(very easy) wireless network question!?

Question

I am about to be a freshman in college and just got a new (compaq) laptop with windows vista. I need to connect to a wireless network, but am very confused about the process. This is what the school website says about choosing a wireless card:

Wireless cards labeled with "Wi-Fi" will usually work with our network. To take advantage of encryption, the card should support WPA Enterprise. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that all cards will work on our network.

Best

For the best performance, we recommend choosing a wireless card which supports both the 802.11g and 802.11a standards. These devices can achieve the highest performance (up to 54 Mbs) and are best able to deal with radio interference where 802.11a coverage is available.

So, I was initially going to buy an Ethernet card. Will that still work? Do I need a separate wired connection? How would I get that?

Thanks for your patience!

Answer 1

You should provide us with the model number or the compaq that you have purchased, that would be the only way to confirm if there is a wireless card in it.  Like everyone has stated before me, the laptop should come with a wireless card built in and if so, it should be able to connect to your college network.

Vista only comes with "Windows Zero-Configuration" to setup your wireless.  And this supports WPA-Enterprise.

There should be a small icon in the lower right-hand side of the bottom bar, it looks like a computer with waves coming out.  That is where you configure your wireless.

Answer 2

You dont need the ethernet card because its already on your laptop, its for cable connection, plus your laptop will have a built-in wireless card. You will need to know the wep key of the colleges wireless network

Answer 3

you can plug in a usb wireless network adapter, from overstock for 19.99

they work great

Answer 4

An Ethernet card is for Wired access.  I can guarantee your new laptop has Ethernet built-in already.  

It most likely also has wireless (Wi-Fi) built-in.  Take a look at the box for any mention of WiFi, Centrino, or 802.11b 802.11g or 802.11n.  If it has one of these, you already have wireless and don't need to buy anything.

If it does not, you will need to buy a wireless adapter for your laptop.  Your college is suggest you buy a "dual-band" adapter.  These are hard to come by.  One mode you can find is the ZyXEL AG225HSP.  Its available at a number of online stores, and support 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a.

It will plug into a USB port on your laptop.

They also make adapter that you can slide inside your laptop, but you will need to see which type your laptop will support.  There are two common typs of these slots, you will have either a Cardbus or a Express slot.  

Answer 5

I'm pretty sure you laptop has a wireless adapter built-in if it's new.  You don't need to buy anything, just find the network and specify the wpa key the school gives you.

It's unlikely that your card supports 802.11a, but it is undoubtedly 802.11g.  You should be fine.

An ethernet card is for a wired connection, which is not offered by your school.