How to connect your netbook to the internet (no jargon!)

People often get confused about how to connect their netbooks (or laptops) to the internet. It’s the same for cheap netbooks or expensive netbooks - you can connect pretty much all netbooks to the internet in four ways…. And it’s really easy once you get past the jargon.

1 - Wired netbook connection using your home ISP

The first way, and one I use a lot, is just plug your netbook into your router at home, using the netbook’s Ethernet port and the cable supplied with your router.
This way works every time, gives a fast and secure connection, but means that you need to use your netbook within cable distance of your router. Any internet usage will be part of your normal broadband usage with your home ISP, but isn’t the point of netbooks that you can be mobile with them? Who wants to have nice new netbooks tied up by a cable?

netbook router ethernet or wireless

2 - Wireless netbook connection using your home ISP

Another way to get online with netbooks if you’re at home is to connect wirelessly to your home router.

It’s a very easy  process - just turn the netbook on and it will seek out your router. You get a fast connection, good security (if you tell your router to use WPA encryption) and it will usually work anywhere in your house or garden. Several netbooks, laptops or other computers can use your internet connection this way from the same router, so your family and friends can use their netbooks at the same time.

3 - Wifi netbook connection out and about

A really cheap way to get online when you’re out and about is Wifi. Many busy locations - pubs, hotels, shopping malls - have “wifi hotspots” which are simply powerful wireless routers that you can use to connect your netbooks wirelessly to the net.

Some are free and can be used by any computers that are nearby. Others are owned by telecomms operators like BT Openzone or mycloud and you need to pay to use them. Monthly subscriptions or pay as you go are available. So are these free and cheap choices ideal for using with cheap netboks?

For anything other than general browsing on netbooks, beware of wifi. The free ones have no security at all, and the others have password protection, but the data you send and receive is not encrypted. This means anyone in the vicinity could snoop and listen in on what you were doing.  I don’t bother with wifi for this reason.

See our separate feature on Wifi for more about this.

4 - Your 3G netbook connection - at home or away.

netbook dongle for 3G wireless internet

The final way to connect  netbooks to the net - (and yes there are only four ways - I told you it was easy) is using the latest mobile phone network - 3G short for Third Generation. Just like a mobile phone, you can pay as you go or take out a monthly subscription with one of the phone companies to suit your needs. Then, using a little device like a USB stick called a USB modem, or a “dongle” plugged into your netbook, you can connect quickly and securely to the net in most of the UK and lots of places overseas. Some netbooks even have a slot to put your  SIM card straight in

If you can use a mobile phone where you are, you can probably connect to the internet using 3G. Many people use 3G to connect netbooks to the net even at home and don’t bother with a normal ISP.

See our separate feature on 3G for more.

Similar netbooks include:

1. How to use Wifi with netbooks Wifi is everywhere in the news these days, but what...
2. Mobile broadband What is mobile broadband? The big advantage of a netbook...
3. 3G mobile broadband on netbooks What is 3G for netbooks? If you’ve read my article...