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Re: Wireless networks

For years I've done all my work on a laptop.  It allows me to work virtually anywhere and take my research, archives (written and photo) wherever I go.  One problem though is that my office is on one side of the house, my library on the other...and the living room (where I do most of my late night work) in the middle.  When working on a writing project this has always meant leaving the laptop in one place attached to the high speed modem and power line while I shuttle between the other rooms.  No more.  Over the weekend I installed a wireless network.  It took about twenty minutes (lots of angst) to install the router (or AP...access point) and the PCMCIA card in the laptop.  Well, actually the weekend before I'd had two failed attempts at installation with a different brand of hardware.  Now I can write in the living room...move to the library or office...and still stay connected to the web while I'm working.  It's pretty amazing and in the end it was amazingly simple.  The entire set up ran only $150 and for another $50 I set my wife up on the network as well.  Now we can both use the same cable connection at the same time at no additional cost. 
    As a writer of the garden variety I think this has been the most important advance since the notebook computer.  Not everyone has the need to be untethered but it's been great for me.  I'm using a Linksys set up.  It was the Microsoft hardware that I had trouble with.  This in spite of excellent reviews saying how fool proof and easy it was.  On the other hand the Linksys hardware was installed using the included CD, connecting a few cables to the router, plugging in the PCMCIA card and I was online in either of the three rooms.  Oh, having Windows XP as an OS helps a lot also.  If you're interested or need encouragement drop me a line.

Andrew Messinger
The Hampton Gardener
The Hampton Gardener is a Registered Trade Mark
(Published every Thursday in the Southampton Press)

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