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Wireless networking hardware To do the wireless thing, you need wireless networking hardware. An existing Ethernet port on (or NIC inside of) your computer just doesn’t cut it. You need a specific, wireless networking gizmo. Further, you need a gizmo that supports whatever standard any existing wireless network uses: 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11.g. If your laptop didn’t come with the wireless network adapter, then it’s a snap to add one. Either by using the USB port or a PC Card, you can attach wire- less hardware to your laptop in a jiffy. Plug it in, install the software (if any or even if necessary), and you’re ready to go. I recommend getting a wireless adapter with an external antenna. For some reason, the antenna makes picking up the wireless signal easier — especially if the antenna is directional (that is, it can be moved). If your laptop doesn’t have an antenna, don’t sweat it. As with the wire-bound universe, setting up a wireless adapter in Windows XP is similar to setting up a wire-based Ethernet connection. Basically, Windows does all the work. All that’s left to do is connect to the wireless network. That topic is covered in the next two sections. Connecting to a wireless network A laptop equipped with a wireless networking card can connect to any com- patible wireless network. The first step is to find any available networks. The second step is to connect. And the final step is to use the network and the goodies it provides. First, try to find an available wireless network. Take these steps: 1. Open the Network Connections window. 2. Right-click on the wireless network connection’s icon. This icon represents the hardware and software needed to get a wireless networking going. You have to finish the job by connecting to a wireless network. 3. Choose View Available Wireless Connections from the pop-up menu. The Wireless Network Connection dialog box shows up, depicted in Figure 9-7. This dialog lists any and all wireless networks within range of your laptop and which are compatible with your wireless networking protocol. 161 Chapter 9: All That Networking Nonsense If your wireless networking gear supports more than one protocol, then you’ll see every matching protocol appear in the window. In Figure 9-7, one network shows up available. Its name is KITTY. The name is officially known as the SSID, or Service Set Identifier. That’s the mumbo-jumbo term for the wireless network’s name. 4. Select the wireless network’s name (if there is more than one). Sometimes, you’ll see a whole host of names. Sometimes you won’t see any names — but don’t think that means nothing is available. In fact, there is a hidden name in Figure 9-7; refer to the section, “What if you don’t know the SSID?” later in this chapter, for more information. 5. Enter the password. Note that some of the passwords can be rather lengthy, so pay attention as you type them in. 6. Enter the dang password again, if necessary. This is extremely painful for those 128-character passwords. 7. Click the Connect button. If everything goes well, you’ll see the little networking buddies appear in the Notification Area, plus a bubble alerting you to the wireless network- ing connection, as shown in Figure 9-8. You’ve made it! Figure 9-8: A wireless network connection has been made. Figure 9-7: Desperately scanning for available wireless networks. 162 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World Well, maybe you didn’t make it. The network may require further authentica- tion or configuration to allow your laptop to connect. Continue reading through the next few sections for some solutions to potential problems. Also be aware that there is another location for accessing wireless net- works. If you right-click on the Wireless Network Connection icon and choose Properties, you’ll see the Wireless Networks tab of your network connection’s Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 9-9. Using the Wireless Networks tab may be necessary when switching from one wireless connection to another. The bottom part of the dialog box (titled Preferred Networks) is used to store connection information about various networks so that you don’t have to toil with the same connection information again and again. ߜ The wireless network must use the same 802.11 protocol as your laptop’s wireless networking hardware. ߜ Some wireless networks may not be password protected, so in Step 5 of the preceding step list there may be no password required. Even so, Windows XP does not like this situation, and you may find it more diffi- cult to connect to such an unsecured network. ߜ There is a distance and interference issue with wireless networking, and the picture isn’t as rosy as the brochures claim. Basically, the best way to connect with a wireless network is to be in the same room with the hub, switch, router, or other computer that is broadcasting the signal. Things such as walls greatly reduce the potency of a wireless connection. ߜ Refer to Chapter 6 for more information on finding the Network Connections dialog box. Figure 9-9: Manually doing the wireless thing. 