No router, no PB setup: what to do?

I bought an ASUS RT-N56U (supposed to be one of the best) and tried to set up the router, but had issues (according to the ASUS tech who spend over 50 minutes helping me) between the router and Windows Vista. My question for this forum is this: should i just go to some place, like a Starbucks coffee shop with wi-fi and try to set up the PB there? Will it work or do I have to set it up at home first?

I now have a PB sitting in my drawer for over 2 weeks, doing nothing. Alternatively, i could wait and upgrade to Windows 8, scheduled to be available in late October, to install and then set up my router. Any thoughts anyone?

Here's a question (and I hope I am not being a heretic in posing it): does the Nexus 7 also need to be set up using a router first?

You can use any wifi to do the initial setup, so yes grab a coffee at starbucks, or more cheaply at a Tim Hortons a s alot of them now have free wifi :)

Is the connection problem a playbook issue or have you not been able to connect anything wirelessly to the router?

in reverse order:
yes, the n7 requires a wifi connection for 1st set up. it uses it to connect to yiur gmail accou t,whereas the pb will probably dl 500+mb before getting anywhere. it may then, in my experience, decide that didn't work very well and provide youwitha 3000* error. this will require you to connect your still functionless tab to your pc, dl and install software to said pc, and then reconnect your still unworking tab to re-download another 500+mb of data and reboot it in the slowest possible fashion. after which ,youllbe able to enjoy a fully functioning, very cheap, but quite poor user experience until the release of bb10. your mileage may vary.
oops, by this point I've forgotten the other points... apologies, the multitasking doesn't work so well, but at least that puts me and the pb on a par with each other.
as far as iam concernd, the pb is a very capable media player for stuff you've already got. the rest of it is pretty average at best. sorry to all those who love it, but I can find few redeeming features (and I am still to really find a use for the camera, probably as I am not living in a Scorcese gangster movie "wait, just let me get my pb out, its 1080 I tell ya, fugeddaboutit")
btw, it is very well made-- that is the redeeming feature, for me, using it as a media player for kids.

after rereading the op. it should connect to your router. that seems to be an issue to begin with. on another hand, the point about starbucks... I refer you to my first paragraph (I hope it works 1st time for you)

Originally Posted by kboya

in reverse order:
yes, the n7 requires a wifi connection for 1st set up. it uses it to connect to yiur gmail accou t,whereas the pb will probably dl 500+mb before getting anywhere. it may then, in my experience, decide that didn't work very well and provide youwitha 3000* error. this will require you to connect your still functionless tab to your pc, dl and install software to said pc, and then reconnect your still unworking tab to re-download another 500+mb of data and reboot it in the slowest possible fashion. after which ,youllbe able to enjoy a fully functioning, very cheap, but quite poor user experience until the release of bb10. your mileage may vary.
oops, by this point I've forgotten the other points... apologies, the multitasking doesn't work so well, but at least that puts me and the pb on a par with each other.
as far as iam concernd, the pb is a very capable media player for stuff you've already got. the rest of it is pretty average at best. sorry to all those who love it, but I can find few redeeming features (and I am still to really find a use for the camera, probably as I am not living in a Scorcese gangster movie "wait, just let me get my pb out, its 1080 I tell ya, fugeddaboutit")
btw, it is very well made-- that is the redeeming feature, for me, using it as a media player for kids.

Well...as long as you're not bitter!

Tim

nope,not bitter, just very disappointed. but hey, I've made a new friend in Tim, who is willing to engage, and a media player (which may or may not do so). smileyface?

Set up my PB at Panera Bread, free wifi. At the time I did not have wifi at home, used BB bridge and tethering. Now have Uverse wifi at home which works great and connect to wifi at work daily.
Enjoy your PB
:)

Originally Posted by 312Lorden

I bought an ASUS RT-N56U (supposed to be one of the best) and tried to set up the router, but had issues (according to the ASUS tech who spend over 50 minutes helping me) between the router and Windows Vista. My question for this forum is this: should i just go to some place, like a Starbucks coffee shop with wi-fi and try to set up the PB there? Will it work or do I have to set it up at home first?

I now have a PB sitting in my drawer for over 2 weeks, doing nothing. Alternatively, i could wait and upgrade to Windows 8, scheduled to be available in late October, to install and then set up my router. Any thoughts anyone?

Here's a question (and I hope I am not being a heretic in posing it): does the Nexus 7 also need to be set up using a router first?

Yes, you should go to where you can obtain wifi access and set up the PB. Then, I would return the ASUS router and get something that works. If it can't even be set up with your PC, I wouldn't want it around, no matter good it is supposed to be. You could even do that instead of spending time at Starbucks, since it seems like it would be something you'd want for more than just the initial setup of your PB.

