Wi-FI card.

A card with a high-power or directional antenna can make the connection to the router stronger and faster. Two good ones are the Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless-G Laptop Card and the Netgear RangeMax Wireless PC Card WPN511.

The Hawking card is an plain 802.11g solution, while the Netgear RangeMax card is a "super-G" version that can operate at up to 108Mbps with a matching router. It will extend range even when used with a regular 802.11g router. You will also see so-called "MIMO" or "draft-N" cards on the market. We don't recommend these unless you have a matching router at home, since they are twice as expensive and won't do any better than the Hawking or RangeMax cards at a hotspot.

4. Wi-Fi Travel Routers

Question: Most hotels with broadband access in the room supply Ethernet connections. I'd rather have Wi-Fi so I don't have to sit at the desk. Can I bring my own Wi-Fi router?

Answer: Most definitely! While you can bring along pretty much any standard Wi-Fi router, specialized "travel routers" are also available. These are basically pocket-size versions of regular network routers that let you unwire almost any wired Ethernet jack, such as those in hotels and conference rooms. You can use them to share your connection with colleagues or to simply surf from the comfort of your hotel bed.

Two of our favorite travel routers are Apple's AirPort Express, and Linksys' Travel Router. The palm-sized AirPort Express doubles as a full-fledged Wi-Fi router, with USB printer sharing and wireless iTunes music streaming to a stereo system. Despite the Apple name, the AirPort Express comes with full Windows configuration tools and support as well as Mac, making it great for Windows iPod users as well.

The Linksys Travel Router is another amazing product, the first consumer router of ANY kind that can simultaneously connect to a hotspot and act as an access point for other computers. This ability also makes it a great universal range extender for home Wi-Fi networks suffering from dead spots. Of course it also works with wired broadband connections as well. And it fits in the palm of your hand, with no power adapter to lose. It plugs right into the wall.

But what if you've only got a phone line in your hotel room? The Always On Wireless WiFlyer can unwire both broadband and dial-up connections, for true travel versatility. You can set up a Wi-Fi net anywhere, whether your hotel has broadband or not, for up to 14 users. The WiFlyer also has thousands of US telephone access numbers from major providers built-in, so you don't have to go searching for a number every time you arrive at a new place.

It's also worth noting that the Linksys and WiFlyer both have an extra Ethernet port, supporting a wired client or other device, such as a VoIP adapter. So you can take advantage of free or low-cost Internet-based phone calls too, for the price of a local call, and avoid high hotel long-distance charges.

5. Cellular Data Cards

Question: I can't always stop at a hotspot when I need to get online. I've been thinking about getting a cell data card for my laptop. Which should I choose?

Answer: If you just have to get connected NOW, then cell data is definitely the way to go. You can either get a dedicated card for your laptop, or use your data-capable Bluetooth phone as a modem for occasional connections. The main caveat is that cell data plans are quite expensive, typically $80 per month (less if you also have a voice plan).

That said, the top broadband cell data choices right now are EV-DO from Verizon or Sprint, or HSDPA from Cingular. For more on cell data plans and equipment, see our complete cell data guide.

Reproduce from JIWIRE.COM, Original Link