Connecting / Using Your Modem, Connecting / Using a LAN

Travellers are often asked, when returning to their home country, whether or not they purchased the notebook while outside the country. Sometimes, the proof of purchase such as a bill of sale, insurance policy, or purchase receipt is sufficient. Taking along the purchase receipt for your notebook may sound practical, but may not always suffice, particularly when the purchaser of the notebook is your company and the original receipt is not available to you.

Connecting / Using Your Modem

Whether you are on a business trip or on holiday, connecting to the Internet while you travel can be expensive and frustrating unless you are prepared.

Here are some tips on how to avoid frustration and expenses while on the road.

1.Before leaving home, check with your Internet Service Provider to see if it has: o a local access number at your point of destination.

o a toll-free number that can also save you money.

o in the absence of a local ISP access number or toll-free number, charging the call to your home phone can be less expensive than charging the call to your hotel room.

2.Prepare your notebook for phone line access in another country.

o Line access outside of a hotel may require an additional digit preceding the phone number string. Be sure to modify your dial-up connection, as required.

o To avoid unusual dialling tone sounds sometimes encountered in hotels, you may have to modify a modem configuration setting to ignore the dialling tone.

3.Always check the phone line to determine whether or not it is digital or analogue. The internal modem in your notebook has built-in protection that detects the presence of a digital phone line and displays a warning message to alert you.

Connecting / Using a LAN

Many hotels and Convention Centres now offer direct Internet access for a nominal fee. If your hotel provides this service, follow these guidelines for connecting and configuring your notebook.

Many hotels can provide a LAN cable by prearrangement, so you can travel with a minimum of accessories.

1.Plug the LAN cable into your notebook and the LAN connector in the room or hall where you want to access the Internet.

2.After connecting the LAN cable, connect your notebook to an AC power outlet (if desired) and power on your notebook.

3.Try launching your browser (Windows® Internet Explorer®, or Mozilla Firefox, for example):

o If your TCP/IP network settings are already configured to "Use DHCP for WINS Resolution" you should be able to access the Internet.

o If your TCP/IP network settings are not set to use DHCP, a help screen may appear, or you may be directed to call the LAN provider for assistance configuring your notebook.

Follow the instructions that are provided to you completely, so your settings work effectively with the provider's system.