how to get internet access in dorm

[iseeu_3]

ok, i am in tech school at sheppard airforce base and the dorms don't have phone jacks or cable connections either. you can't get one installed so i was wondering how i could get internet access in my room? i just bought a dell inspirion 1100 and it should be in in a week or so and i wanted to get it the internet up and running. i read an article in the magazine Laptop and they talk about AT&T's new Edge pc card that uses cell phone towers and is supposed to get 140 to 150 kps in some areas. it costs $149 w/ the rebate and $79 a month for unlimited internet access. this is the only option that i see that i can use. does anyone have any ideas? let me know if you need more info.

<shad>

[iseeu_3]

http://www.attwireless.com/personal/...itleNumber=11#


this is the website for that particular card that i was talking about, really expensive.

<shad>

[phenious]

If you cant find anything else I would say Give ATT deal a try. I use them for phones and their 30 Day trial is real. If you dont like it mail it back and your all good. Gotta sign a paper but other then that a phone call and a quick mailing is all it takes to get rid of the service. You will definatly want to try it to make sure you can use it inside of your room. It seems a lot of these technologies are messed up by buildings and metal just like a cell phone. Without a Cable or Phone jack I cant think of any way for you to surf the web other then this technology

-: phenious :-

[Losin sux]

Aren't there pay phones at the BX or close to your dayroom? They probably have data ports on them. Kinda sux that people can view what you are viewing as they walk by, but at least you would be able to do some emailing to your family. Just a thought and keep Aiming High.

[Than]

Since your in Tech school, chances are your not going to be there long. And since your posting here you do have some form of access to the internet. I would hold off until you get to a more permanant location. If you went the cellular route you will likely have to sign a 1-year contract.

[qsimpson]

I would give it a try but you can also consider sharing that connection and cost with some of your school mates. Toms Hardware has an article on how to kind of dasy chain wireless connections. Each person would need to purchase their own modem.

[iseeu_3]

well, first off i'm going to be here for 5 months. i'm going to be a crew chief on an f-16 so that isn't going to be a short school! i might try that ATT thing, it's $80 a month but oh well, i don't spend on any other bill; food's free, room is free, got no car insurance to pay, no girl friend. now i'm sad because i mentioned the no girl friend thing. the walls in my dorm are concrete, but people use their cell phones all the time in their rooms so i guess that doesn't mess up the connection. thanx for the help people!

<shad>

[HeadBand]

many schools have a wif connection througout the campus that you can connect on so if you haven't already check with someone...if there are any residintal places nearby you could offer to buy/split the cost of cable or dsl with them and use a wifi connection to get on...although depending on the enviornment it may be kindof hard to maintain a connecton without a rather large antenna

[iseeu_3]

i haven't asked anyone if there is a wifi point that i could connect on so i might try that. i'm willing to try just about anything to get i-net access in my dorm! thanx for the help people.

<shad>

[phenious]

I have found that it is very easy to sell unrestricted internet access in College dorms when the normall network is locked down, or in your case dosnt exist. Ive helped setup 2 cable connections @ my college where they put a wireless router on top of it. From there they allow people to get online for $5~10 so they can cover the costs of the connection. This allows everyone to play games and such and it helps out cause our schools network blows so its down 50% of the time. We use MAC address and WEP encryption so even if somebody gives his friend the key they cant get on without having a known MAC address. Im not sure how you could share your ATT connect but it would be worht looking into... I would think that you could get a wireless access poing or router.... plug it into your laptop with a lan cord.... then in network manager select your ATT wireless connection and the AP/router and bridge the two connections... that should allow anyone on the AP to use your wireless ATT Connection and you could charge them a few bucks to cover the cost, downside is you will have to leave your laptop on 24/7 and such so they can get on the net when they want as they are also paying for it.

-: phenious :-