# Wireless Internet access



## Seagypsywoman (Aug 28, 2001)

I''m trying out a WLAN adapter (D-Link DWL-120+) on my laptop. It plugs into the USB port and has an antenna device that goes searching for signals (some free I''m told) to hook up to the internet. It''s working great right now in Ayamonte, Spain with a router on top of a building only a quarter of a mile away and my searching antenna on top of the deck outside. 
But since I got it I hear that I can do the same thing with a PCMCIA card which does not have a cord, it just plugs into my PC card slot and so it''s not as bulky to carry around an airport etc. It''s also chaper here in Spain. Has anyone had any experience with these? Which one is better?
Is it really possible to get access (free preferable) around the Mediterranean using one of these? Or can I get on a plan with my mobile phone (that''s cheap) and then just get another SIM card when I get to a new country? What''s the best thing to do? I''m new at all this.Thanks.
Barbara ([email protected])


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## svzephyr44 (Jun 26, 2000)

This may help:

WLAN uses one of two protocol subsets of the 802.11 standard - b and g. There is an a, but it never took off. The standard is international to a point. The specific country by country changes are how much power (Watts) the transmitted signal can use and if you can use gain antennas or not. Decoding this a bit: The better your antenna, the further away the access point can be from your boat. An antenna on deck is most likely going to do better than an antenna on your laptop (802.11 signals are line of sight.) In addition, if you are permitted to use a gain antenna (like a cone shaped directional antenna in your current location you can reach out to an access point that is further away.

All 802.11 signals run on discrete channels. Your software listens in turn to each of the discrete channels and tries to make a connection. Once it makes a connection there are two general ways your connection can be blocked. First, the connection may be encrypted (e.g. WEP and some other encryption schemes) Second, the connection may be open but access to the internet is blocked by a firewall. Usually that means that you will get a screen asking for money.

Depending on where you are you might or might not be able to get a free connection to the internet. As a general rule you want your antenna high and visible (not in your pcmcia card) and directional if possible. You also want to make sure that you are transmitting with the maximum authorized power.


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## amunk (Feb 13, 2005)

So, what equipment (make, model ..etc) do you recommend to be used with a laptop? I am planning a trip from Lake Ontario to Florida, Caribbean and hopefully to the Virgin Islands.
Thanks,
Alex


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Consider purchasing a wireless PC card that has both an internal antenna and a connector for an external antenna. When you are at anchor or docked, an external antenna will allow you to connect where a laptop below would not. There are numerous on-line stores that sell antennas and the cards that work with them. I recently ordered something from www.sharperconcepts.net but there are many others.

FYI, most of the cards you''ll find at Best Buy or the like will not allow connection of an external antenna.


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## amunk (Feb 13, 2005)

I am not able to find a laptop card that has an external connector for an antenna. The card you mentioned in your post was that a PCI card for a desktop? Do you know a specific model for a laptop?


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## ahmetb (Jul 17, 2004)

I have been using the AT&T wireless service with their GPRS netwoek and it works fine for coastal cruising, basically wherever you have Digital Cell phone reception


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

There are quite a few 802.11g cards that allow the use of external antennas. Another important feature to look for is a card capable of 200 mW transmission. Most cards use a 100 mW radio, but there are several that have 200 mW radios instead. 

For antenna design, a good cheap antenna is the "Pringles Cantenna" which can be made for under $10.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

One more thing....If you are connected to a free network then it is unencrypted, most likely someones private network with no security. This means anything you do on the internet is in the public domain and easily read by anyone. If you bank on the internet, purchase things with your credit card, etc. then you are broadcasting this information to anyone who wants to listen. Kind of like posting your private information on a forum and hoping no one takes advantage of you. It's your call.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Amunk...Try the Oriico Gold Card with External antenna input for your laptop:
Excerpt from CNET review...
The Orinoco World PC Card also features a unique external antenna connector .... Simply attach an indoor antenna such as the $70 Proxim Orinoco Range Extender model to the end of your PC Card via the included cable. You can then place the external antenna up high on a desk or a bookshelf and increase your wireless coverage. 
http://reviews.cnet.com/Proxim_Orinoco_World_PC_Card_Gold/4505-3380_7-5684857-4.html?tag=toc


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Spike_dawg said:


> One more thing....If you are connected to a free network then it is unencrypted, most likely someones private network with no security. This means anything you do on the internet is in the public domain and easily read by anyone. If you bank on the internet, purchase things with your credit card, etc. then you are broadcasting this information to anyone who wants to listen. Kind of like posting your private information on a forum and hoping no one takes advantage of you. It's your call.


Actually, if you're using a site to bank or purchase things, most likely they're protected with SSL-encryption and you should see a little padlock in your web browser.

However, for e-mail, unless you use a provider, like Gmail, that allows you to use ssl-encrypted e-mail server access, anything you write in e-mail will be sent in cleartext, including your user name, password, e-mail server account name, etc.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Some real issues:

If you are overseas, the equipment must be approved for the country you are in. Not all use the same channels or power requirements, and in some places they enforce that with serious fines.

PCMCIA cards: PCM or USB, no difference per se. Look at the output power rating, and the receive sensitivity rating. They vary greatly.

Security & "free": Well, if you see a network ID like "UseMyWireless" that's probably meant to be shared.<G> But hooking up without permission is illegal in most places. And, if the network is open, that also means your computer is open to anyone else on it, and your traffic can be monitored by whoever is running the WiFi point. Once you send email over a "free" link, unless you are using an encrypted email server and client software, your password now belongs to the world. Along with everything else you've sent. So, please, be paranoid about "free" open links. Yes, there are folks who intentionally put "free" access points on the air simply to share, but there are also folks who put them up so they can steal your information.


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## bigreddo (Apr 24, 2006)

In the USA, Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands, you can get wireless cellular connectivity from the major cell phone providers. It is not as fast as 802.11 and it is not free, but you do not need to hunt around for a wi-fi hot spot that is unprotected. The cell phone companies offer unlimited plans so you can transfer as much data as you like without paying extra.

I have the Sprint service in the USA, and I commonly get speeds like 200-300Kbps (about 5 times faster than dialup).


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