Originally Posted by kboya

in reverse order:
yes, the n7 requires a wifi connection for 1st set up. it uses it to connect to yiur gmail accou t,whereas the pb will probably dl 500+mb before getting anywhere. it may then, in my experience, decide that didn't work very well and provide youwitha 3000* error. this will require you to connect your still functionless tab to your pc, dl and install software to said pc, and then reconnect your still unworking tab to re-download another 500+mb of data and reboot it in the slowest possible fashion. after which ,youllbe able to enjoy a fully functioning, very cheap, but quite poor user experience until the release of bb10. your mileage may vary.
oops, by this point I've forgotten the other points... apologies, the multitasking doesn't work so well, but at least that puts me and the pb on a par with each other.
as far as iam concernd, the pb is a very capable media player for stuff you've already got. the rest of it is pretty average at best. sorry to all those who love it, but I can find few redeeming features (and I am still to really find a use for the camera, probably as I am not living in a Scorcese gangster movie "wait, just let me get my pb out, its 1080 I tell ya, fugeddaboutit")
btw, it is very well made-- that is the redeeming feature, for me, using it as a media player for kids.

after rereading the op. it should connect to your router. that seems to be an issue to begin with. on another hand, the point about starbucks... I refer you to my first paragraph (I hope it works 1st time for you)

There's a time when people are soliciting opinions and when they are asking for help. This thread would be the latter. It would be best for CB if we could try not to mix the two. Thanks.

mod, please remove my posts as not to mix up the responses. thank you, and apologies to all for going "off piste".

When my Netgear 2000 went down during a storm I started using a ZyXEL MWR102 Travel Router that I bought at Amazon for $18. Has worked well and I have not gotten around to resetting my Netgear 2000 which probably just requires a software reinstallation. Currently the ZyXEL is being sold at Amazon for $19.99 but listed as only one left. But there are others that might be considered. The Zyxel has a range of at least 10 meters in open air and right now sitting five feet from it I am getting -45 dBm. Setup was easy just plug it into my SurfBoard modem ( on Comshare) and use the info on the unit to log in. Have two Windows 7 laptops, an HPTouchpad, a Nexus 7 and the BBPB on it. Suggesting consideration as a spare and for temporary use and of course there are other brands.

I have been using a DLINK DIR-645 since replacing my ageing Linksys WiFi Router and Access Point in 2011. I get a steady 117 Mbps with WPA/WPA2 enabled which rivals an unencrypted 100 Mbps wired connection.

Thanks all for your responses and suggestions. Looks like I'll try to set up the PB at a coffee shop that has wi-fi, and return the ASUS router for credit. :(

I am a senior and not exactly what you would call a nerd, so I approach this with some nervousness. Do I need to take my modem and PC with me to the coffee shop for the setup? Perhaps a dumb question, but like I say, I'm no nerd.

All you should need is the playbook. During setup it should find the free wifi, if it asks for a password the coffee shop staff should be able to help.

Oh, and make sure the playbook is charged up before going, they might not have an outlet handy for the charger.

McDonalds has free WiFi as well. Ditto on the full charge. You don't want a low battery during the initial setup.

Originally Posted by 312Lorden

Thanks all for your responses and suggestions. Looks like I'll try to set up the PB at a coffee shop that has wi-fi, and return the ASUS router for credit. :(

I am a senior and not exactly what you would call a nerd, so I approach this with some nervousness. Do I need to take my modem and PC with me to the coffee shop for the setup? Perhaps a dumb question, but like I say, I'm no nerd.

To use the tablet at home after the initial set-up if you want to download applications from BlackBerry AppWorld, send and receive email, and browse the web, then you will need a WiFi router. So, after returning the ASUS router you should pick up either a DLink, Linksys, or NetGear router with built-in WiFi. Enjoy your new BlackBerry PlayBook!

Returned ASUS router. Tried wi-fi connection at local community college library: didn't work beyond Step 3 (Date and Time). Then got BB Tech support on the phone and had a live chat for 45 minutes. He thought it was the wi-fi connection, i didn't think so.

Initial power up when I first took it home from the store showed it had 13% charge. Red (charging) light never stayed on for more than 15 seconds. I'm going to try a fast food outlet with wi-fi for set up.

And don't tell me about stack charging. Tried it 31 consecutive times.

RIM advises people to have their Playbook plugged in when setting it up for the first time. Go to your community library/Starbucks/MacDonald's and ask nicely if you can have access to an outlet. Plug in your Playbook and do your update.

Your battery will start charging up after you finish what you started.

If you are a relative newbie, take a friend with you who has used wireless before. The whole process will take 15 min - 1/2 hour.