Using Laptops in the Library

(Click here about borrowing library laptops)

Connecting to Baldwin's Wired LAN

High-speed (wired) Internet access is available in the Grand Hall of the library. Printing is not currently available for patrons who bring their own laptops. Please disable all file sharing on your computer to prevent any unauthorized access.

  1. Refer to your Ethernet adapter or Laptop’s manufacturer instructions for setting up your Ethernet adapter to use DHCP in order to obtain an IP address, gateway, and DNS numbers. Your computer may need to be restarted.
  2. Plug the provided Ethernet cable into the Ethernet (RJ-45) jack on your computer.
  3. Open your web browser.

System Requirements

Any laptop computer with an RJ-45 Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC) may connect to Baldwin’s wired LAN.

You may connect your laptop if:

Connecting to Baldwin's Wireless LAN

High-speed wireless Internet access is available in the Grand Hall of the library. Although, you may be able to obtain a signal in other areas we cannot guarantee the quality of the signal.

Printing is currently not available for patrons who bring their own laptops.

Please disable all file sharing on your computer to prevent any unauthorized access.

  1. Refer to your wireless adapter’s manufacturer instructions for setting up your wireless adapter to use DHCP to obtain an IP address, gateway, and DNS numbers. Your computer may need to be restarted.
  2. Make sure that you have not disabled pop-ups on your laptop.
  3. The SSID for our wireless access point (WAP) is: BPL Wireless Network.
  4. Open your web browser.
  5. You will see a login screen. Press Skip .
  6. A pop-up window that says "ssl.publicip.net" appears. Minimize this window, but do not close it. Closing it will terminate the session.
  7. When you are finished, close the pop-up window.
  8. Occasionally, a session ends spontaneously, in which case you need to start over again. (We apologize for the inconvenience this causes. If you are concerned about losing work, please save it on a regular basis.)

Types of wireless adapters:

  1. 3rd-party USB adapters usually offer the best signal quality, because you are able to move the antenna several feet away from your computer in order to obtain a better signal. However, you are forced to carry an additional piece of hardware and a lengthy cable, and your laptop must have a USB port.
  2. 3rd-party PC cards (PCMCIA) adapters allow you to have an internal wireless adapter, except for an inch long antenna extending from the PC card slot. These adapters are more portable than USB adapters, but the long-range signal quality (more than 50 feet) is usually quite poor. You must have at least one available PC card slot available to use this solution.
  3. OEM internal adapters, such as those offered in laptops from Apple and Dell, perhaps offer the best overall solution. The wireless adapter card is 100% internal, the antennas are contained within the laptops LCD screen, and the signal quality is almost that of a USB adapter. However, this solution CANNOT be added to older laptops. Your laptop MUST have been purchased with an internal wireless solution.

System Requirements

If your laptop meets the system requirements for your wireless adapter, then it will connect to our network