[Ham-Computers] Wireless

[jeff]

Purchase a wireless card for your laptop.  There are pcmcia wireless 
cards as well as those that plug into your USB port.  Neither are 
particularly expensive.  Try to stick with a known brand, as well as one 
that supports more than one format (A, B, G, whatever).

I have never been to a campground (the closest I get is sitting on a 
blanket in front of the tv), but I'd hazard a guess that there are 
instructions provided when you arrive.  There might be a key you have to 
type in or it might be wide open... in either case, it won't be a big deal.

When I carry my laptop to a friend's house, it just picks up their 
wireless system and hooks up.


Now, having said that, you need to remember that you are not on a secure 
system.  Depending on the setup, anyone with a wireless `sniffer' can 
intercept your information.  They can even hack into your pc if you 
don't have it secured properly.  Don't input anything you wouldn't want 
the entire campground to know, for safety's sake.

I don't know if you use one, but a firewall is a great thing to have. 
Zone Alarm (zonelabs.com) has a free one that's very effective, as does 
Comodo and Kerio.  An UPDATED virus scanner is also necessary.  AVG is 
free and highly-rated.  I use Symantec.

Better safe than sorry.

Email if you have any other questions.
Have a safe journey!