Connect to the internet without wires

Helpline Q&A Directory

I am not online, the reason being that my PC is in the conservatory, the telephone socket is in the lounge and a surface-mounted extension cable connecting the two would be long and unsightly.

The cost of having cabling installed under the floor or in the wall is prohibitive. Is there a way I can connect my computer to the phone socket, perhaps using the same principle as a cordless telephone?

Yes, there is. Try the Olitec WaveMemory, available from Simply Computers (www.simply.co.uk) for about ú150. It is a complete cordless modem consisting of base station and remote, which uses the same system as the latest digital cordless telephones. It works at distances of up to 300 feet.

Another possibility is the Thomson Wireless Phone Jack, which costs ú75 from BestStuff (www.beststuff.co.uk). This lets you use the ring main as telephone extension wiring. Although it claims to work with modems it isn't designed specifically for that purpose and we don't know how well it would work. As you would have to buy a modem as well, there isn't much to choose between the two solutions on price, so we'd recommend you go for the Olitec, which is designed for that specific purpose.