What to do when your old, trusty laptop starts to die and you have to travel? How to get connected to the Internet in a quick, reliable (but clunky) fashion.
So my laptop chose to stop receiving WIFI networks just before my big trip down the coast. That was going to make doing business while traveling a bit tough.
And while I could use hotel lobby desktops and library computers to check email, I really hate that. I like my own machine, with my familiar bookmarks, password cookies, desktop icons and past history links.
Using someone else's computer is like driving someone else's car - you don't really know how well the gears mesh, where the headlight switch is or how sensitive the brakes are.
Better choices for accessing wireless networks while traveling were:
- to borrow my wife's iPod Touch for checking email (it's awkward for reading and terrible for writing, but the iTouch is reliable and also looks sleek),
- buy a new laptop (!),
- or to suck it up and fix my stupid old, dying laptop before the trip.
Great Timing
The laptop's WIFI meltdown occured two days before moving day and I didn't have time to screw with the thing. I took my laptop to the resident geek at Circuit City for their free "Firedog" checkup.
It turned out I needed to spend $50 on a new wireless USB adapter. The Firedog recommended the Linksys Compact Wireless - G USB Adapter. He also installed it, for free, while I waited. Good service.
An Inelegant Solution
The adaptor looks stupid. It sticks out of my computer like a limb, ready to break off at the slightest jar. One of my USB drives is also now permanently in use, which is annoying, too. However, I can log onto wireless networks, and that is what counts.
