I have a new Asus 701SD 7″ netbook that comes ready for wifi, but what do I do when I go somewhere there is no wifi…just regular dial up? The Asus people said I have to purchase a USB modem of some sort but did not explain anymore then that. Im not up on the latest and have seen different items for sale with that name on ebay. I dont want to buy the wrong thing. Does this actually plug into the wall and the netbook or what? Ive seen other things also that may (or may not) work, that plug into it wirelessly. ??? What are my options. I do know that I want to just buy something that will always work where there is service, and not have to pay a monthly service fee thru a mobile phone place. Thanks. Merry Christmas!
This netbook does not have a phone line hook up. Its meant to be used with the built in wifi. They said in order to be used with dial up, it has to be done thru usb from what I was told. I know many hotels offer free dial up but am not sure exactly what to buy to make it work. Thanks so far!
November 18th, 2009 at 10:44 am
You would still need to have an Dial up account with an ISP (Internet Service Provide). I don’t know if your present ISP (if you have one) will setup a dial up account for free or would they make you pay for it.
Your laptop should come with a RJ11 (phone connection) port already.
It is usually next to your RJ45 (NIC-Network Interface Card) port.
Most folks purchase an Air Card which is provided via your cell phone company like Sprint or Verizon and you pay for that service but you can also get on the Internet from anywhere, but like most cell phones there will be areas you won’t get a signal.
November 21st, 2009 at 8:18 am
You have a couple of options other than standard internet connections or open wifi signals:
1) The “USB modem” you elude to is a wireless modem that uses the cell phone data network. This is sold by the wireless companies (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc). Just go into any wireless store and they’ll have some options for you and can give you rate plans. I just looked at rate plans for Verizon in the SF Bay Area and they offered a $40/mo and $70/mo plan (if memory servers me well). They provided something like 5 megabytes of traffic (very light usage), or 5 gigabytes of traffic per month (standard web usage) respectively.
2) you can get a dialup modem. Many computers still come with a standard landline dialup modem in them. You would need a standard phone line and sign up for the service to use this. There are many service providers out there that have local numbers all over the US, and dial up usually costs in the $10-$15 per month category. But by today’s standards it’s dog slow.