When a hotel says they have dataports in their rooms, does that mean they just have an extra jack to plug your laptop in, but you still have to dial up to your isp? Or do they actually have direct internet access?

I think I'm going to breakdown and buy a laptop since the job babysitting the Mexican women's footie team has come through. I thought of renting but figured it will cost nearly as much as buying one outright with the cheap deals on offer these days. Plus I'd have it for on-the-road reports from Toon in the USA. ;-) Fortunately the hotels we're staying at all claim to be equipped with "dataports", though one said they had internet access.

I'm a travelling cyberplank! Help! What other bits do you need when you travel....cablewise, etc?

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2000

Answers

Can`t help you with the techie stuff Ciara, but a new job eh? Way to go! Can`t imagine it will be dull! (:o)

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2000

It'll just be an extra phone port or perhaps a socket on the side of the phone. Even if they don't have one, you can usually disconnect the phone and plug your modem into the same socket.

You'll probably have to add a 9 in front of the dial-up number (or some other access code). Fortunately you're not in Europe, where hotels charge a fortune for outgoing calls. You lot seem to have a different attitude. I remember having an online chat with my son back in UK from the US and it cost me all of 55 cents for over 2 hours.

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2000

Yipes, I hope it's that cheap to dial out from hotels. I forgot about surcharges. I usually avoid making anything other thana local call from hotels. ;-) Thanks for the advice, Screach!

Galaxy, it's a temp job. Just while the team is in the US for the women's Gold Cup. And no it definitely won't be boring if the 'worst case scenarios' we were given last night mean anything. I'm excited, but also terrified. :-}

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2000

Ciara, my 55 cents call was a local one - free once I paid the 55 cents surcharge to the hotel. Do you not have local portals for your ISPs? I'm sure AOL must.

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2000

You mean a local calling number, Screach? I think aohell has them all over the country, though I may need to switch to compuserve or msn (*spit*) to get the lowest price on a laptop. I hope one of those services have local numbers where I'll be! :-)

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2000

Ciara - worst case senarios!? Do tell what may be expected!(:o)

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

The usual - players going awol, players missing buses, coaches trying to squeeze as much out of CONCACAF as possible, etc. I've decided my team will be locked in their rooms at 10pm every night(or else must take me with them, paying the costs of all my drinks/food/cabs), anyone not on the bus should raise their hands, and special requests will be accompanied by team schwag(in my size!) and cash(lots of). ;-)))

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000