WiFi Question and Firefox Caution...

[danemodsandy]

Hello All:

Just a question from someone who (obviously) does not upgrade to a new laptop very often, plus a little caution for Firefox users:

The question is: Can anyone point me to a quick tutorial for WiFi that is not loaded with technobabble? I need something like, "You go here, open this, click on that, etc." I have just acquired my first WiFi-capable machine, and I'd like to know how to use the feature.

The caution is: If you are still using Firefox 2 or an early iteration of 3 (like 3.0), be aware that upgrading to 3.5 may cause some hassles. Not every old add-on is supported any more (like DeskCut), and the address bar has been turned into something called the Awesome Bar, which attempts to find a site for you based on past browsing. It's irritating as all hell; the only thing I found awesome about it was how fast I decided it Had. To. GO.

Fortunately, both the issues I just mentioned turned out to have solutions - there is a new shortcut add-on called Create Shortcut 0.3.5 that does the same job as DeskCut, and is compatible with Firefox 3.5. And another add-on called Old Location Bar 1.8 replaces the Awesome Bar with the kind of address bar you're used to.

Just be aware that if you upgrade to 3.5, you may be in for a little tweaking before you get the browser working the way you're accustomed to.

 

[jeffg]

I've not seen a single source that covers all operating systems, hardware, wireless and security protocols, etc. If you can provide some more detail on what you're working with, it might help.

I used to have a Favorites folder devoted to WiFi, but all of the guides and how-to's are obsolete.

 

[danemodsandy]

Jeff:

This is a Sony VAIO with Windows XP. It's both wireless LAN and Bluetooth capable, and that's most of what I know. There ain't diddly-squat in the manual about either topic.

 

[drmitch]

My guess would be to go to control panel, Network and internet connections,then network connections and see if wirless is enabled. from there your on your own! : )

 

[j2400]

Wi-fi varies with OS and computer. I'd start with the advice above. Another point: I've been told some laptops apparently have a key to turn wi-fi on and off that needs to be on for wi-fi to work.

It's also important to learn about security. Keep in mind that most public networks (coffee shop, library, etc) are NOT secure, so people can potentially view what you are sending/receiving.

Firefox ad-ons not working with newer versions of Firefox is, alas, an apparently long lasting problem that comes again and again. I remember it with the 2.x to 3.x transition.