Need Help Noob here!!

Ok, in a couple weeks my new Dell I9300 (1gb RAM, 60gb Hard Drive, 256mb GeForce 6800) :dell: should come in. However, I am a newb to laptop internet and wireless access.

I understand that I don not need an ISP to launch the internet in a free wireless cafe like Panera Bread, I just to launch my browser...

But let's say I'm at home and my parents have Entouch Systems (neighborhood cable isp), would I be able to just plug an ethernet cable from the wall to my laptop and launch a browser and then I'm done?

 

If your home is ethernet wired then yes, but i doubt it is and what you see is a phone jack. (A smaller jack than a ethernet cable).

So lets say you want wireless. There modem has to plugged into a router, then there computer plugs into the router, and your laptop is wireless. Try reading my guide (link in my sig) and it will help you a lot.

 

you can plug directly into the cable modem, just unplug the cable from you parents' computer and plug it into the ethernet port on your notebook.

if you don't want to unplug their machine, you need a router; it plugs into the cable modem and has mutiple ethernet ports to plug multiple computers into it.

if you want to go wireless, you buy a wifi router that plugs into your cable modem. it has ethernet ports for hardwired computers and an antenna for computers to connect wirelessly.

 

i see... well we already have a router hooked up to specific rooms (game room and office), i guess i can just hook up an ethernet cable from the ethernet plug in the office to my laptop right?

so all i really need is a browser

 

Yep, all you need.

I would use Firefox too.