Laptop Internet Compatability ?

[Prickly Pete]

I'm going to be spending some time away from home and was toying with the idea of buying a laptop anyway, so this may spur the decision. Anyway, where I'm going, they have a Comcast cable connection with a Mac laptop. If I had a PC laptop, would it be as easy as plugging the cable into my laptop (assuming I have a network card) or is there more to it than that?

I know very little in this area, so speak slowly please. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Abagadro]

I don't know how Mac's hook up to the net unfortunately, but if there is a standard cable modem and you have a 10/100 Ethernet card in your laptop (also called a NIC card), you should be able to plug in to the modem and be fine. Also may be able to hook up through your USB port. Find out what kind of connection they use from the modem to the Mac.

EDIT: Also helps if you have XP on the laptop as I've found its install of peripherals very easy.

[Prickly Pete]

Thanks aba and pdx. Very helpful.

[PDX_David]

It most likely will work just fine. It would work even better if they had a router, or hub. What happens is cable comes through wall to cable modem. Then network cable to router/hub, then from the ports on the back of the router/hub you just plug in an ethernet/network cable. Routers are better cause you don't have to worry about setting an IP address etc.

Bottom line is there is no special network cable for a MAC.

[Abagadro]

You likely won't have to set up an IP if it is Comcast and you have Windows XP. I brought my laptop home from work one time and just plugged it in (I use Comcast cable modem) and didn't have to do anything. It worked just fine. I think Comcast uses dynamic IPs.