Accessing the Internet Away from Home in .NET

Drawer UPC-A Supplement 2 in .NET Accessing the Internet Away from Home

Travelers have any number of ways to check their e-mail and access the Internet on the road Of course, using your own laptop or even a PDA (personal digital assistant) or electronic organizer with a modem gives you the most flexibility But even if you don t have a computer, you still can access your e-mail and even your office computer from cybercafes It s hard nowadays to find a city that doesn t have a few cybercafes Although no definitive directory exists for cybercafes these are independent businesses, after all two places to start looking are www cybercaptivecom and wwwcybercafecom The latter site, for example, lists some 150 cybercafes in France alone Aside from formal cybercafes, most youth hostels nowadays have at least one computer on which you can access the Internet And most public libraries across the world offer Internet access free or for a small charge Avoid hotel business centers unless you re willing to pay exorbitant rates Most major airports have Internet kiosks scattered throughout their gates These kiosks, which you ll also see in shopping malls, hotel lobbies, and tourist information offices around the world, give you basic Web access for a per-minute fee that s usually higher than cybercafe prices The clunkiness and high price of these kiosks mean they should be avoided whenever possible To retrieve your e-mail, ask your Internet service provider (ISP) whether it has a Web-based interface tied to your existing e-mail account If your ISP doesn t have such an interface, you can use the free mail2web service (wwwmail2webcom) to view and reply to your home e-mail For

more flexibility, you may want to open a free, Web-based e-mail account with Yahoo! Mail (mailyahoocom) (Microsoft s Hotmail is another popular option, but Hotmail has severe spam problems) Your home ISP may be able to forward your e-mail to the Web-based account automatically If you need to access files on your office computer, look into a service called GoToMyPC (wwwgotomypccom) The service provides a Webbased interface for you to access and manipulate a distant PC from anywhere even a cybercafe provided your target PC is on and has an always-on connection to the Internet (such as with Road Runner cable) The service offers top-quality security, but if you re worried about hackers, use your own laptop rather than a cybercafe computer to access the GoToMyPC system In addition, major ISPs have local access numbers around the world, enabling you to go online simply by placing a local call Check your ISP s Web site or call its toll-free number, and ask how you can use your current account away from home and how much it will cost If you re traveling outside the reach of your ISP, the iPass network has dial-up numbers in most of the world s countries You ll have to sign up with an iPass provider, which then tells you how to set up your computer for your destination(s) For a list of iPass providers, go to wwwipasscom and click Individuals Buy Now One solid provider is i2roam (% 866-8116209 or 920-233-5863; wwwi2roamcom) Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests In general, the electricity in France is 200 volts AC (60 cycles), though you ll encounter 110 and 115 volts in some older establishments Adapters are needed to fit sockets Asking at your hotel before plugging in any electrical appliance is always a good idea

With the federalization of airport security, security procedures at US airports are more stable and consistent than ever Generally, you ll be fine if you arrive at the airport two hours before your international flight; if you show up late, tell an airline employee, and she ll probably whisk you to the front of the line Bring a current, government-issued photo ID such as a driver s license or passport Keep your ID at the ready to show at check-in, the security checkpoint, and sometimes even the gate (Children younger than 18 don t need government-issued photo IDs for domestic flights, but they do for international flights to most countries)