163 Chapter 9: All That Networking Nonsense Scanning for wireless networks Any wireless network available shows up in the Wireless Network Connections dialog box (refer to Figure 9-7). If the network doesn’t show up, then it’s just not available, or the signal isn’t strong. Most wireless network adapters come with simple scanning tools, often much better than what Windows XP offers. For example, Figure 9-10 illustrates one such tool. Other tools are similar. In Figure 9-10, you can see that more networks are available than Windows XP displays. That’s because one of the networks is hiding its SSID name as a security precaution. ߜ Look in the Notification Area to see if your laptop’s wireless networking hardware came with such a utility. ߜ Note that such wireless utilities can also be used to scan for and con- nect to available wireless networks. Often these utilities are far easier to manage than what Windows offers. ߜ These wireless scanners usually sport an icon in the Notification Area. The icon generally offers feedback regarding the signal strength of the wireless network. What if you don’t know the SSID? When the wireless network’s SSID doesn’t show up, as shown in Figure 9-10, then you need to ask for it. The network manager or whatever human is in charge of wireless network at your location should be able to divulge that Figure 9-10: All the available wireless networks. 164 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World information. When you know the SSID, follow these steps to connect to that network: 1. Open the Network Connections window. 2. Right-click on the wireless network connection’s icon and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. 3. Click the Wireless Networks tab. 4. Click the Add button found near the bottom of the dialog box. In the Wireless Network Properties dialog box that appears (shown in Figure 9-11), you can manually configure the connection to the unknown wireless network. 5. Type in the SSID. 6. Enter the network key or password. If the network key box is disabled, as shown in Figure 9-11, then another dialog box may appear, prompting you to input the password. 7. Click OK. At this point, the network should show up as available in the list. You can then connect to it by clicking on its name. (Refer to Figures 9-7 and 9-9.) A great thing about Windows XP here is that it remembers the wireless net- works you’ve connected to. So when you return to the same wireless location, the network information is made available and even fetched automatically for you. As long as the network password doesn’t change, reconnecting to the same network is automatic. Figure 9-11: Fill in this dialog box to connect to a wireless network. 165 Chapter 9: All That Networking Nonsense What is the computer’s MAC Address? Some wireless networks restrict access to only those computers they know. Not having eyeballs, a network needs some other piece of identification to recognize computers it knows from utter strangers. That piece of ID is the wireless networking hardware’s MAC Address. A MAC Address is a unique number assigned to every networking adapter on planet Earth. No two numbers are identical, and the MAC Address is very dif- ficult to fake. So by using the MAC Address, a wireless network can restrict access to only those computers known and registered. Follow these steps to get your wireless network adapter’s MAC Address: 1. Open the Network Connections window. 2. Open your Wireless Network Connection icon. This displays a Status window. 3. Click the Support tab. 4. Click the Details button. A Network Connection Details dialog box appears. The first item is the Physical Address, which is the MAC Address number. 5. Copy down that number. 6. Close the various dialog boxes. The MAC Address is 12 digits long, broken up into pairs. It’s a base-16 value (also called hexadecimal), so the letters A through F are also considered to be numbers. If the MAC Address is necessary to connect to a specific network, then hand it over to the network manager or human in charge. He or she will add that address to the list of allowed computers, and soon you can use the network. Renewing your lease To keep the goofballs out, some networks only let you use their services for a given amount of time. This time allotted is referred to as a lease. What may happen, especially if you use a wireless network for a great length of time, is that your lease may expire. To renew it, you need to disconnect from the network and then reconnect. The instructions for disconnecting from a wireless network are offered later in this chapter, but for now, the simplest way to renew a lease is simply to restart Windows. Refer to Chapter 4. 