Whats the difference between 802.11 a/b/g/n and WiFi things?

[AirForceElite]

Hey guys. you know in laptops they have all these wireless cards i am not familiar about

whats the diff between a WiFi card and a regular wireless card that has 802.11 written on it along with letters like a/b/g/n.

i tried on wikipedia, but wikipedia doesnt do comparasion, only shows a lot of info i dont need for each card. thats why i am confused

 

[John]

Which Wiki did you use? Look at the summary table under Protocol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11

 

[AirForceElite]

Thanks for heads up.
After reading so many technical terms in that article, i didn't get to that point when i was reading it for the first time
The protocol explains difference between a/b/g/n.
How about WiFi?
Like i know one of them is used to connect to hotspots and the other one is to surf the internet on the go.

for example there is lots of cofee shops out there that provide a so-called HotSpot. does it mean i can surf the intrawebz in that coffeeshop for free? or do i have to pay? how does it work.

and there is also other one, which lets me use internet like a satelite thing. i guess thats WiFi?
sorry my questions sound so dumb, but i dont want to buy a laptop and then find out that it cant do what i initially planed to do

 

[lyssword]

wifi = wireless. Just don't get wirless A or B as those are old standards. Wireless G should work just at about any hotspot. Wirless N is even faster (stream High Def video, etc..)

 

[Seekermeister]

WIFI is the same as wireless, except a bit more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFi

 

[John]

You can connect to any hotspot that is unsecured or if you have the encryption key. Not all coffeee shops allow free WiFi (wireless) access. Right now most laptops will ship with 802.11g adapters.

 

[Seekermeister]

lyssword,

From what I have read, N hasn't been approved yet. But, it seems that I recall one brand of card with something it calle Pre-N.

 

[AirForceElite]

john, what is this this encyrption key you speak of? and What is unsecured hotspot? Does it mean a hotspot that is not intended for share..meaning private hotspot?

and another question:

What do i need to surf the internet anywhere i want (well, except subways of course)
Like, on the streets, or in mountains, or in rural areas and stuff like that. I am what its called.. a internet freak. I totally go crazy just by thinking of connecting to internet somewhere in middle of the desert and play world of warcraft lol.
So what do i need to surf internet anywhere i want, not just hotspots.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: AirForceElite
john, what is this this encyrption key you speak of?

Think of it as password protected. No password = no access

and What is unsecured hotspot? Does it mean a hotspot that is not intended for share..meaning private hotspot?

It means no password so you can connect to it, hence the term unsecure.

What do i need to surf the internet anywhere i want (well, except subways of course)
Like, on the streets, or in mountains, or in rural areas and stuff like that. I am what its called.. a internet freak. I totally go crazy just by thinking of connecting to internet somewhere in middle of the desert and play world of warcraft lol.
So what do i need to surf internet anywhere i want, not just hotspots.

One method is to use your cell phone provider and purchase mobile broadband card. Read more....

 

[AirForceElite]

my provider is Rogers Wireless..which is Canada's #1 GSM provider.

and they offer this:
http://www.shoprogers.com/store/cable/I...perID=845PBKU7JM938KVG24GMC8TJ8BSK2U83

is it the same thing you mentioned?


and 2nd question: i heard something that you can actually use your own cell phone as modem to connect to internet. this of course means your phone has to have the singal in order to xfer data. can you shed some more light on it. or provide me with google links so i can learn myself?

 

[AirForceElite]

hey guys if any of you could answer the last question in my post above, i would really appreciate it

 

[jonesthewine]

Try asking
your provider.

Generally you must have the ability to access the web via your phone (data plan), then you must pay a monthly fee to use the phone as a modem for your laptop. Sprint charges an extra $40.00 per month for the privilege in the USA.

A mobile broadband card that taps into your cell provider's network is probably the best bet, given your need to stay connected.

Good Luck.