If you have internet access on home computer, do you automatically have Wi-Fi?

Question

I have an AT&T 2wire modem with dsl on my mac,and i want to buy a macbook. Will i be able to use the wireless feature? Do ihave to buy something elseto get internet on my laptop??

Answer 1

you need to get a wireless router. linksys and d-link are good brands.

Answer 2

No - you need a wireless router.

Answer 3

It depends.

Some modems have a built-in router (it would have multiple plugs for wired computers) and even wireless (look for an antenna)

If not, you need a Wireless Router (or access point if your modem has a built-in router)

If you only care about internet, 802.11b (11Mbps) is plenty fast. They don't really sell these anymore but what they do sell is 802.11g (54Mbps) which replaces and is backwards compatible with 802.11b.  This is also what most built-in WiFi laptops and handhelds sold today use. I wouldn't get anything else because it's just a waste of money. Residential broadband internet is usually only 1-5Mbps so even WiFi-b is plenty fast.

If you plan to do file-sharing, you care about the wireless speed more so go with 802.11g (54Mbps) or the new 802.11n (108Mbps).  I should say I've never actually seen 802.11n in action but from what I understand it's compatible with all 4 standards (a/b/g/n) and claims to be wider-range.

I like the Belkin 54G router because it's the cheapest name-brand one I've found ($39 at most office stores) and I know it works (I've installed 3 of them) but the brand is really up to you.  Only one of those Belkins has gone bad, and Belkin replaced it for free.  I don't know if all routers include this but the Belkin one comes with a setup CD that guides you through plugging everything in correctly and automatically programs the router to work as well as guiding you through enabling security.

Put your wireless router as high up as you can and as far from electrical and metal things as you can, that'll give you the best coverage.  If you have 2.4GHz cordless phones you may want to replace them with 5.8GHz, 900MHz, or the new DECT6.0 phones that won't cause interference.  Also, wireless video senders, or wireless cameras that run on 2.4GHz should be set to the farthest channel from your router (e.g. set video sender to 1 or A and put the router on channel 11).

Answer 4

If your laptop is wifi ready you can conect to any free wifi, if you are in range.

You need a router if there are none in range.

Answer 5

You'll need a wireless router. In fact, as soon as you add a second PC, you'll need a router if you want to be able to provide internet access to both computers.