My laptop computer is setup with Telstra WiFi Home, and my main home computer has Telstra broadband ADSL. While at home I am able to connect to the internet using wireless without any trouble. However, when I recently went to Broome (Western Australia) and attempted to use the internet the Speedstream Connection indicated there was internet available at the General Store (about 200 metres from where I was staying). Next, I travelled to Melbourne and stayed in a city motel which advertised high speed wireless broadband, but I was also unable to connect to the internet in this location. Does this mean that although I have paid internet with Telstra that I need to pay again to access internet at these other locations (e.g. the motel)?

From the description of your setup, it seems you have an ADSL broadband connection at home which is connected to a wireless (WiFi) router. The router wirelessly broadcasts your home ADSL broadband connection around your immediate house, allowing your laptop to access the internet over a wireless connection while you are in range of the router. As you may now realise, this wireless internet is limited to your house because the wireless signal is being broadcast from the ADSL router located at the house, and the internet connection itself is being provided through the ADSL broadband. Therefore, you won’t be able to use internet on your laptop outside of the range of the wireless router in your house, unless you have access to another wireless access point.

However, you mentioned that you detected wireless signals during your travels in Broome and Melbourne. This is because the wireless card in your laptop is detecting wireless signals being broadcast from other wireless access points. However, just because you can detect and see another wireless access point does not entitle you to use that wireless network to access the internet. In fact, most routers are secured against unauthorised use, so you need a username and password to logon to the wireless network. Some networks are private networks (e.g. household networks, like your home network) whereas others allow guests to use the wireless network, such as wireless networks provided at motels and hotels. However, you will need to ask the owner/provider of the wireless network about the arrangements (and possible costs) for using their wireless services.

If you need wireless internet while on the road, and can’t always rely on finding a public or fee-based wireless access point, you may wish to investigate purchasing something such as wireless broadband. These services do not generally use WiFi, but instead rely on mobile communication networks. Probably the most well-known and suitable is the Telstra Next G network (www.nextg.com.au), as this appears to provide coverage over most of Australia. So, you may wish to investigate this as a possible alternative.