Dom the Pom

I have no phone line in my rental, and can not stand the thought of another two weeks driving to bl00dy internet cafes.

Does anyone know of somewhere I could possibly hire a wireless lap top?

Dom

p.s. I don't want to buy, as when we settle I want a home PC.

ohippy

sorry, I can't help. I do know that wireless is a bit hit and miss in Perth so good luck

StellaDave

you need a phone line, then you need ADSL on it, then you need a wireless router, then you need a wireless laptop.

In UK I have cable, I dont know if this is available in OZ, still requires it being installed though with a wireless router.

The only other way a laptop can be wirelessly connected to the net is by using someone else's wireless network, i.e. a hotel lobby.

It's a common misconception to think all you need is "wireless internet" then your off, the advertising by ISP's does my head in, it's confusing and leaves people in the dark about what they're really buying.

Well that's the way it works in blighty, I'm assuming it's the same in OZ. Netowrks are the same all over the world so I can't see how it would be different.

Good luck!
Dave

Swerv-o

Yes, all this is largely true here too. Though, in Sydney (no idea about Perth) there is a company called Unwired who do completely wireless internet, but you have to buy their own wireless modem.

It works by acting instead of a phone line, so you can take it where you want, providing it's within range of the transmitter.

On the negative side, it's not desperately fast, and the reception can be a bit patchy. I also have no idea how much the modem is. You can get a router and the other gubbins on the other end if you want, but it may not be worth it for just one pc. Have a look at

www.unwired.com.au

like I just have. You, like I, will see that its only in Sydney and Melbourne, but as you've had to drive to the internet cafe anyway, you can have a look at what you're missing out on. This is what comes of moving to Perth

S

Dom the Pom

Thanks for your replies gentlemen.

Looks like I'll have to continue visiting this seedy dive for a while longer.

StellaDave

If your really desperate you could try a 3G/GPRS solution dependant upon coverage, either a Data card type (for a laptop) or USB GPRS modem for any PC. You will pay high data rates, but it might be cheaper than an Internet cafe. You can buy a Vodafone 3G card here in UK for about £200. A USB GPRS modem will set you back about £100. You will need a sim for both, get a contract one so the data rates are lower, these usually also come with about 1MB per month free, this would cover email, excluding attachments but not much else.

The good thing about this is once you have your phone line Internet then if you travel a lot then you will always have Internet connectivity, albeit dependant upon 3g/GPRS coverage.

Dave