166 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World Accessing a pay service wireless network Not everything is free. Some people out there have the gall to actually charge you for using their wireless service. Imagine! Darn those capitalists! I’ve seen pay wireless access work two ways: ߜ The first way is that you pay a cashier, and then he or she hands you a slip of paper with the SSID and a password to use. Then follow the steps from the section, “What if you don’t know the SSID?” earlier in this chap- ter, for instructions on connecting to the network. ߜ The second way is more devious. The signal appears to be strong and available, and connection is not a problem. But when you go to the Internet, the only Web page you see is a sign up page. Until you fork over your credit card number, you can’t go anywhere else on the Internet or access any other service (such as e-mail). Yep. If it’s a pay service, you gotta pony up! Disconnecting the wireless connection The main way I disconnect from a wireless connection is to close my laptop’s lid. By putting the laptop into Stand By mode, the network connection is broken automatically. Opening the laptop’s lid (assuming I’m within range of the wireless hub) re-establishes the connection. Likewise, you can also turn off the laptop to disconnect from the network. But if you must manually disconnect, you need to follow these steps: 1. Open the Network Connections window. 2. Right-click on the wireless network connection icon. 3. Choose Disable from the pop-up menu. And the device is disabled, the connection is gone. To re-enable the connection, repeat the steps, but choose Enable from the pop-up menu in Step 3. If your laptop is in one location all the time, and you rely upon the wireless connection for your Internet or other network access, then there is no reason to disable the wireless connection. 167 Chapter 9: All That Networking Nonsense 168 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World Chapter 10 Laptop to Internet, Hello? In This Chapter ᮣ Arming yourself for Internet access ᮣ Using the network to get on the Internet ᮣ Connecting to a DSL or cable modem, or to a router ᮣ Accessing the Internet through a dial-up connection ᮣ Configuring the dial-up connection ᮣ Managing multiple connection options ᮣ Dialing into the Internet ᮣ Disconnecting a modem connection I t was the laptop computer, not the desktop, that pioneered the notion of online communications. While the first portable computers may not have come with internal modems, most of the proto-laptop computers were blessed with such hardware. After all, being portable meant being on the road. And that implied that at some point, communications were necessary. When Ethernet became the PC networking standard, its circuitry joined the modem in being a standard feature on a laptop — long before such things became standards on desktop computers. This chapter covers the most common of all online connections, the Internet. The topic here is how to connect. Other chapters in Part III offer tips on using your laptop on the Internet, online security, as well as using the internal modem. What You Need to Get on the Internet The Internet is not a computer program. Nor is the Internet a single large com- puter somewhere. No, the Internet is thousands and thousands of computers, all connected and all sharing information. It’s more of a concept than a thing. You need five things in order to access the Internet: ߜ A computer ߜ A device to connect to the Internet ߜ Software to access and use the Internet ߜ An Internet Service Provider (ISP) ߜ Money The computer you already have. That’s easy. And if it’s a modern computer, then you probably have both of the common methods of connecting to the Internet, either the built-in modem or the built-in Ethernet connection (wired or wireless). Two down! Windows XP comes with all the Internet software you need. There is special software to connect to the Internet, then software to use various resources on the Internet: the World Wide Web, e-mail, and other mysterious things and bewildering acronyms. Three down! You connect to the Internet through an ISP. Or to put it another way, to connect your computer to the Internet, you must find a computer already connected to the Internet, and then connect to the Internet through that computer. The Internet isn’t a single computer, but rather a multitude of computers all connected and sharing information and resources. The ISP can be your office, where Internet service is provided by your com- pany, the government, or whatever crime syndicate you’re indebted to. It can be the university you attend. Or it can be a third-party service, as described in the next section. Finally, you need moolah to get the Internet from an ISP. Like phone service or cable TV, the ISP extracts a given monthly amount in exchange for Internet access. You have to find this money on your own. ߜ Free Internet access is available in most community libraries, though you must use their computers. ߜ If you connect to the Internet at work, then that connection is also con- sidered more-or-less free. Though do be aware that many companies heavily filter their Internet access. 