The Wireless Internet Is Popping Up Everywhere

You really never realize how hard it is to live without something until you actually do have to live without it. We've had our AirPort wireless base station and network for about a year now, and it's absolutely fantastic. Not only can I surf the Net from just about anywhere in the house, last fall when we were having our garage sale I took my laptop out so I could check my email and not have to go inside when potential customers might come.

We've recently had problems with the router that allows me to use my beige G3 and our PC downstairs with the cable modem. Until we replace the router, we've temporarily connected the AirPort base station to the network, which allows two laptops to function, my mom's iMac, and my sister's iMac. For a few days we had no problems.

Then, starting on Tuesday, the connection would occasionally drop off, but disconnecting and reconnecting the power supply could always fix it. On Wednesday the connection would drop about 5 seconds after you reconnected the power supply, and by late Wednesday afternoon it just wasn't working at all.

I debated calling the Apple Store and troubleshooting it with them, but I decided that perhaps leaving it unplugged for a whole day might fix it. I unplugged it yesterday, and plugged it back in this afternoon. Luckily everything worked again.

It was hard to live without it; I've pretty much come to depend on the Internet for a lot. I read the news online, I have a list of websites that I check daily, and I talk with most of my friends online, since it's cheaper and easier than a phone call. Without the Internet, a computer around here doesn't seem to get much use. Thankfully it's back up again.

Wireless Internet is really becoming popular these days, even more so than when I last wrote about it. You see it everywhere - signs for service at Starbucks, at airports, and even now at some McDonald's!

In my dad's apartment, there were no less than eight wireless networks available.

Of course, it's popularity has been helped significantly by the new Centrino chips and the wireless cards that Apple has been offering as an option for several years.

Wireless Internet has become a realistic option for home users and education users as well. At school, students can have laptops at their desks and be searching the Internet for information on projects and research papers without leaving the classroom. At home, you can sit in your bed and surf the Web, something I remember doing a few years ago with a phone cord dangling off the side and running across the room.

I'd love to see wireless Internet available everywhere. Imagine being able to open up your laptop in a park and checking your email - or sitting on the train browsing the Web to pass the time. While it theoretically could be done (and perhaps has been done in some places), it's just not practical enough. The range of the signal is not far enough to make it realistic for most parks - and in trains the metal doors and walls would probably interfere with the signal.

What they're doing at airports and other locations is a great idea, but you have to sign up for it in advance; you simply can't stop in at a Starbucks, open up your laptop, and send off a quick email. Obviously it's not free, but if you could buy it there - like you can buy a caramel frappuccino - it might get some more use.

Wireless Internet access has potential and is starting to reach it, but it isn't everything that some people might think it is. It's got it's limitations, but considering that just a few years ago people were all rushing out to get 56K modems, it's a big step forward.