Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wirelessinternet

Getting off the cable-internet habit.

codacorolla — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:56:27 -0800

I'm thinking about canceling my Comcast internet and TV service. To fulfill my internet needs I would switch from my current last-gen handset to a smart phone with a data plan. What should I consider before I make this move? There are a few reasons that I want to make this move:

1) I hate Comcast (I've posted about it in AskMeFi before, conincidentally) because of their business practices and customer service.

2) An extra $120 dollars a month (minus the cost of the data plan) would be pretty great for my finances, and allow me to save more money for grad school.

3) I've recently found myself wasting tons of time just randomly clicking back and forth between different sites online - at the expense of doing more productive things. I'd like to see how my life changes without that temptation there.

I work around computers all day, and can access my email and various social sites without affecting my job performance - so that's one source of internet access. I figure that a smart phone gets me into my email account and facebook at home.

I'm interested in hearing about anyone else who has made this switch, and anything I should consider before I try it. I'd also be interested in opinions on the best data plan (I'd be spending most of my time in the mid-Atlantic region).

Also, would it be possible to turn my phone into a 3G (or 4G) modem to use with my netbook and tower?

I have a feeling that if I do switch, and then decide to go back, Comcast will be charging me some ridiculous 'unhooking' and 'rehooking' fee for my efforts.

Off Grid Internet

Jsn7821 — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:22:51 -0800

What is the best way to get internet when I am living off-grid? I will be moving north of Hilo (Big Island, Hawaii) in a few weeks, and I want to set something up so I can access internet while I am out there.

I know Verizon has a USB plug-in for $60 a month - which is pretty steep, and I just heard there is a (1GB?) monthly data transfer limit before they start charging extra. I will be doing a virtual-PC thing from my netbook (over the internet, I use GoToMyPC), which I imagine takes up quite a bit of bandwidth.

The guy down the road has cable internet. He has something set up like a sattelite dish aimed at someone down the hill, who agreed to share their connection with him. I wonder if I could then beam his connection over to me? He's about a half mile to a mile away from where I will be, and I don't think there is a straight visible path - nor how to set up something like that.

I'm just looking for ideas and options to look into.

Oh - also - multiple computer capability would be very ideal. I don't know if Verizon can do that.

My webcam hates the Internet

mthomps00 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:36:02 -0800

My webcam keeps kicking me off the Internet! How do I diagnose this? For weeks, I've been using a Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 webcam to conduct video calls over Skype with no problem.

Then, last week, I installed software (SkypeCap) to record one of these video calls. It worked all right, but the video of the call recipient was sluggish, so I tried installing another video call recorder (Pamela). That's when the trouble started.

After I installed Pamela, my video calls started happening like this: I'd call the person (or they'd call me), turn on my video (or start with video), we'd chat for a few seconds, then the video would freeze, the call would end abruptly, and my wireless Internet connection would stop working altogether. I'd have to right-click on the Wireless Network icon in my taskbar and ask Windows to repair the connection before I could get back on the 'Net.

I've uninstalled Pamela and Skypecap, upgraded to the latest version of Skype, tried making a video call with another app (ooVoo), and the problem persists. It must be some conflict with the webcam, because it doesn't matter which software I use to make the call -- Skype or ooVoo -- the call ends shortly after beginning, and the Internet stops working.

I have no idea where to begin diagnosing this. Does this sound like a device driver conflict? How do I repair it?

My setup is Windows XP SP3 (Core 2 Duo processor, 3.25 GHz, 3 GB RAM). My broadband speed is 1544 Kbps download and 705 Kbps upload.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Connect me please

amethysts — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:59:01 -0800

An old computer that can't seem to get onto the Internet, is there ANY way to make this work?? I have an old laptop that was well used from 2001-2004. It had a notebook card that I used to connect to the same wireless network I'm on right now. Then its screen died so it went into retirement in a closet and I forgot about it.

