Wireless Zone - Tiscali.co.uk

Are you a bit tied up right now, stuck behind a desk in the spare room?
Imagine if you could surf the web from anywhere in your house and garden - or even stay connected when you were out and about in town.
The wireless revolution is here, and there's no easier way to enjoy the freedom of an unwired life than with a laptop connected to the internet via a wireless network adapter.

Wi-Fi is the umbrella name for new wireless radio technologies that allow computers to communicate over short distances, such as around a house or inside a coffee shop. At home, Wi-Fi can enable you to access your broadband internet service where it suits you, letting you surf from the sofa, e-mail from the bedroom or instant message from the kitchen.

With a simple to set up wireless network, everyone in the house can share a single printer and internet connection without any complicated and ugly cabling. Add a modern laptop and you can have your music, photos, movies and games at your fingertips, all the time. Find out more about enjoying a wireless home here.

The other great advantage to having a laptop is that you can take it with you on holiday, business or school trips. Add to that a reasonably priced wireless network adapter and you'll have all the equipment you'll need to access the internet via the thousands of public Wi-Fi hotspots that are sprouting up all over the country, and abroad.

At coffee shops, hotels, schools and even pubs, you can now enjoy secure high-speed internet access without worrying about cables and phone lines - and many are even free! For more information about connecting in public - and a great directory of verified hotspots - click here.

But before you think about setting up a Wi-Fi network at home, or even logging on to a public hotspot in your local café, you'll need to choose a laptop that's right for you. Whether it's digital photography and gaming to office work and watching movies you're after, have a look at out our buyer's guide to laptops for wireless living.

Check out our step-by-step guide to set up your home network.