Can't connect to wireless connection

I have an Inspiron 6000 (inherited from my kids). It worked great for a while, at home or on the road whenever I needed to connect to the internet via a wi-fi hotspot, until recently. I can still connect at home (wireless) automatically, but outside of the house, I can't get any wireless connection. This has been going on for ~1 month now, and I just don't know what to do. Could it be a simple setting?

Sod