Thinking of a Laptop for RV.
Do not know any thing about them.
Should I go with a wireless,if so how do they work? I am thinking of a Dell Or Gateway.
I do have a Gateway desktop at home. But thinking of Dell for laptop. Thank You

We bought a laptop for use in the RV about a year ago, because we are going to go full time in about 479 days Anyway, YES definitely go with the wireless capability. This involves having them put the module in for it, a part that only costs about $50. Make sure it is 801(G). We have the Dell Inspiron 8600 because we wanted more power and features and we wanted it as advanced as possible at the time we bought it, knowing it was going to have to last a few years (things are changing so rapidly your computer is almost obsolete when you buy it ) Wireless is the rage of the future and a great many RV parks, campgrounds, state parks, rest stops, are installing the WiFi capability. To use it, in most cases it is simply a matter of turning your computer on and click on an icon to search for WiFi connections. Then depending on where you are, you might go directly to a website that will state the different service levels (ie; $5 for a day, $25 for a week, etc.) or it might be free and you'll go right to you previously set-up home page. So, I think I have been wordy enough. Go for it. You won't regret it.

TKNUTE
Thank you so much. Please help me out here.
What is a module ,does it go in the laptop or in the RV. Thank you I need all the help I can get. Barefooter

Most new laptops have wi-fi built in, no modules needed, If you get it with wi-fi and bluetooth built in, many of them already have that...the bluetooth wireless will give you more options for connecting other blutooth items to your laptop..gps or cell phone etc..wi-fi gets you access in campgrounds and truck stops etc or any hot spot.
the min config should be
512mb ram
60gig or bigger hard drive
win xp pro operating system (if your going to use a windows OS)
processor speed from 2.0 and above should be ok unless you will be doing a lot of graphics then the fastest processor is better
if you are into movies and surfing the net then 15'+ screen, brightview or any of the other bright screen solutions.
both compaq, hp, dell and gateway are all good machines, but i would go with the best warranty to price...good luck

It's a personal preference of course, but I'd recommend a Toshiba. They last, and last, and last...

quote:

Originally posted by Barefooter:
What is a module ,does it go in the laptop or in the RV. Thank you I need all the help I can get. Barefooter

Sorry, I called it a "module" cause I am not a 'technical' guy either, just know what I need to make things work. What I actually meant was the laptop needs to have a wireless network card installed in it, which if you are buying brand new it probably will. That is all you need as far as making it wireless capable. You can then sit outside your RV and connect thru the parks wireless network as explained before. I have the 15" screen on my laptop which is great for viewing movies and pictures. Hope this clarifies.

But please remember this,,

never use WIFI to do any personal or critical information type transfers..

like banking or giving out home addresses, phone numbers, date of births, family names and pertinent information... etc...

WHY ?? ... because anyone with a small (size of a pack of cigarettes) WIFI receiver / recorder can be anywhere with 200 feet of your computer and download any and everything that is transmitted to and from your computer..

I too was all excited about the WIFI thing... until,,, I watched "60 MINUTES" one night last year...

I promptly forgot all about WIFI... at least until a way is found to make it secure from "ease droppers"..

Just my opinion and everybody to his own..

John

John,

You are mostly correct. A public wireless network can be read by bystanders (and I will not even use a public "wired" network for the same reason, as there are other ways of intercepting information).

However, a home network can be made safe by using all of the security settings of the wireless router. These settings, among other things, encrypt the data as it is sent over the air.

If you have a home network, you should be using these settings for another reason: Hackers can use an unprotected network to "burrough" into computers on the network, reading information on your computer, and other nasty stuff.


Dave

quote:

never use WIFI to do any personal or critical information type transfers..

John, more correctly, you should have said, "never use unencrypted wifi".

I hope you don't make too many of lifes decisions based on the "60 minutes" program

Don't worry about getting or not getting wireless (wi-fi) in your new laptop. If it doesn't have it already built in, it can easily be added by plugging in an optional credit-card-sized device called a PC Card or a slightly larger unit that will plug into a USB port, which will be a standard part of any new laptop. These devices are inexpensive, under $50 and often on sale for around $28-30.

While a built-in wi-fi may be a bit more convenient, the external ones sometimes perform better, especially those with external antennas.

So don't worry about wireless. Do worry about a nice bright screen that is large enough to work with comfortably (I suggest 15 inch or more), enough RAM memory (at least 512 MB, 1024 MB preferred), a good sized disk (at least 20 gigabytes) and multiple USB ports ( 2 minimum, 4 preferred) and a moderate speed processor (cpu), at least 1.7 GigaHertz (GHz). You should be able to buy all that for under $1000, including a copy of the Windows XP operating system. Arguments can easily be made for bigger/faster of any of the above features, but what I've dscribed will easily handle the needs of the typical emailer and web surfer and a lot more besides.