Thanks to the kindness of my parents, I got a new laptop for Christmas, but as yet I haven't decided what to do about getting it onnected to the Internet. I have a phone line in my flat, but I have never had a landline phone installed, as I have always used a mobile. One advantage of laptops is, of course, that you can use them to surf the net in any location equipped with Wi-Fi transmitter/receivers. However, what would be the cheapest way to get connected to the Internet, considering that I have very little money to spare (I STILL have no job, and I can save or spare very little money for expenses like standing charges, monthly connection fees, etc. having already all the normal expenses (Mobile, TV licence, credit card, rent, etc.). I would therefore greatly appreciate your help on the following questions:

1.) Can I access the internet on a laptop at Wi-Fi locations without setting up a contract/connection for it via my landline at home?

2.) Can I access the Internet at all at Wi-Fi locations on an entirely free basis without any registration for an ISP, monthly/annual fees, etc, or is there any form of FREE registration for an ISP to allow limited internet use or certain facilities such as email only in a Wi-fi area?

3.)Is an ISP necessary at all, to surf the net/ use email on a portable computer at Wi-Fi locations?

4.)If free access/registration is not possible, what is the cheapest way to register with an ISP, either by my own landline, or in a purely Wi-Fi mode?

5.) What is the cheapest package (Either annual, or pay by the month, for setting up a connection via my landline to my laptop at home? Will I have to pay a standing charge and install a landline phone, or are there ways you can do it without paying to install a conventional phone (I'm thinking about services like 'skype' which allow phonecalls over the internet).

I know its not specifically a 'Sheffield' thread, but just to add, I do live near the centre of Sheffield, and the building I live in has NO, repeat NO cable TV, so the option of cheap internet/phone via a cable TV company is a non-runner...

I'd be really grateful for any answers that people have from their own experiences.:thumbsup:

I'll try and answer as best as poss :)

1. Yes you should be fine with that
2. Yes assuming the place with the access allows you free access, you should have full internet access.
3. No.
4/5. You only need an ISP to access the net at home, broadband starts from as little as £10/month I think depending on packages. You'd need to have a landline connected if you want ADSL, and similar costs too if you want cable.

Some people are daft and don't lock down their home wireless connections but connecting through those is illegal as far as I'm aware.

If you don't need access at home then you can get away with using hotspots around town, otherwise you need a landline and ADSL...you could get a standard modem but it's not saving you anything and is so very slow!

Don't know who your mobile is with, but I'm with Orange and a few weeks ago a guy called me to offer me free broadband. He said there were no strings attatched. I've looked into it and it doesn't seem to be the best service available, but for free you can't go wrong.

I should add that I'm on a contract, they may not offer this to PAYG customers.

If you do decide to get broadband at home, BT line rental (for the phone line) is about £11 a month. Your broadband service is extra.

Can you see any wireless networks on your laptop? Maybe you could speak to neighbour with a wireless router and offer them a contribution to share theirs?

Have a look at http://www.guide2broadband.com/ for broadband providers info and http://www.networksforhome.com/ for info on setting up and accessing a wireless network.

I'll try and answer as best as poss :)

1. Yes you should be fine with that
2. Yes assuming the place with the access allows you free access, you should have full internet access.
3. No.
4/5. You only need an ISP to access the net at home, broadband starts from as little as £10/month I think depending on packages. You'd need to have a landline connected if you want ADSL, and similar costs too if you want cable.

Some people are daft and don't lock down their home wireless connections but connecting through those is illegal as far as I'm aware.

If you don't need access at home then you can get away with using hotspots around town, otherwise you need a landline and ADSL...you could get a standard modem but it's not saving you anything and is so very slow!



Thanks, all for the help so far, but what exactly is ADSL, and what does it do that wireless can't?

Andy, I have an Orange PAYG phone at present although I had a contract phone which I built up an arrears with on the bill and then paid it off, and I was told by Orange that I can 'ressurect' the number within 6 months of the disconnection when I had to pay the bill off. Maybe I can try that.

Keep the advice coming in, and BTW, thanks to admin for moving my thread to the correct Topic Section. But please, PLEASE, could you arrange the Forum topic areas and 'sub-topics' A BIT MORE CLEARLY on the Home Page!!!!?????!!!!

I did search for a specific 'computing' topic area when I first posted the thread, but, surprise, SURPRISE, I COULDN'T FIND IT....?????!:huh:

Folks,

I have been so busy that I've hardly had the time to search for any cheap/free connection options, but does anyone know of any new offers by BT or other companies; a friend told me a few days ago that I might be able to get a Broadband connection for as little as £6 a month.

There are also Broadband/Mobile deals which might work out at a competitive rate.

Does anyone else know about the £6 Broadband deal, though?