wireless broadband

[happy_face]

Saw in the news that Heathrow Terminal 1 now has wireless broadband for travellers to use. How does that work exactly? Can you with wireless use any ISP which is in the area? How do you get charged? I have boradband at home but it's not wireless and my ISP is Virgin so I pay my fees to Virgin. But I don't understand how you can use different ISP's? Please help

[TEAK36]

I used this recently at Stanstead, so I would assume that it works the same.When I switched my laptop on at the terminal, a box came up informing me that there was a wireless connection available, and did I want to sign up to use it.It cost me �10 for about 2 hours of access,which I paid online with my credit card.It was all really simple and quick, but not cheap.

[fo3nix]

using wireless, it doesn't matter which ISP it is. you'll have some program or the windows default program that shows you available wireless networks. you are free to try and connect to any one you like. it doesn't matter who the provider is.

as far as this particular one is concerned, never been there so not sure if its one you have to go somewhere and pay for a key to unlock the network (any good network that's not meant to be totally open will have a security key), and hence have access to the network; or whether it is just totally open for anyone to use.

[happy_face]

Thanks that's really helpful. Further to fo3nix's answer, you say you're free to use whichever ISP that is available. If you use a variety of ISP's who do you pay your monthly bill to? Do you pay each time you connect to a different ISP or do you pay one main provider who then gets billed by the other ISP's you use?

[ronniemonda8]

oh it will absolutely be the ISP that you have just hooked up to wirelessly. Your own ISP will not be involved in any way whatsoever.

Some trains have them, flat rate of �2.99, which is fantastic value, IMHO.

Unlike the sandwiches...very floppy, I didn't take many bytes, and ended up with a virus all the same.

[happy_face]

thanks Ronnie. So would any laptop (within reason of course, not some brick from the 80's) be able convert to wireless? Do you have to have anything in particular? Is there something about a card that slots in?

[KebabMeister]

Are many cities offering wireless internet as well? (i.e. airports, train stations, pubs etc).

Here in Munich there are many bars that offer free wireless internet within their premises. There are also other places where you get charged a small fee but the free ones are more popular. There is talk of transmitting across the entire city but I don't know how much it would cost to use it.

[Machecoul]

I have an unabled laptop with a Belkin wireless card plugged in - works fine.

[fo3nix]

you can buy a wireless receiver that fits as either a USB connection or a PCMCIA (cardbus) connection (that's the one on the side that looks as though it could fit a few credit cards).

basically, if you're at home, you can have an ISP supply you with connection to the internet. if you want, you can then go and make that wireless (with something called a wireless router). your laptop then looks to see what wireless networks are available, including your own one. it doesn't know who's supplying that signal; just as when you turn on your radio, you can tune into the bbc channels or local channels or whatever - it doesn't matter who supplies it, you can get it. of course, some are "encrypted", or locked. this is to prevent for example you getting yourself a wireless network in your home, and stopping your neighbour from using it (thereby taking all your bandwidth!).

as you travel about, you may find other wireless networks available (the network card will be constantly scanning for them). if they are unlocked, you can connect to them. they are known as wireless "hotspots", and sometimes you can find free wifi networks that are unlocked - sometimes, outside an office building, where the wifi network has spread out to the street outside.