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n000b computer netwurking kwestion — Brooklynian

n000b computer netwurking kwestion

vidro3
vidro3
edited November -1 in The Lounge / Random Stuff
I bring my laptop with me to work, meetings, clients, etc.

so when I am at my client's office in theory I should just be able to pop the cable out of the back of his computer and put it into mine, right?

now what if we both need Internet access? Can I use a simple $3 splitter or will it take something more, like a switch?

spanks

Comments

  • bluemagoo
    bluemagoo
    If that works for you than you client has a very unsecured network & it most likely will be against their corporate policy to allow non-company laptops to connect to their network without permission.

    A much safer & "client friendly" solution would be to purchase an air card from a cell phone vendor so you could connect from anywhere you can get a cell connection.
  • vidro3
    vidro3
    bah that would cost me money.

    what kind of security protocol/software etc might I need to use the internet through their cable?
  • spiffykatie7
    spiffykatie7
    Ask your client what their policy is for guest logins. Depending on how hi-tech their company is, they may have either guest logins for you to pop that cable in and use a guest password or they might have secured wifi in the building with a guest login. I've worked at fancy place that have had one or the other, and sometimes they can just hand you a piece of paper with complete guest login instructions.
  • magicube
    magicube
    My favorite situation like this was when we were in a conference room with a new client, and the client team was complaining that the ethernet jacks in that particular room hadn't worked in months. They called an IT person in to give us access for a demo we were going to do. He plugged us straight into the wall. No fuss. Our clients were flabbergasted, saying "we thought there was no Internet in this room!" The IT guy said "that's the contractor's jack. It never stopped working." A dedicated jack for vendors. How nice!

    Anyway, what Flexichick said. Just ask. Most clients, big or small, have a way to get you online.
  • planetablu
    planetablu

    Subject: re: netwurking question

    buy a cheap network hub (under $20.00).
  • milesjo
    milesjo
    Best way would be to come prepared and get yourself an air card. It's a small price to pay to look professional. As people mentioned above, most decent companies will have good security, and will need to get you logged into their domain etc. You don't want to sit there for their IT guy to do this. Some MAY have a dedicated Ethernet port for vendors (never seen this personally, but it's a nice idea!).
  • sloping
    sloping
    ^ yes, an air card is generally a good way to go. However, I had one of the top brokerage houses as my client in suburban NJ and even though there was an AT&T wireless tower right on their campus, you couldn't get a signal from ANY carrier on the entire campus from any air card unless you were in one specific conference room (and you stood one one foot and hoped for a cloudy day). We actually had to negotiate a direct vendor line saying that if they wanted us to keep people on site, we needed them to have a way to produce work.

    If this is a question for one specific client, best to ask if they have a way for you to get online. If you want a general way that will work in most places, get an air card.
  • vidro3
    vidro3
    cool, thanks everyone. i think my company may resort to getting me an air card
  • hitokiri
    hitokiri
    to answer the question directly, you would need a small network switch.
    Splitters only work with cable lines.... it's a bit more complicated with ethernet cables.


    anyway, the options were stated.
    Get a 3G (or even 4G air card)
    or ask if the company has wifi and use that.
  • vidro3
    vidro3
    they don't have wifi, 'tarded, right?
  • nurseniq
    nurseniq
    vidro3 wrote: they don't have wifi, 'tarded, right?
    eh, some places still don't have their offices wired. Lots of software and other tech companies do. Did you ask them if they have guest logins into their network (meaning, they give you a network cable and allow you secure login)? If not, you're back to air card as your option.....which is not that expensive for your company to provide you with - if you spend any amount of time doing client visits, this is a pretty standard issue thing these days for people who travel
  • bluemagoo
    bluemagoo
    Setting up a corporate WiFi requires that you have a very good security staff to set it up and maintain it going forward.

    FWIW, I had a VZ air card where I used to work & I don't remember ever having access issues even when I went out of country on business trips. It may have been a bit slow at times but I always seemed to get in. It's really great in airports where it may take you 30 min just to get connected to local WiFi and setup payment, which is usually at rip off prices.
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