Taking the laptop into the garden
Originally published in GP magazine .
Written for GP magazine around 2002. This is the version I submitted - the published article may have been edited.
When my wife started complaining that I was spending too much time locked away on my computer, I wondered if there was a way I could use my laptop around the house and be present in body at least. I use my laptop mainly for accessing the surgery and internet when away from home, as well as composing articles like this when on call. During the World Cup I had taken up station in the lounge and had purchased, for around £5, a long windup extension lead to plug me into the nearest phone point, and this had just worked, but it wasn’t very versatile and tended to trip people up.
Several solutions came to mind: rewiring the entire house with Cat 5 cable so I could plug in wherever, setting up a wireless network, or using the DECT system that digital cordless phones use. The first seemed impracticable as we have just decorated. Bluetooth, which is a short-range wireless system that allows phones, computers and peripherals to talk to each other when in close proximity, wasn’t a suitable option.
I have long been intrigued by the idea of setting up a wireless network, not just for my son and me to play games against each other without the need for an extra-long crossover cable, but also because it would allow me to use the laptop around the house. The commonest standard is WiFi, which allows data to be transferred at 11Mbits per second, which is good enough for most things. Prices have recently been coming down, though the main problem is that you need a wireless access point, which can cost £100+, as well as special cards for each computer. A friend had purchased two US Robotics wireless cards which do not need an access point when only connecting two machines (~£70 each - other makes may do this too). These are fairly easy to install and rely on the networking abilities of the more recent versions of Windows to work. The internet connection sharing function would allow me to connect my laptop to the internet as well as being able to access any resources and files on my desktop machine. The main disadvantage is that my desktop machine would always have to be on when I wanted to connect, and if I wanted to add my son’s machine I would then need an access point.
I had first heard of the DECT solution about a year ago when BT released the On-Air 1800, which is a mobile phone, answerphone and modem in one. It had got good reviews but seemed a bit pricey. Basically, DECT phones use a radio frequency to talk to each other, giving good quality conversation when in range. You have to have a base station, and up to six phones can talk to each base station. I had seen this advertised for £180, so when I found it in Makro for £80 while looking for a replacement answerphone I decided to go for this option. Setting up the phone was 10 minutes’ work and I needed to resort to the instruction book, as it isn’t that intuitive, though in use there are no problems. The wireless modem bit comes as a separate black box which plugs into a USB port and is auto-detected by the plug and play system, which prompts for the drivers on the accompanying CD. My mistake was assuming that the provided drivers would work for Windows XP - no such luck, though to be honest it didn’t say they would. Checking the website revealed you need new drivers, which I duly downloaded. It then installed easily and asked me whether to use it as the default modem. It comes with a mini utility program to register the modem with the base. Again this worked well and even included a signal strength meter. I clicked on my internet browser and it worked first time, though it takes an extra few seconds to connect. The connection speed is as good as I get when plugged in, and you really can move around from room to room and even use it in the garden. Although I don’t get the full benefits of access to my main machine, it keeps things very simple and it works very well, though my one gripe is the phone is lightweight and cheap plastic.
The wireless network is something I may do in the future, though I can see the benefits one might bring to my practice. We are planning to move into a new building with another practice and community staff, which will have a meeting room, library and large shared offices and reception, and it will be difficult to predict how many access points those areas will need. A wireless access point may be the solution, as we could just move machines around as we like and vary the number without problem. Potentially, if set up correctly, I could drive past the building and pick up my email!