[an excerpt from a reply sent to a long-time client of mine]
* * * * * *
Q: "For instance, I see where the Apple iPad is WiFi. I'm not knowledgeable about WiFi."
It's not that the iPad "is" wifi. It's more accurate to say that the iPad "has wifi capabilities". What this means is that the iPad has a built-in "WiFi" (wireless) antennae that allows it to connect to a "WiFi" (wireless) signal. The source of a wifi signal is most commonly a wireless router... one that anyone can buy from the local electronics store ($40 - $100) to install in your home, office, or shop. The wireless router is typically connected to the cable or DSL modem... and in doing so makes the wifi signal a pathway to your cable/DSL modem and therefor to the internet. So a "birds eye" way of looking at the mechanics:
- your iPad has "wifi" (aka. has a wireless antennae)
- there is a wireless signal available that you wish to connect to
- this wireless signal originates from a wifi router (in a home, office, or shop)
- you instruct your iPad to connect to the wifi signal, which may or may not require you to enter a wifi security key
- you open up your browser and surf the net! On the iPad, iTouch, iPhone and all Apple computers your browser is Safari by default. On all Windows PC's your browser can be Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari (and others).
Q: "Would WiFi be like that D-Links router that was on my computer and I asked for you to remove it? I still have it out in the garage."
I believe the DLink router you had was just a plain router and not a "wireless router". A wireless router is different from a normal router in that the wireless router has antennas that allow it to broadcast a wireless signal. The type and model (oldes it "B", then "G", and now "N") of the wifi router will determine how large of a coverage area a signal can be broadcasted. The newest type of wifi router is the "N" type - which broadcast a signal with the furthest coverage... in most cases a couple hundred feet in radius. A wifi signal must be broadcast in order for devices equipped with a wifi antennae to be able to see it and connect to it.
Q: "Is WiFi free or is there a charge for it.? I was looking at YouTube and some people were claiming that you can get free WiFi access on your computer. Is that legal?"
"WiFi" is on a service that you pay for from a company. Think of "WiFi" as just another method of doing the same thing - there is no cost associated. For example, you can have a regular keyboard and mouse that require cables to plug into the computer, and then you can have a wireless keyboard and mouse that don't need cables. You have Xbox and Playstation game controllers that use cables, and you have the wireless Xbox and Playstation controllers that don't need cables. You can have a computer that uses a network cable which connects to your cable or DSL modem in order to connect to the internet, or you can buy a wifi router to broadcast a wifi signal and have your computer or laptop connect to that signal in order to reach your cable or DSL modem - and therefor the internet. Your cable or DSL modem is the source of your internet connection. Wifi is just another means for a device to reach your cable/DSL modem - but instead of using a network cable, you use a wifi signal.
As long as your computer (pc or laptop) or device (iPad, iPhone) has a "wifi" (wireless) antennae, it can search the airwaves and find a wifi signal to connect to. This wifi signal is again coming from a wireless router, which is in turn attached to a cable or DSL modem for the internet source. Of course in your neigborhood there may be neighbors who have a wifi router and are broadcasting their own wifi signals from their homes. There is nothing stopping anyone else with a device equipped with a wifi antennae to search the airwaves and attempt to connect to any wifi signal out there. However most people who have purchased a wifi router also know to assign a password to their wifi signal so that in order for anyone to connect to that signal, they would need to enter a secret password.
Q: "I hear about cards for WiFi and I am getting confused. I hear about computers that are WiFi enabled. I am very sure mine isn't. So, would that D-Links router be my WiFi connection?"
The DLink router cannot be your wifi connection as we assume it is not a wireless router. We are assuming that your DLink device is just a plain router... so it cannot broadcast a wifi signal for your devices. New desktop computers do not come with a built-in wifi antennae. You can buy wifi antennas for your desktop computer that can plug into a USB port or install it internally as part of the motherboard. In contrast, all laptops nowadays come with a built-in wifi antennae. And, of course the iPad comes with a built-in antennae too. More and more devices are being designed with built-in wifi antennae in orders to communicate with a wireless router... like smartphones and printers. "WiFi enabled" just means the device has a built-in wireless antennae.
However, when you hear the term "wifi card" that usually mean something totally different. A "wifi card" is the standard term for a special antennae that you can buy from your cell phone carrier (ATT, Verizon, Tmobile, etc). This wifi card can be installed in a special "card" slot in a laptop or plugged into a USB port in a laptop or desktop computer. What the wifi card does is establish a connection directly to the cell carrier's cellphone towers/satellites. This connection then enables your device to connect to the internet via the cellphone towers/satellites. So instead of accessing the internet through your high-speed internet service from Cox or Qwest that you may be paying for, by using a "wifi card" you are accessing the internet from the same cell towers/satellites that all the cellphones use. The advantage of this type of a connection is, wherever you have cellphone coverage, you also have internet access on your computer with the wifi card. However there is additional cost. In addition to the cost of the wifi card itself, you also need to sign up for a "data/internet plan" with the cell phone carrier which is a month fee anywhere from $40-$80 per month.
Q: "Since I have Cox on this computer, if I were to get a WiFi device, what is needed for the Wi-Fi gadget to get the content from my computer?"
You will need to get a wireless router and attach that to your cable modem. Then you configure the wifi router by telling it what name you wish the wifi router to broadcast its wifi signal as... like "John Does Wifi" or "My Home Wifi" or "Do Not Connect", for example. Then I would advise to set a password to this wifi signal so that your neighbors, who might have a wifi enabled device, cannot successfully connect to your new wifi signal without know your secret wifi password.
By doing these steps, your wifi enabled device will be able to access the internet. If the device has a browser, you will be able to open that browser and surf the internet.
However, when you say "get the content from my computer" I assume you mean being able to transfer files like music and photos from this device and your computer. With the iPad in particular, there is a USB cable that you connect between the iPad and your computer. Then you use iTunes that is installed on your computer to facillitate the transfer/synchronization process between the iPad and the computer. Only files that can work with iTunes can between transferred to the iPad. The wifi aspect of the iPad does not have anything to do with transferring files between your iPad and your computer. From what I understand you need to use the supplied USB cable.
Q: "Can I check my Outlook Express E-mail on a WiFi gadget like the iPad?"
No. From what I understand, you need to use iPad's own brand of email program and configure it to manage your email. Outlook Express is a Microsoft product and is not available on any Apple branded devices.
Q: "Or surf the Internet?"
Yes, you can surf the internet. The iPad uses Safari as the browser instead of Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Q: "I read where the Apple iPad comes with the Safari browser, yet, I don't know if I have to pay using this Safari browser if it is WiFi."
No, the Safari browser is just a built-in program used to surf the internet, like Internet Explorer or Firefox. You do not need to pay for the browser. And again, wifi is just the ability (via built-in wifi antennae) to connect to your existing internet connection via a wifi signal broadcasted from a wifi router. The only charge is what you are already paying monthly for your high-speed internet connection. Of course you need to buy a wifi router, which costs $40 - $100.
Q: "I read where Kindle has built in WiFi where you can download books without using a PC."
From what I understand, the various Kindle models out there do not have built-in wifi - according to our definitions so far. What they actually have is a built-in "wifi card". These are the antennas that allow it to connect to the cell phone towers/satellites as I mentioned before. In the case of the Kindles, their antennas are programmed to establish an internet connection via the Sprint cell network only. There is no monthly cost for this Sprint internet connection however. Kindles to not have a browser installed so you cannot surf the internet. The Kindles are designed only to download and display text from books and view basic informational websites sites like Wikipedia.
* * * * * *
