A myth circulating is that wireless is free everywhere. In the United States wireless is mostly a localized service. Some people equate the cellular network (cell phone) with Wi-Fi, but they are completely different.

WiFi as defined by Wikipedia as: IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication, developed by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802) in the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz public spectrum bands. This type of wireless service can be found in libraries, some cities, airports, some hotels, in people's homes, and many other places. You can find a list of Wi-Fi Hot spots at: http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/. It is estimated by Forward Concepts that by 2007 there would be 530,000 hotspots in the US.

In order to use a laptop with Wi-Fi you need an Internet Connection (internet service provider) and a laptop with a Wi-Fi PCMCIA card or an integrated (built-in) Wi-Fi chip. So, if you go to your neighborhood Starbucks they have set up a local Wi-Fi network that you can connect to with a 802.11 Wi-Fi card, if you have one in your laptop.

There are currently four types of 802.11 PCMCIA cards: 802.11a (oldest), 802.11b, 802.11g (most current) and 802.11n. The 802.11b and 802.11g work fine for most locations, such as your home Wi-Fi network and the local coffee shop or library. The newer 802.11n promises to deliver a fivefold increase in speed and double the range of 802.11g. The final version and agreement to this new standard isn't expected until 2008.

At the library, Starbucks and many other places this signal can be used free. At most airports and some hotels and many other places they charge $10 or more per day. Should you have DSL or cable at home and buy an 802.11 router and set up a Wi-Fi network the use of that network is free. You should also know that security is important and you should use a service like www.jiwire.com to make sure no one can see your data. Remember this is a signal transmitted via airwaves and others can intercept the signal if you do not have protection set up.

You can also connect to the cellular networks with your laptop by signing up for their service (paying a monthly fee). You need their specialized wireless card that installs in your laptop. As an example Verizon's monthly Internet and e-mail access charge is $59.99 per month. They have a $35 activation fee, require one-year minimum term, have a $175 fee for early termination and there might be a cost for the modem you need to connect to their network. Their network is not everywhere, so you have to check with them to find out if your intended usage areas has coverage.