When planning for an event that requires internet at a rented venue, it is very important to know exactly what you actually need and the rules and regulations of the venue you are entering into an agreement with. It is a step that many planners neglect and may cost thousands of dollars to correct at the last minute, if it is even possible to accomplish with the available bandwidth. The key questions needed to be asked are as follows:

1)  How much bandwidth do you require? If you are a single computer and displaying a simple web page or need access to email, any venue can get you the access you need. If you are having a video conference, using bandwidth intensive web based applications, or if you are having a training lab with 30 people, your needs are quite different.

2)  How many connections do you need? If you have 5 computers, you need to relay this information to the venue. Many offer networking solutions to assist, and also charge you for each computer using the internet. Do not assume you can order 1 connection, bring in your own router, and share it wired or wirelessly inside your booth. In some instances, you may find the venue will turn your connection off during the event until you pay for all the connections being used.

3)  How much bandwidth does the venue offer? Common types are:

1. ADSL: Many hotels offer a simple 6Mbit ADSL type connection, which offer up to 6Mbit download rate, and up to 800Kbit upload rate. This is fine for a single user, but a web training session of 30 people would make this connection act like very slow dial up!
2. ADSL2: Still rather new and offers the same speeds as ADSL, but the download rate is up to 21Mbit. This connection is good for a class of 10 – 20 who are only downloading and not publishing work to the internet.
3. T3: The common connection in large convention centers. This is by far the best connection as it offers extremely high rates of transfers, both for downloading and uploading. It can easily handle hundreds of connections.
4. 3G or EVDO: This is the internet stick offered by Telus, Rogers, Bell, etc. A fine solution for a single user but be sure your portable internet works at the location you wish to use it and that it does not violate any regulations the venue may have.

Obviously if you are renting internet at a venue, it is important to the success of the event you are planning. It is an expensive part of your event, but when you ask the right questions to both your users and the venue, you can at least be sure to pay for only what you need, and be confident that you ordered the correct connections.

Special Event Internet – Buyer Beware! is a post from: Event Technology Blog highlighting computer rentals.

Step 1: Connect the Power.

It’s as simple as plugging the power adapter into router first, then plugging it into the wall socket.

Step 2: Connect the Device.

Plug the activated mobile broadband internet card into the appropriate port (typically a USB port) of the cellular-ready travel router. Be sure to double check that your aircard is on the supported list for the router.

Step 3: Connect to the LAN.

Connect to the router by means of an Ethernet cable or with a Wi-Fi network card (instructions on how to connect to the router via Wi-Fi network card can be found in Step 4).

Step 4: For Accessing through Wi-Fi Network Card.

Open the Windows wireless network connection wizard which can be found in your system tray or by clicking on Start Menu => Settings => Control Panel => Network Connections. Now Right-Click on the Wireless Network Connection and click “View Available Wireless Networks”.

Select your router and click connect.

Note: The Network Name or SSID is on the router’s label.

Once the connection has been established, you can access the router’s setup page by typing 192.168.0.1 into the address bar of a typical web browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox, Google Chrome, etc.

The next pages are used to setup and control user permissions, wireless security and other advanced features of the travel router.

To skip the wireless security setup and connect directly to the internet, go directly to Step 6.

Step 5: Setup the Wi-Fi Security

After you’ve accessed the router’s setup page by typing 192.168.0.1 into the address bar, login using the Administrator password, it’s usually a blank password or the last 6 characters of the MAC or physical address located directly on the router.

After logging into the router, navigate to and launch the Setup Wizard.

Follow the instructions of the Wizard and complete the setup.

Step 6: Access the Internet.

Open your favorite web browser and navigate to any website. You will be asked to enter an Internet Access Password (either the password you setup in the previous steps or the last 6 characters of the MAC address of the router).

And that’s it! Setting up a cellular-ready travel router is as simple as following these basic 6 steps. Now you have a network you can connect any laptop computer to.

6 Steps for Setting up and Securing a Mobile Broadband Internet Router is a post from: Event Technology Blog highlighting computer rentals.