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McHenry Public Library 809 N. Front St. (Route 31) McHenry IL 60050
(815) 385-0036 Open: M-Th. 9-9; Fri. & Sat. 9-5; Sun. 12-4
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Friends of the Library
Recommended Reads/Award Winners
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Wireless Internet Access at the McHenry Public Library
Questions & Answers
Who can access the library’s wireless network?
The network
is open to all visitors. You don’t need to be a MPLD cardholder/patron to use
our network.
It is
available during library hours in any public area of the library.
Your laptop
should be equipped with a WiFi compliant (802.11b/g) wireless network card or
adapter.
Many newer laptops
have wireless built in.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure your laptop has a fully charged
battery, as electrical outlets are not readily available.
WiFi is
short for Wireless Fidelity and usually refers to a network that allows
computers to access the Internet using a wireless radio frequency.
We
currently do not provide this equipment. How do I connect to the network? In the library, turn on your laptop and wait to see if your device finds the hotspot, or access point. Most laptops with wireless access can automatically pick up wireless signals in the area. If yours doesn’t, you’ll have to know how to use your wireless device’s configuration software to connect to the network.
Select our
hotspot (mpld_hotspot) from the list of available hotspots; some are secured and
some are not; our network is
unsecured. You will
then be directed to a McHenry Public Library District Internet Agreement Page.
Once you agree to our terms and conditions of use, open your Internet or Web
browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.). No special encryption
settings, user names or passwords are required.
Our library
staff cannot provide technical support. You should be familiar with your device
and know how to set it up for wireless access. Do you filter wireless Internet access?
Internet
access through the wireless network is
not
filtered by the library. It is the responsibility of a minor’s
parent or legal guardian to acquire, properly install and appropriately
password-protect filtering software, if desired, on any laptop computers or
other wireless-enabled devices that may be used by a minor. Our staff provides
assistance to people using many library services and cannot provide direct
supervision or technical support of a minor’s use of the library’s wireless
network. Can I print using the wireless network?
Access to
our print system is not available through the wireless network; however, you can
save your data to a removable storage device and then use one of our public
computers to send the data from your storage device to our print station.
We
currently do not have a time limit on wireless network use, but reserve the
right to do so in the future. Please be considerate of others when using our
wireless network. Can anything interfere with my connection?
Wireless
connections use radio waves, so anything that can interfere with radio waves can
also interfere with your wireless connection. If you are having an interference
problem, try moving to another part of the library. Since a wireless network is
a shared network, the more users, the slower the connection could be. Where can I find additional information on connecting my laptop computer to a wireless network? Your laptop manufacturer may have a website with technical support information that you could access through our public Internet computers during library hours. The library also has print and electronic resources on networking and computers that may be helpful. Patrons accessing the library’s wireless network agree to follow our computer and Internet use policies. The McHenry Public Library District cannot be responsible for alterations or interference with a user’s computer or other equipment such as its configuration, operation or data resulting from connection to the library’s wireless network. The McHenry Public Library District also assumes no responsibility for damage, theft, or loss of any kind to a user’s equipment, software, data files or other personal property brought into or used at the library.
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Send mail to
webmaster@mchenrylibrary.org
with questions or comments about this web site.
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