The place where I work doesn't allow skype on the computers but they could save a lot if they used it in some other way.

How does one install a wi-fi unit? If I ask my work to plug a wi-fi unit into one their computers, will my wi-fi phone work on it without the need to install any other programs on the computer? This sounds naive but I really don't know. You hear of pubs and cafes having wi-fi but I don't know what they actually do. Maybe I should ask.

The problem is my work specifically prohibit skype on their computers.

Like most laptops, my laptop has a network card. If you have a network card in a desktop, the same principle will apply.

When I travel, I access an Internet connection. In Windows XP, you do this with Network Connections under Contol Panel. With my laptop, which is an HP running Vista (alas), I have an HP welcoming screen that gives me a quick way to go to network connections. When I try to access the Internet wirelessly, I get a list of available hubs where I'm located. If they are secure (nonpublic), I will need an access code. Most public places, however, have a connection that can be made without a code – or you can find out what it is at the front desk. I then connect via the available hub. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's "off and on"; sometimes the signal is too weak, or the line is too busy. It rarely works as well as it does at home, where my laptop accesses a secure line by wirelessly connecting to my modem/router to which our desktops are connected (by a wired network).

Some places have outlets where one can plug in an ethernet cable that runs from the laptop's ethernet plug (looks like a phone plug, only bigger). This is, of course, not truly wireless. You are plugging in to the cable of the ISP that the establishment uses. I'm not sure, but I think you may still need a network card to do this.

Some ISPs offer a service whereby you can access the Internet using your home or office ISP wherever you go. I know that my ISP (Verizon) has this, but it's very expensive, and I don't travel enough to make it worthwhile. I understand that, if you have this, you can connect to the Internet with your laptop wherever you go. Once it is set up, your laptop connects to your ISP just as if you were sitting at home.

That's my two cents' worth – and probably not worth even that. Perhaps others can give you something more intelligent.
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Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)