Note: Some models come with a built-in wireless WAN card enabling you to establish wireless connections
over remote public or private networks.
The Access Connections program is a connectivity assistant program for creating and managing location
proles. Each location prole stores all the network and Internet conguration settings needed for connecting
to a network infrastructure from a specic location such as a home or an ofce.
Ethernet connections
You can connect to your network or a broadband connection, such as DSL or CATV, by use of the Ethernet
feature built into your computer. This feature enables you to do 1Gbps half or full duplex data transmission.
To connect to a network through Ethernet, you can use the Access Connections program.
DANGER
Your computer has an Ethernet connector. To avoid the risk of electrical shock, do not connect
the telephone cable to the Ethernet connector.
Wireless connections
Wireless connection is the transfer of data without the use of cables by means of radio waves only.
Depending on the frequency used for data transmission, the area covered, or the type of the device used for
data transfer, the following categories of wireless networks might be available to you:
Wireless LAN
A wireless LAN covers a relatively small geographic area, such as an ofce building or a house. Devices
based on the 802.11 standards can connect to this network.
Wireless WAN
A wireless WAN covers a broader geographic area. Cellular networks are used for data transmission, and
access is provided by a wireless service carrier.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is one of a number of technologies used to create a wireless personal area network. Bluetooth
can connect devices a short distance from one another, and is commonly used for connecting peripheral
devices to a computer, transferring data between hand-held devices and a personal computer, or remotely
controlling and communicating with devices such as mobile phones.
Establishing wireless LAN connections
Your computer comes with a built-in wireless network card and a conguration utility to help you make
wireless connections and monitor the status of your connection, so that you can stay connected to your
network while you are in the ofce, in a meeting room, or at home, with no need for a wired connection.
Attention:
• If you carry your computer with the wireless LAN feature into an airplane, check the services with the
airline before boarding the airplane.
• If there are restrictions on the use of computers on an airplane with the wireless feature, you need to
disable it before boarding. To disable it, refer to the instructions in “Enabling or disabling the wireless
features” on page 36
.
Chapter 2. Using your computer 33