How Do I Connect My Laptop To The Internet?

With today’s advanced technology there are several ways you can connect a laptop to the Internet. For a constant and reliable connection you are best getting a wireless router; which normally comes free when you sign up to your chosen Internet provider.  When you receive the router, carefully follow the installation instructions. Once set up you will be able to go into your laptop’s wireless network settings and type in the network key of your wireless router. Once this has been accepted you will be connected and most laptops will then pick up the Internet automatically every time you turn your laptop on in the future.

If you are in a bar or hotel and only want the Internet for a short time you may well be able to connect to the bar’s or hotel’s wireless network. Many bars and hotels will have their own wireless network key or password and so you will have to ask at the desk or bar if you can use it. Some will charge while others offer it as a free service if you are already using their facilities.

Finally, if you do not wish to be tied down to only being able to use the Internet when you are at home; why not try a dongle. The dongle, which looks a lot like a usb memory stick and does indeed use the usb port, lets you connect to the Internet in any 3G enabled area. Therefore you can use it on the move as well as at home. The data allowance however can vary so a very high Internet user should always go for a wireless router or wi-fi when available.

I have just purchased my first laptop, which is configured to run wireless, but I don't have wireless service and just want to use my juno dial-up internet service.  My desktop is hooked up to the juno service right now.  Can I connect both computers to the internet?  Not at the same time, but at different times.  How are the phone wires connected from the laptop to the wall?  Do I have to run the laptop through a phone and then to the wall?  There is only one phone connection on the laptop and only one connection on the phone.   My desk top computer had two phone wire connections on the back and I knew how to do that, but the laptop is different and I don't know how it is supposed to hook up to the internet without the two phone wire connections.   

Thanks, Dee

A lap top is just a portable version of a computer. and in essence, works exactly the same way as your desk top computer. It has hardware and a hard drive where the data is stored and it has your software installed on it, to operate like windows, internet explorer , and your antivirus software.
The only difference is you can pick it up and put it under your arm and use it on the train and on a flight. Wherever you like actually.
You can connect to the internet in the same way. If you have a wireless contract you can connect at a hotspot with your laptop. Alternatively you would connect to the internet at home, on your laptop, via your modem in the same way you would with your desktop computer.
No difference really.
I you want to find a laptop computer reasonably. You could
go to your nearest large computer warehouse, where you can find a range of all the brands.

Do you have a router, ADSL modem or dial-up modem? Routers are most common now, so we'll run through that.
It should be connected to your phone line and usually requires a filter (sometimes called microfilter) to be plugged in before it goes into the phone line. The router will have a light marked ADSL, DSL or Broadband. A few minutes after being switched on this should be on and steady. If it flashes you've got a problem either with the broadband itself or the connection from your phone socket to the router.
When you get the solid light on the router connect it to the laptop with the Ethernet cable.
Open Internet explorer and you should get a homepage.
Yes? You're ready to set up wireless if you have it. Let me know at this point ;-)
No web page? Close IE. Click START > RUN > put CMD in the box and click OK
You'll get a black screen. Type IPCONFIG. You'll get a box which should have 3 sets of numbers in it. It should have IP ADDRESS, SUBNET MASK and DEFAULT GATEWAY.
If you have all three, you've got Internet connection through the router and some troubleshooting needs to start.
If you haven't got those, the lappy isn't talking to the PC and you need to go down a slightly different troubleshooting route.
Need further help? Lemme know.
Good luck!

You need an Internet Service Provider (ISP), first and foremost. They can provide you with the hardware you need to install in your home. They should also give you instructions on how to configure your laptop.

If you have already done this, and you still can't connect, you need to contact your ISP and they will talk you through your setup to identify where you are going wrong.

Go to start and at the left it should say connect to. click on that and it should give you some connection that you are able to connect to.

All have to do is place the ethernet cable (the yellow cable) into your computer, then you can connect it to the modem and in the modem, you should have the DSL cable (the gray cable) connected to the modem as well. Then the DSL cable should be connected to the phone jack.
Or you can use Wi-Fi.

To connect the laptop using high speed Internet, an Ethernet connection
is needed to connect the cable / DSL modem to your laptop (in addition
to Internet access from an ISP).If your laptop is fairly new, it should have a network connection
already; if not, you will need a USB Ethernet adaptor or PCMCIA network
card which connects to the cable / DSL modem. The USB connector is
usually located at the back of the laptop, where a PCMCIA slot is
typically located on the side.

My lap top will only work when the ethernet cable is plugged in. Its an aspire one acer netbook. I just got it today and ive been trying to figure out how to connect to the internet.

Brendanc, When it asks for a password it means the security key or wireless key.  This is often on a sticker on the back of the router - if not it will be in the documentation that came with it.  Depending on the type of security it may also be called a WEP key (older routers) or WPA key, If you cannot find it anywhere, you will need to access the routers' information itself which changes depending on the router.  (Quick and dirty version: Get IP address from ipconfig, type it into the address bar of the browser.  Find the wireless security page in there.  Most routers want a login and password, google that first or check your docs.)

Tony, My instructions were for getting the ip were for Win XP - if you have Vista or 7, click START, then just above that in the menu you'll have "Start search".  Click in there, type CMD and press ENTER.  Then type IPCONFIG.  It should bring up quite a bit of info, all you are interested in is the IPV4 connection details.  If there are NO numbers in the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway, your computer is not talking to the router and that needs to be addressed differently.

NOTES : If a wireless computer has been connecting ok but suddenly stops connecting, simply shut down the computer, turn the router off for a few seconds.  Wait for it to re-connect to the broadband then switch the computer back on.  Solves the problem most times.
Ethernet cables : Come in a variety of colours, but the ends are both the same and usually of a clearish plastic. This is what they look like : images.google.co.uk