How do I get a wireless internet connection?

[Focus]

you need a wireless router. be aware of the difference between a "router" and a wireless router. a router generally means a device that lets you share an internet connection. there are two kinds, a wired router and a wireless router. needless to say you need the wireless router so when shopping, ask for a wireless router.

i suggest getting a Linksys wireless router. i use the Linksys WRT54G. i know a lot of people who use this, and true enough, it is very user friendly, and easy to set up. it uses wireless-G, which works at 54mbps, pretty fast for a router thats gonna be used at home. it also supports the wireless A and B standards. you do NOT need a wireless N. N is simply faster than G, but it doesnt mean that it will make your DSL faster. it just means that it is capable of faster internet speeds. im pretty sure your DSL speed is much less than 54mbps so you do not need to purchase a wireless N capable router.

the Linksys wireless router is pretty easy to install. you just need to hook it up to a computer, then hook the DSL to the router. follow the instructions that comes with the installation CD. after you have set the settings correctly, you do not need to have the router hooked up to a computer anymore. to use it you just need to turn on your modem and the router. THE ROUTER DOES NOT REPLACE YOUR MODEM. you need both to make it work.

now, if your laptop is fairly new, it may already have a built-in wireless card. if it is a Windows laptop, there should be a button or switch to turn the wifi card on and off. if its a MacBook or a MacBook Pro, its sure to have a wifi card.

if it doesnt have any wifi card yet, you can purchase a Wifi Adapter for your laptop. it uses the PC card slot at the side of your machine. the pc card slot is a thin and long rectangular hole at the side of your laptop, which usually contains a dummy plastic "card" to keep the dust out. i suggest getting a wireless adapter from Linksys too. if you dont have a PC card expansion slot, you can also buy USB Wifi Adapters. Just install the drivers for whatever device you choose.

to create a wireless home connection, create a Wireless Network Connection in Control Panel>Network Connections. you will have to supply information about your connection, most of which you have set in the router setup. make sure you get the exact same information like SSID, encryption type, etc. make sure that you check "Use Windows to configure my Wireless Network Settings" so Windows can automatically connect to your wireless network.

i suggest choosing WPA encryption instead of WEP. WPA is a much stronger encryption technique. you dont want other people hacking into your network and files.

good luck setting up your wireless home network.