Forums

cavaqueen

Hi there,

The better half has given me a Sony VGN-N11S laptop for my birthday, and after spending hours looking at previous forums, I have become totally confused.

We want to use the laptop for internet acess and telephoning, both here and abroad.

I think i understand about skype, apart from do you have to have a phone to use it, or will just a headset do?

The main thing that is driving me nuts is, the machine has vista, windows xp, vaio, wireless lan and God knows what else, do I need anything else to acess the internet whilst parked at a wifi hotspot, or can we buy something to enable us to become a wifi spot ourselves? (I hope that makes sense)

Please help before i throw this very nice present out of the window, or go around looking totally ridiculous with clumps of hair missing.

thanks cavaqueen

JockandRita

Hi Cavaqueen,

I am new to this too having just aquired a Vaio.

As far as I am aware, with Wifi, you will need a WEP number if the wireless connection is secure. Apparently some places like McDonalds, Little Chef, and Wetherspoons, etc, will provide you with a code when you purchase a coffee for example.

If it is an insecure connection, it's up to you if you choose to use it or not. If you do, beware of sending sensitve details over the net.

My laoptop is connected to the wireless hub as soon as it is switched on, due to the WEP No being programmed in.

Jock.

Rapide561

Hello

I know nothing about Skype etc so will leave that to someone else.

In the Uk, as Jock says, you can use the secure internet access at places like Roadchef Services and McDonalds. These organisations are "members" of BT openzone and you must have a BT openzone account to use them.

BT openzone internet access costs as much as £6 for one hour, but if you pre pay etc, it comes to about a penny per minute.

Look here - www.btopenzone.com

There is lots of info there about using the net overseas.

I am in Italy at the moment. When I arrived here, I switched the laptop on and was getting a wireless signal from somewhere - presumably the campsite recpetion and I could get on the net. However, I do not think it is very secure and as a heavy net user, I opted for my own connection.

You can get online in Italy for 99 euros for a modem to connect to your laptop and and little as 20 euros for one months access.

Here is a pic of my "modem thing"

Most service areas here have internet hotspots and again, you need an account to use them

I do not know whether it is legal or ethical to use someone elses conection, but I feel better doing what I have done.

Russell

TonyHunt

Skype is dead easy to use either through a headset/mic or a VOIP phone which you can buy at any currys or comet or online etc. The latest skype version comes with the ability to have video also. Which means if you and the person your calling have a web cam you will be able to see each other while you talk. Calls between computers online are free anywhere around the globe, if however you wish to call somebody that doesnt have a computer no worries you just purchase "SKYPEOUT credit online (very cheap per minute) in amounts of I think 10 euros minimum and you can call from your computer to their landline or mobile number anywhere around the globe (almost)

refuel

Hi Cavaqueen

I'm a relative newcomer to wi-fi myself but know a lot more about Skype which I have used for a couple of years now as my main mode of communication with my son in France.

As regards what type of equipment you need.........no, you do not need a Skype or VOIP phone providing you are communicating with someone who also has Skype. Personally I use a pair of powered speakers and a cheap webcam with a built-in microphone. I have, in the past, used a microphone headset, a stalk microphone with PC speakers, and various other combinations, but I find my present setup is great. I get full natural sound from the speakers and my microphone seems to give my son perfectly adequate sound (he uses a microphone headset and a public bar free wi-fi connection incidentally).

Hope all this helps!

TonyHunt

You dont even need all that. Last year I bought one of the new intel 20" i macs. These have everything in the screen including the webcam, mic and speakers. I noticed in PC world the other day that a lot of the windows laptops are now shipping with webcams etc all built in the same.

refuel

Agree totally. Just got myself an Acer Aspire laptop with built in mic and speakers. A lot of the Acer models had built in webcams as well. My only reasons for using my present setup of speakers and webcam mic is because the Acer laptop speakers are rubbish, I already had the "clip-on" webcam for use on my desktop PC, I had a spare set of powered speakers and I basically would have paid an extra £70 or £80 for the same spec laptop with a built in webcam.

Horses for courses Cool