Other Options

You probably want to know if there are any other options besides Wi-Fi cards. Maybe your laptop doesn't come with an expansion slot for PC Cards. Or maybe you are already using the slot with a digital storage device. The good news is that you can add external Wi-Fi capabilities to a laptop in several ways. The only downside is that you'll need to carry an additional gizmo with you because the Wi-Fi card won't be onboard your laptop—but this isn't really a big deal. (Some users also feel that external Wi-Fi access produces slightly flakier communication strengths, but there is no real reason this should be true.)

You can add an external Wi-Fi device to your computer using either an Ethernet port (shown in Figure 8.3 earlier in this ...

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