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Hi June,
You need a wireless card, a special device which can come in many
shapes and sizes and allows you to send and receive signals through the
air over the frequency of 802.11. Cards come in A, B, G and now N
versions. Currently G is the most common one but N offers better distance
and will eventually overtake G as the standard. Several manufacturers of
N cards are still working out the standard protocols they will use.
Depending on what computer hardware you're running, you may or may not
already have wireless capability. If you have a newer computer; many
already have a wireless chip or card built-in and can receive signals once
you start up the wireless program that is usually included with such
computers. If you have an older computer that doesn't already the
necessary equipment, you would need to buy a card that can receive these
signals. Since you didn't supply any data on what you're using for a
system, I can't advise further on this matter. Laptop cards plug into
the expansion bay on the sides of most laptops, desktop cards plug into a
free slot inside the box itself.
When you start up a wireless program with your card, it will scan for
available networks; wireless signals sent out by neighbours, businesses,
etc that are permeating the air around you. Most, if not all, of these
signals will be locked, meaning that the owners of these signals are
using a secure encoding to prevent people using wireless cards from
tailgating on their signal. If someone tailgates on your signal and does
something illegal, the signal can be traced back to the originator of the
signal so you can see why securing your signal is a wise thing to do.
CCN's signals are also securely locked but you, as a PLUS user, would
be able to use the signal once you're signed in as you do now on dial-up;
the exception being the signal would be hundreds of times faster that the
limited dial-up (which is subject to phone line speeds of less than 53k -
a CRTC setting, not ours). Your login screen would look similar to what
you're using now so the transition to wireless would be easy.
What is not so easy is getting the signal in the first place. You need
to be within a node footprint of the CCN wireless signal which now runs
around the south-eastern part of Halifax only but will grow as nodes come
online. If you are within this signal footprint then you should be able
to pick up CCN's wireless signal.
Let us know if we can assist you further.
CCN Help
-----------------------
On Sun, 12 Oct 2008, June Trenholm wrote:
> Help. I'm pretty sure I have a Chebucto Plus account. But what is a
> 802.11? Do I have one? How do I know if I do? How do I get one?
> I went through the other steps on the website and I got an error
> message when I tried to connect, so I suspect the 802.11 whatever
> thingy is the missing link.
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