Technology

We bought a WiFi card for my laptop on Saturday so I can take the machine to NZ and not suffer computer withdrawal. I installed it yesterday. Today I decided to test it.

I had checked the internet for free WiFi access points and discovered that the Dome cafe in Fremantle was one such hotspot. So today I dragged the laptop along when I went in to arrange travel insurance. I ordered a latte, booted up the computer and tried to connect. Local network appeared, I did everything I was supposed to do according to both the hard copy instructions and the onscreen directions, but I couldn't establish a connection. Gave up, drank the latte and came home.

I have tried again this evening. The card picked up a wireless network nearby (the next door neighbours I think. I didn't try to hack in!) Obviously the card is working. The Dome's network is shown as a profile that I could access if I were physically close enough. I don't know why I couldn't connect when I was. Tomorrow I will go back to where we bought the card, laptop in hand, and see if they can show me how to establish a connection that works.

I am not a technophobe, but I hate it when I follow all the directions and it doesn't work. It usually turns out to be a very simple step that was either overlooked by me or an assumption by the writers of the directions that everyone would know a particular point. I don't know which this will be.