Another Wireless problem.
 

Hi all you computer buffs out there, i just have a small question, all help would be greatly recieved. I have just got a laptop off my brother (Sony Vaio PCG-Z1VA) with all the bells and whistles. The thing is i was just down in London and in the airport there was a sign for a wireless hotspot. The problem was when i tried to connect there was no joy tried to search etc tried it all before i ran out of time and had to get on the flight. Can any computer wizzkid help. Thankyou in advance.

Instead of using Windows to control your wifi try Cirond WinC. I find it is much superior at finding hotspots quickly and configuring access.

well...ehmm...you may see the network on the lappy...but it will only connect with a connection card...means password and prepaid or credit card access...

You shouldn't need any different software to do something as simple as connecting to a WLAN hotspot. Geeks will moan about Microsoft Windows, but it works just fine for all the WLAN hotspots I've ever needed.

Firstly, are you seeing a 'live' wireless icon in the system tray? If not then check whether your wireless system has actually been 'enabled'. It can be a bit of a faff fighting your way through the wireless connection options; however, you should eventually be able to connect to the Internet through WLAN. At this stage you will need to have a credit card ready in order to pay for your Internet time by following the various prompts. That is, unless it's a no-charge hotspot of course.

I don't know a huge amount about wireless config, but the WEP key encryption, if enabled, might be causing the block...