The
equipment you use to connect to a WiFi hotspot is VERY
important.
Believe it or not, your equipment - computer / adapter
/ operating system / drivers - is just as important
as the Coach Connect equipment in making the Internet
connection work. It's a two-way radio. The Coach Connect
Access Points, antennas,
and
amplifiers
are one side of the equation. Your computer, WiFi adapter,
antenna, and controlling software is the other side.
Let me use an analogy to the cell phone world. I remember
when I was first researching cell phone service providers,
I would
ask
everyone
I knew,
"How
do you like your service from XYZ company?" I
was very surprised when one woman answered me, "My
service is lousy - lots of places, even at home, I
have no signal
at all and, where I do have signal I'm constantly getting
dropped. However my son shares the same service and
loves it. His signal is always strong and he never
gets dropped. The only difference is that he has a
different phone!" I can now attest to this from
personal experience. Jim and I share the same phone
service.
He sits on one side of our motorhome and I'm on the
other. My phone has 1 bar of signal and his has 4.
I can't make calls without plugging into the external
antenna - he can. Our phones are even from the same
manufacturer, but his is a newer model.
It's the same thing with WiFi and your computer except
that it's more complicated. Cell phones are built to
do one thing - make calls. Connecting to a WiFi hotspot
is only one of hundreds of functions built into computers.
The more you know about this stuff, the more amazed
you are when it DOES work! Let's take a look at each
part of your equipment that is involved.
802.11b/g Wireless Adapter and antenna: This
is the single most critical element of your system
for
connecting to a WiFi hotspot. There are several
types of adapters: 1) built-in to the computer, 2) PC Card
adapter, 3) USB adapter, 4) Ethernet bridge adapter.
Your antenna may be part of the adapter itself, or
you may have a separate antenna. Built in adapters
rarely have enough power or positioning capablility
to connect to a hotspot unless it's within 100 ft.
Cards may be more powerful, but it can be so important
to orient them towards the hotspot's access point,
and the only way to do that is to move your whole computer.
USB adapters are the recommended solution. They are
usually rated for a distance of 3-400 feet and, since
they're on a wire, you can orient them for the best
signal, even stick them out a window. Remember 'rabbit
ear' antennas on TVs? Same thing - orientation is critical.
The ethernet bridge adapters
with
an external
antenna are the most powerful, but they cost more,
and you need more technical expertise to set them up.
We have been successful with this type of adapter in
connecting to an Access Point over 700 feet away.
Computer: The
newer the better. WiFi has only been in existence since
about
2001, and
it
has only become popular in the last year (2004)
or so. Computer manufacturers are now paying attention
to WiFi capabilities. A year ago they weren't. So,
odds are, if your computer was built after January
2004 it should be pretty good. After January 2005 is
even better. If it was built in 2001 it's not going
to work very well, if at all. We have seen 5 year old
computers connect successfully to a WiFi hotspot -
but I wouldn't
want to use it because it was so slow.
USB Port: If you use a
USB adapter, you should know that the USB ports
changed in late 2003. The older 1.1 version should
only be used with 1.1 USB adapters. The 2.0 adapters
claim to be downward compatible with USB 1.1 ports,
but don't believe it. We have seen a USB 2.0 adapter
plugged into a USB 1.1 port and be able to connect
to a WiFi hotspot, but it was deadly slow and kept
dropping the signal. Plug a 1.1 adapter into the
1.1 port and it worked fine. And the 2.0 adapter worked
great when plugged into a 2.0 port.
Operating System: Windows XP and
Macintosh OS X understand WiFi and have built-in facilities
for managing
wireless networks and adapters. Anything other than
those 2 operating systems and you will have less than
optimum performance. Windows 98 is usually OK, as long
as it is Second Edition. Windows 98 (not Second Edition)
was not meant to support USB ports. And Windows ME
just doesn't do anything very well!
Device Drivers: These are the little
software programs that control or 'drive' your hardware
components. Device drivers are made by the same company
that makes the device. So, if you have a Linksys USB
adapter, you will need to install the Linksys device
driver. If the driver that came with your device (on
the CD in the box) is more than 6 months old, you may
want to go to the manufacturer's website and see if
there is a newer one you can download. I've been very
surprised to see the difference in performance after
upgrading the drivers.
Viruses and Spyware: Although this
isn't a piece of equipment, it does refer to the condition
of your equipment.
Having viruses and spyware on your system is like having
sugar in your gas tank. Nothing works well. Make sure
to keep your
system clean and up to date.
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