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What do you need to have wireless cable internet for a notebook computer?

December 21st, 2008
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Tiffani W asked:


My father is wanting to get cable internet for his notebook computer with out all of the extra wires going across the room… what all does he need to be able to do this? His computer is an older Dell notebook that has ME on it, if that makes a difference.
Does he really need a cable modem, wireless router and a wireless reciever? Could there be a wireless cable modem out on the market? That way he would only have to buy that and a reciever?

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  1. Seth
    December 23rd, 2008 at 00:19 | #1
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    No, you can plug an ethernet cable into the ethernet port of your notebook computer from your router or modem. If you choose to, you can use wireless internet. I always choose the wired way it is faster and easier to deal with.

  2. patyy p
    December 26th, 2008 at 04:47 | #2
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    U NEED A ROUTER OR WIRELESS CARD INSTALLES IN YOUR SYSTEM OR BLUETOOTH AND A SITE THT GIVES FREE WIRELESS CONNECTION.

  3. hypofocus
    December 27th, 2008 at 14:54 | #3
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    He’ll need a router to connect to the cable modem that can send out a wireless signal. And on his laptop he’ll need a receiver. His probably doesn’t have a built-in receiver like most modern laptops, so he’ll need to get a little card that slides into one of the slots in the side. Both are pretty cheap, and (usually) easy to set up.

  4. whizkid36
    December 28th, 2008 at 04:01 | #4
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    He will need:

    Wireless router connected to the modem
    Wireless Notebook Adapter for the laptop

    The adapters are either PCI or USB based. Make sure which port the computer has. If it has both, then get a PCI one as you can use the USB for something else (like webcam, camera) at the same time.

  5. EdrickV
    December 28th, 2008 at 16:29 | #5
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    If he already has a wireless router installed and setup to provide the wireless connection to the laptop, he’d need a wireless notebook adapter (aka PCMCIA card) or possibly a USB wireless adapter. Unless the computer has built-in wireless. (Which it probably doesn’t.) The trick is he’d need one that has support for WindowsME.

    Example of a PCMCIA card type wireless adapter:
    This would fit in a slot on the laptop. (Likely on one of the sides.) I use one of these in my XP laptop.

    Example of a USB type wireless adapter:
    This would plug into a USB port on the laptop. (if it has USB ports) The USB ports would probably be on the back of the laptop. I use a USB adapter on my desktop, but it’s not this style. (It’s larger, has a movable antenna, and connects via a USB cord so would be a bit inconvenient for a laptop.)

    If the laptop has a PCMCIA slot that’s not being used, I’d go with the PCMCIA card over the USB adapter because he may want to use the USB ports for other stuff. (Keyboard, mouse, external harddrive, printer, etc.)

    Note that I don’t think that laptop would support USB 2.0, only 1.1. (Even XP won’t support USB 2.0 without SP1 or SP2.)

    If he doesn’t have a wireless router, then he’d have to buy one and get it setup first. That is a task in itself. (Though if he had a wireless card for the laptop he could use free wireless access points available elsewhere, like in hotels, if he has his laptop with him.)

    Edit: If he has cable internet, he’ll have a cable modem. (More then likely provided by his cable company.) I don’t think you actually buy the cable modem any more then you buy the cable TV boxes. The wireless router would provide one side of the wireless connection and the notebook’s wireless adapter is the other side. Some companies may even provide hardware for wireless networking, or at least help you set it up. Some may not.

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