Today I hooked it up to an old monitor and it turned on just fine so I was optimistic. The computer is running Windows 2000 Pro and has about 20gb of free space..

It can't seem to connect to the internet though. 3 different brand new wireless adapters (usb and card-slot kind, linxys and belkin brands) can see the wireless network but not connect to it. I tried plugging right into the modem but it can't connect that way either. I also did alot of reboots and re-setting of the modem and wireless router. I'm not sure what else I can do. It's possible that I may have deleted something important when I was getting rid of alot of old junk that was on there.
Is this as hopeless as it seems? Is there something I'm missing? I don't know anyone who can come in and tell me what the problem is.

Also:
The CD ROM drive can't read cds any more. Any cd-rom that goes in there says "The disk in drive D is not formatted. Would you like to format now?" when you try to access it. It can play DVDs though, I don't know why. So I'm guessing I can't reinstall or update windows. But i don't have any of the discs i would need to do that anyway. I have a SanDisk USB mp3 player that i'm using as a flash drive to get stuff onto it for now.

I tried calling Linxys and Belkins' tech support but they told me it was a problem with the modem which makes 0 sense. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to post this question.

I'm Bill Curtis and I've lost the iternets!

spicynuts — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:35:44 -0800

Airport Extreme de-bugging help please! Downloaded firmware updates Monday and now Macbook won't find my airport. I have a Macbook Pro and an Airport Extreme hooked up to my cable high speed modem. On Monday my Macbook auto-updater notified me of a firmware update for the Airport which I allowed to be downloaded and installed. Immediately I lost my wireless connection. I started by calling the cable company and rebooting the modem. This did not stop the problem as my Airport is still blinking amber. My laptop will not find the baseport when I use the Airport utility. I rebooted the baseport. Still nothing. Any advice?

I tried the apple support site but...jesus, come on! Who designed that crap?

Getting Started With Wireless Internet?

Danila — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:17:22 -0800

I have a laptop. I have wireless internet in Philadelphia through the city-wide wifi program that will be ending very soon. Please help if you can. I know NOTHING. I don't know anything about wifi. All I know is that when I got the laptop I followed the instructions to find a network, there was "Wireless Philadelphia", I connected and followed instructions to sign up for Earthlink. Now I need to find a replacement.

Apparently I need some sort of connection card thing that sticks in the side of the laptop? Plus a modem? AND a router? I have a useless modem I rented from Earthlink which I shall be returning. It never seemed to improve the signal at all.

What companies offer wireless service? All I know is Earthlink, and when I google, I get confused between wireless cell phone services and wireless internet. I know there will be a monthly fee and it will surely be higher than what I've paid Earthlink, but will I need to buy other things in order to get it to work? How can I make this as simple as possible? Thank you.

Need help with wifi basics

valleys — Wed, 07 May 2008 06:43:48 -0800

I need help with wifi basics - routers, security, encryption etc. Assume I know nothing about wireless internet.... (I've used a laptop in coffee shops / hotels etc, and got good advice about using Firefox / limited user account / VPN in response to a previous question.)

As my wife and I now both have laptops we'd like to set up a wireless router in our house. Can you give me answers to the following, or point me to a good online resource with info for beginners?

I see online retailers offering routers with 'Wireless G' / 'Wireless N' ... what does the letter mean? Are our laptops one or the other, or will they work with either? (I want to avoid a repeat of my embarrassing attempt to use DVD-R discs in my DVD+R drive a few years ago!)

I don't really need specific router recommendations as I'll get whatever is on sale that works ... and I will need one with wired ports as well for my desktop machine / printer.

Security ... set the router up with a password to prevent others from using it - I know that much. I'm sure there's much more...

Encryption. Huh? I've heard of it but have no idea what to do about it. Is this only really necessary if we're doing banking over wireless? We probably wouldn't - we'll use the wired desktop machine for that.

What have I missed?

Laptops + Desktop are all running XP. House is relatively small so I don't need a huge access area.

