[alistairtang]

hey guys, i haven't got my playbook yet but it's arriving in a few days

the problem is i live in uni/college halls so don't have wireless internet from my room, but i do have a wired connection from the wall which gives me broadband

is there a way i can connect to the internet without paying too much for additional equipment?

thanks!
Alistair

[robsteve]

You probably need to ask the IT department of your school that question. You will need a wireless router, but that may not be allowed on the network in your room, or they may have to supply or configure one for you.

[alnamvet68]

Hook up your pc/laptop/mac to the wall outlet as you would in your home, via a router/modem (Netgear DGN 2000 Wireless router + Modem) for about $40.00. That should do the trick.

[brucep1]

I think you may be out of luck. Most dorm places don't allow wireless routers.

Not having wifi would be a dealbreaker for me if I just bought the PlayBook.

[alnamvet68]

He's going to need a modem to connect to the available wall connection; adding a router or using a router/modem combo shouldn't be an issue.

[kbz1960]

How about turning your computer/laptop into a wifi hotspot? Can't remember the software though.

[xxxmerlinxxx]

if you have a laptop that has wireless, but is using the wired connection. Download and install Your Hotspot, Your Way - Connectify . It will make your laptop a wireless access point and allow your pb to connect and surf through your school's connection. Its easy to setup and lock down.

[alistairtang]

if you have a laptop that has wireless, but is using the wired connection. Download and install Your Hotspot, Your Way - Connectify . It will make your laptop a wireless access point and allow your pb to connect and surf through your school's connection. Its easy to setup and lock down.

thanks a lot! that sounds like a good idea, ill give it a try

[robsteve]

Don't forget that the Playbook will not work on AD-HOC networks. It looks like Connectify uses AD-HOC with Windows XP and Vista.

[alnamvet68]

The problem with Connectify is that the host PC's internet connection gets severely crippled, even if other devices are not sharing the hot spot. Turning off other devices will not fix this issue, and only uninstalling the program will fix the host PC's problem. On the other hand, devices sharing the hot spot are unaffected. So, if you're going to use the host PC as a hot spot only, and never surf the net with it, I suppose you're ok.

[ruvcan]

I'm using Connectify on my laptop to create a hotspot. Check it out. And I'm pretty sure it's not using ad-hoc, I'm using this mainly for my 3ds at work which doesn't support ad-hoc at all. But I haven't tried it on the Playbook.

Your Hotspot, Your Way - Connectify

[blackjack93117]

How about turning your computer/laptop into a wifi hotspot? Can't remember the software though.

Connectify.me

another idea would be a wireless access point connected to your wired internet -the linksys WAP54g works great for me - has been around for years just got one for $20 at a garage sale.