We have a number of customers who come in with laptops, and I'd hate to
lose their business. One of the reasons they bring in their own laptops is
that they want to download files. It's more than just accessing their
email and saving it to floppies. The files they download are larger than
several floppies can hold. Plus, they spend a good bit of time online with
their downloads.
Those who bring laptops in are usually travellers or military. They may
have their laptops configured for modem dial-up, but they don't have them
configured for the local service provider when they first arrive. If
you're going to accommodate them, you need to learn how to either configure
their dial-up connection for them or guide them through the process.
When you use a dial-up connection, you also need to enter your access
password. Here's the tricky part. Since you can't really be sure that the
customer hasn't pulled up the dial facility and lifted the password, you
need to change your password after plugging it into a laptop.
Of course, if you have a T-1 connection, there's no password involved; but
there's also no dial-up connection. I agree with Dave that you are asking
for trouble allowing external (uncontrolled) machines access to your LAN.
Paul B.
At 10:59 AM 11/24/2000 +0000, DaveS wrote:
>I personally would not offer laptop support. The idea is that they hire
>the use of one our machines.
>If they are desperate to have a copy of their mail then stick it on a
>floppy/CD and sell that to them as an additional service.
>
>If someone has a laptop for Internet access and they wish to access it in
>your caf� then if cost effective for you, rent them a telephone point and
>let them sort it out. I believe you are asking for trouble allowing
>external (uncontrolled) machines access to your LAN.
>
>Lee has a point when he says that they were probably just looking for tech
>support, their machine should already be configured for modem dial out if
>they use it for e-mail or Internet access.
>It's OK having a laptop friendly cybercafe but the configuration of the
>laptop machine must be their responsibility unless you are into poncing
>about with others computers and are insured to do so.
>
>Can we have some more about the lapdances?
>
>DaveS
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Warren Post [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>Sent: 22 November 2000 03:26
>To: Cybercaf� list
>Subject: [cc] Laptops
>
>A laptop toting customer has just come and gone from my cybercaf�, and
>boy am I embarrassed. I could neither get her laptop to access the
>Internet via my LAN nor could I successfully configure her DUN to dial
>in to my ISP. After 45 minutes of floundering I finally had to admit
>defeat. (In the end I gave her free use of one of my machines as
>consolation so she went away happy, but that's not the point.)
>
>Obviously there's more to having a laptop friendly cybercaf� than simply
>having a spare Ethernet or phone jack to plug into. How do the rest of
>you deal with laptops?
>
>Warren
>The Cybercaf� at Pizza Pizza
>Santa Rosa de Cop�n, Honduras
>http://sites.netscape.net/srcopan/cybercafe.htm
>
>
>
>
>
>
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