How do wireless cards work?

Question

I own a Dell Inspiron 1521 Laptop and I was wondering if I purchase a wireless card whether I could use wireless internet in the car. I take a lot of car trips and I wanted to know whether one of these wireless cards would help me get internet while on the road.

Also, I know some people are going to say "hotspots" are the only ways to do this, I know about them already, I would just like to know about wireless cards.

Answer 1

your Inspiron 1521 probably already has a built in wireless card. that card is the one that can be used only near hotspots but this is not what you're looking for.

to go wireless "anywhere" on the road you need a so called GSM, GPRS or UMTS card (these cards function like cell phones and need a service plan with a provider - AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint-Nextel). choose the provider who's coverage fit you best.

here's a list with the cards available from all the wireless service providers. for the Inspiron 1521 you can get either a card with USB plug or an Express Card. cards with USB plug have the advantage that they can be used on almost every computer (cards with PCMCIA connectors - those from AT&T - won't fit in your laptop).

http://www.letstalk.com/cell-phones/shop...