Local cheap broadband, too good to be true?

piedmont — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:25:57 -0800

BroadbandFilter: Any experience with locally owned "fixed wireless" ISPs? I've recently moved into an apartment, and really need internet access that doesn't require me to sit on the balcony to access without permission. I'm in Kansas City, it's cold. In my research I found These guys, but I can find no reviews. The website is unhelpful and the info I got on the phone was this: they are running a special, for 50 bucks a month I get 10meg up 10meg down; ITVN service, and VOIP phone with all the frills. The catch is that it's either a $250 setup fee (I get to keep all the hardware) or a two year contract with the setup fee waived.

Any experience with something like this, or should I go to the eternal call-center-hell that is Time-Warner? I'd really rather support a local business, but I'm very anti-getting screwed.

WI$P Revenue

Packy_1962 — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:59:15 -0800

Where can I find information about WISP revenue? I'm interested in information about the ad and subscription revenue of large scale municipal wifi projects (San Francisco, MetroFI Portland, etc.). I have gotten some info. about subscription rates and revenue from a few small WISPs in smaller cities by contacting the cities, but I really need numbers on ad revenue. I can pay money for these numbers, but not a lot of money (this is for an independent project). Projected figures will also suffice. Where should I look? Who should I contact? Do you know any?

I am very well versed in the topic of municipal wifi, so please don't direct me to any of the obvious sites on the subject.

Wireless without a router?

dial-tone — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 06:53:17 -0800

Hooking up wi-fi with DSL. My father-in-law would like to have wireless internet in their house. The thing is, I'm used to just hooking up routers to a cable modem and letting it fly. However, it sounds like his DSL modem also functions as a router. Would it be acceptable to either hook up another router to that one to use for wireless service, or also, what is a straightforward way to get wireless without a wireless router? (He's running Win XP on his computers).

How can I get wireless Internet service wherever my cell phone gets a signal?

zembla3 — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 06:26:32 -0800

I've read about wireless Internet services that allow your PC to connect to the Internet wherever your cell phone carrier has a signal. How do these services work, and which one do you recommend? Does anyone have experience using SnapDialer?

How can I get and stay connected to the 'net while travelling in Europe?

chudmonkey — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 19:22:53 -0800

How to best stay "connected" while travelling in Europe? I'm looking for experiences or anecdotes MeFites can share on this topic; there's a lot of raw info out there, but not many detailed testimonials.

I'll be travelling in Europe for about a year starting in a month or two. My companion and I are both travelling with laptops, which we'd like to use to access the 'net on a regular basis. We'd also like to travel with a phone that can be used easily for "local" (i.e. wherever we happen to be) calls, calls to other parts of Europe and overseas calls which would likely be limited to Canada.

We'll be staying frequently in cities and populated areas, but might find ourselves in the boonies or a less-developed nation every now and then.

So, please: Do you have any suggestions about 'net connectivity and/or cellphone use for travellers in Europe? I want to leave the field open to any suggestions, however broad - for the purposes of this question, money is not an issue but portability and usability are.

How do I get in our invisible wireless connection?

kensanway — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 07:34:19 -0800

Wireless Internet help. My roommate has a router and a mac. We have wireless internet right now, but other people can see us on the network in our apartment. They can't leech onto our connection because we have a password, but my roommate would like to make us invisible. The only problem is that when he does this, I can't see him on the network either. What do I do? If it helps, I have a dell laptop and windows xp.

Why do I have internet?

arcticwoman — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:07:28 -0800

I don't have wireless internet in my home, but here I sit in my kitchen reading mefi while my laptop is picking up a signal from... somewhere. I just got my first laptop today and it is configured to use either wireless or wired internet. I do have internet in my home, and a router, but not wireless. I live in a housing complex where my neighbours are only a couple of cinderblocks away, but the network I am currently connected to is called "default" and required no sign-in or security info of any type. Am I stealing someone's connection?