170 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World [...]... The final tab in the Edit Location dialog box is for entering calling card information What this does is allow Windows to automatically blast out the calling card information as the modem connects, for example, allowing you to charge a specific call at a business center to your company’s credit card To enter calling card information, edit the Location information as described in the previous sections... input information about your credit or calling card ߜ Yes, this is obviously sensitive information Refer to Chapter 17 for information on laptop security Figure 11-7: Setting up for a credit card call 193 194 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World Finding the Various Disconnect Timeouts One of the sorrows of using a modem is that it occasionally decides to hang up on you This could be for a multitude... depending on your location 4 Enter a name for your current location For example, “Home” or “The Office” or wherever your laptop is right now 5 Select whichever country you’re in now 6 Enter the area code 7 Fill in the dialing rules area You can leave these items blank if none are required If your hotel requires you to dial an 8 before making a local call, and a 9 for making a long distance call, then put...Chapter 10: Laptop to Internet, Hello? ߜ For more information on selecting an ISP, refer to my book PCs For Dummies It also contains more basic information on using the Internet, should you be new to this Bonus Laptop Goodies Your ISP Can Offer Unless you specifically selected your ISP with portable... laptop It happens For more information on using your laptop’s modem, please refer to Chapter 11 Configuring a dial-up connection If you’ve not yet configured your laptop for dial-up access, then run the New Connection Wizard Before you start, you need to know the following items: ߜ Your ISP’s name (used to identity the dial-up connection) ߜ The connection’s phone number ߜ The username for your ISP account... button 5 Select the Disconnect a Call If Idle for More Than check box and input a timeout value into the text box Yes, if you leave this item unchecked, there will be no general timeout 6 Click OK and close the various open dialog boxes Timeouts for each session Timeouts are also set for each connection you make with the modem Here’s how to modify the timeout for an Internet connection: 1 Open the Network... can’t wiggle out of writing about this stuff ߜ Refer to Chapter 13 for more information on e-mail Setting up the fax modem This is a lot easier than it sounds Providing that your laptop has a modem inside or somehow attached, follow these steps to setup faxing: 1 Open the Printers and Faxes window Refer to Chapter 6 for help 195 1 96 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World 2 Locate the Printer Tasks... (Refer to Figure 11-1.) To use the modem, you simply need to specify it inside Windows or whichever program requires the modem ߜ Not all laptops have serial ports ߜ Some laptops can be blessed with a serial port by adding a port replicator ߜ Refer to Chapter 5 for more information on serial ports ߜ The laptop has a 9-pin serial port, but external modems sport either a 9pin or 25-pin serial port So you... ߜ Router rhymes with chowder Do not pronounce it ROO-ter ߜ Broadband means “high speed.” ߜ A firewall is a form of protection, guarding your computer from unwanted access by other computers on the Internet See Chapter 12 for more information ߜ I highly recommend setting up your computer network for sharing an Internet connection as shown in this section Use a router Get a good one that offers firewall... log in, and set the configurations Instructions for doing this come with the router ߜ Refer to Chapter 12 for more information on Internet security Computer in the den "Den" Still must use network cable here Wireless router DSL or cable modem Mary's computer "Firebird" Figure 10-2: Handy wireless router placement diagram Chris’ laptop "Pooter" 175 1 76 Part III: Between Your Laptop and the World Dial-Up . to Chapter 6 for more information on finding the Network Connections dialog box. Figure 9-9: Manually doing the wireless thing. 163 Chapter 9: All That Networking Nonsense Scanning for wireless. III: Between Your Laptop and the World ߜ For more information on selecting an ISP, refer to my book PCs For Dummies. It also contains more basic information on using the Internet, should you. instructions for disconnecting from a wireless network are offered later in this chapter, but for now, the simplest way to renew a lease is simply to restart Windows. Refer to Chapter 4. 166 Part