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Hooking Up Laptop To Internet Cafe Desktop?


TCA

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My local internet cafe has no wireless set up but I'd like to use my laptop to connect to their internet service. I've seen other customers just seemingly connect their laptop to one of the cafe's desktop computers and successfully gain access, presumably without downloading any software for the process.

I'm a PC novice, so can anyone direct me as to what I'd need re cabling and which ports to connect it to.

Thanks in advance.

TCA

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Presumably one of the machines has two network cards, one of which is capable of connecting out to the internet (probably through a LAN). If the machine in the ineternet cafe has been set up with ICS (internet connection sharing) to route data between the two network cards then it should be as simple as just plugging a piece of network cable from the network adaptor on your machine to the network adaptor on the ICS machine.

For this scenario to work, check the following

1) There is indeed a machine in the cafe with 2 network cards, and it has ICS configured

2) You have a network adaptor on your notebook.

if you want to learn more about ICS click here

hope that helped

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Most probably they have some free LAN connections, i.e. a LAN cable not yet connected to a PC.

Or they just unplug the LAN cable going to one of the PC's and hook it up to the laptop instead!

It would be unnecessary complicated to connect to a PC which itself is connected to the network...

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Depending on your laptop/ OS etc. Suggest that you talk (sign lanuage?) with the cafe owner to plug your laptop into their LAN - some might not allow this.

If your computer does not pick up an IP address a simple release/renew should make it work.

Mornings are better than afternoon at many of these places due to the influx of kids after school.

Probably pay the same rate.

I used to do this in Pattaya - the girls that ran the shop didn't really understand what I was doing but as I came in every few days I ended up paying about 20 Baht an hour because I was not using their computers. :o

ICS forget it - silly idea.

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Many thanks for all the replies.

It looks like I'm mistaken and have probably seen someone connecting to the local network. Must admit I never looked closely and wrongly assumed they were somehow using the desktop - probably because they were sat at one at the time.

One last daft question if I may. If a cafe has only one computer (i.e. no network), is there any way of doing something similar or am I really just talking about plugging straight into the phone line? If the latter I presume I'd need to set something up re the ISP with passwords for access etc..?

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If an internet cafe has only one computer.......... uhm, maybe it's time to go to another place.

The cable you need has a transparent connector that looks the same like a telephone connector, only a little wider. The telephone plug is called RJ11 and the computer plug is called RJ45.

RJ45-Booted-Large.jpg

Can't find that plug/cable? Go to a different shop. The easiest way is to simply ask the owner.

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If an internet cafe has only one computer.......... uhm, maybe it's time to go to another place.

Thanks Prasert. I was probably referring (albeit in my mind) to using a friend's connection on the occasions where I want to use the laptop. Just wondered whether I'd need to configure my laptop in any way prior to connection to the phone line with the cable you indicated?

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I was probably referring (albeit in my mind) to using a friend's connection on the occasions where I want to use the laptop.
If friend has an ADSL connection - probably easy enough to simply plug into the LAN connection from the ADSL router. If the friend only has a USB connection to their ADSL router this might be less easy and require some setting up or loading of drivers - it depends. Can you not simply use your friend's computer?
Just wondered whether I'd need to configure my laptop in any way prior to connection to the phone line with the cable you indicated?
If using your laptop and it's own modem to plug into another's telephone line directly - then use your or your friend's ISP dial up connection - then yes you will need to configure your laptop's Dial-Up connection with telephone number, user ID and password to connect to the internet - details from the ISP you indent to use.

Not very difficult to set up - but not very fast. Dial up ISP connection packs are sold at most 7-11 stores, ask at the counter often on wall displays behind the till.

Bear in mind that if using a hotel's telephone line they may charge for the use of the line over and above the 'free' ISP dial up number. This may also apply if the telephone line in question is provided by some condos?

Do you have a wireless card or adaptor? Many places within cities in Thailand have both deliberate and accidental open wireless LANs that you may be able to use, worth going fishing for them.

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