Internet Access Away From Home

Travelers have any number of ways to check 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 you may be able to leave your laptop at home, if you want, because other computer options may be available.

Without Your Own Computer -- Increasingly, hotels provide guests computer and Internet access on one or more computers in the hotel business center. In some cases, the hotel provides this as a free service. The Hotel Monaco in D.C. is one such property, availing to guests complimentary use of two computers in its business center.

You'll also find two cybercafes in the Dupont Circle area: Cyberlaptops.com, on the second floor at 1636 R St. NW (tel. 202/462-7195), mostly a laptop repair shop but also providing Internet access (and really not a cafe, per se); and Cyberstop Café, 1513 17th St. NW (tel. 202/234-2470). For other listings, as well as the locations of Internet kiosks throughout the D.C. area, check the websites www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com.

All three of Washington's airports offer some variation of Internet access. Each of National's 150 public phones has a data jack to which you can connect your laptop; Dulles has six Internet kiosks and 130 data ports; BWI has six outlets for high speed Internet access and 103 data ports. Elsewhere, you may see Internet kiosks in shopping malls, hotel lobbies, and tourist information offices around the city, which give you basic Web access for a per-minute fee that's usually higher than cybercafe prices.

To retrieve your e-mail, ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) if 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 (www.mail2web.com) 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 (http://mail.yahoo.com). (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 (www.gotomypc.com). The service provides a Web-based 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 to access the GoToMyPC system.

With Your Own Computer -- Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) is the buzzword in computer access, and more and more hotels, cafes, and retailers are signing on as wireless "hotspots" where you can get high-speed connection without cable wires, networking hardware, or a phone line . You can get a Wi-Fi connection in one of several ways. Many laptops sold in the last year have built-in Wi-Fi capability (an 802.11b wireless Ethernet connection). Mac owners have their own networking technology, Apple AirPort. For those with older computers, an 801.11b/Wi-Fi card (around $50) can be plugged into your laptop. You sign up for a wireless access service much as you do cellphone service, through a plan offered by one of several commercial companies that have made wireless service available in airports, hotel lobbies, and coffee shops, primarily in the U.S. (followed by the U.K. and Japan).

T-Mobile Hotspot (www.t-mobile.com/hotspot) serves up wireless connections at more than 60 Starbucks coffee shops in the D.C. area, and in downtown Borders Bookstores and Kinkos office supply stores. Boingo (www.boingo.com) and Wayport (www.wayport.com) have set up networks in airports and high-class hotel lobbies. IPass providers also give you access to a few hundred wireless hotel lobby setups. Best of all, you don't need to be staying at the Four Seasons to use the hotel's network; just set yourself up on a nice couch in the lobby. The companies' pricing policies can be byzantine, with a variety of monthly, per-connection, and per-minute plans, but in general you pay around $30 a month for unlimited access -- and as more and more companies jump on the wireless bandwagon, prices are likely to get even more competitive.

Free wireless networks are cropping up in major cities around the world. To locate these free hotspots, go to www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/WirelessCommunities.

A growing number of Washington hotels offer in-room Wi-Fi service; certainly most offer dataports for laptop modem and high-speed Internet access using an Ethernet network cable. You can bring your own cables, but most hotels rent them for around $10. Call your hotel in advance to see what your options are.

In addition, major Internet Service Providers (ISP) have local access numbers around the world, allowing you to go online by simply placing a local call. Check your ISP's website 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, who will then tell you how to set up your computer for your destination(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to www.ipass.com and click on "Individual Purchase." One solid provider is i2roam (www.i2roam.com; tel. 866/811-6209 or 920/235-0475).

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. Electricity in Washington is standard 110-volt power; European appliances will require a voltage transformer.

Using a Cell Phone Across the U.S.

Just because your cellphone works at home doesn't mean it'll work elsewhere in the country (thanks to our nation's fragmented cellphone system), although it's a good bet that your phone will work in D.C. But take a look at your wireless company's coverage map on its website before heading out.

If you're not from the U.S., you'll be appalled at the poor reach of our GSM (Global System for Mobiles) wireless network, which is used by much of the rest of the world . Your phone will probably work in most major U.S. cities, including D.C.; it definitely won't work in many rural areas. (To see where GSM phones work in the U.S., check out www.t-mobile.com/coverage/national_popup.asp.) And you may or may not be able to send SMS (text messaging) home. Assume nothing -- call your wireless provider and get the full scoop. In a worst-case scenario, you can always rent a phone; InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) delivers to hotels. Washington Dulles International Airport has a Rent-a-Cellular kiosk, if you're flying into that airport.