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Okay, since I work in technology I should know this, but I haven't been good at keeping up with the latest and greatest if it didn't apply directly to what I do... So here's my question.
My sister has an RV. She would like to have a laptop that she can take with her everywhere, AND also have connection to the internet during her travels.
So what is the usual route of this kind of wireless technology? Using some type of satellite connection? Or a wireless network card that basically works like a cell phone to the nearest tower and dialup speed?
What are the costs of some of these options?
She's asking me for advice, and I just don't know much about this area.
posted
Get a cell phone with nationwide unlimited night and weekend use. (You can get this for as little as $35/month) I personally reccommend Sprint because they have most major highways covered, but that depends on your preference. Most computers can be set up for a little extra $$ in hardware to plug directly into a cell phone. You get a dongle that goes from a cell to an ordinary modem. It will be slow-ish for downloads but probably the cheapest way to go as far as I know. If you do your downloads during the designated night and weekend hours, you won't get socked with a lot of overage charges. I know there are wireless hubs and stuff but I'm guessing this would be more reliable if she's going to be driving on main highways.
Its possible to rig a satellite system, but there are no commercial solutions to it afaik. Most out there are based on the idea of a fixed location for the antenna; she'd have to have the know-how to sight her antenna, and could only really do it while stopped. The cell phone solution is slower but better.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
An aquintance of mine is travelling around the world with his lap-top. Apparently many hotels nowadays have facilities that enable you to hook up your lap-top to their existing broadband nets (provided that you have the necessary ethernet card and stuff, of course). Also many internet cafés offer this service. It isn't as universally available as wireless through a cell-phone, of course, but probably cheaper and much faster.
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Sony-Erricson offers cell phone PCMCIA cards that operate on GSM, they do this in congunction with AT&T's network. You should be able to go to an AT&T wireless store and ask about it, I saw the add in a PC Club store in Oregon. You get higher than ISDN speeds with bursts up to 200kbps, depending upon your connection of course, the problem with this, is nobody has a good national GSM network at the moment, but AT&T is going to be installing a LOT of towers in the next few months. I'd post links but at the moment I can't find any...and in fact...I'm being forced out of bed and out the door... Satyagraha
Posts: 1986 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I just wanted to interrupt this thread for a moment to point out that dongle is one of the more ridiculous technology-related words out there.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I'd actually have to say it's the most awesome. Farmgirl: I'm going to a PC Club tonight to pick up an order of wireless equipment ($65 worth of stuff for free!), and I see if I can pick up some literature to scan and email to you. Satyagraha
Posts: 1986 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Re: Dongle. I agree. I had to try to locate one once though for a notebook computer where the card was still good but the adapter [dongle] connecting the card to the wireless antenna was broken. This is the first chance I've ever legitimately had to use the word in casual conversation so I'd thought I'd sneak it in and see if someone commented.
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Thanks, Satyagraha, for the offer of literature, and to all those who weighed in with ideas and links. You have all given me something to really start on in researching it -- and least now I know kindof what I'm looking for.
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One of my favorite tech ads ever was this one for Xircom a few years ago, for a LAN PC card that didn't need an adapter. It included a photo of a Greek statue that had at some point had its genitals broken off. The caption read, "Lost the dongle."
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Ok, I don't know about Sprint, but I do know that some companies dislike using people surfing the Internet on their dime. Some companies (T-Mobile and Verizon) prefer you use a wireless connection card instead of your cell phone. Basically, the wireless connection card is a cell phone built to plug into a laptop expansion slot. Technical term for this slot is cardbuss, PCMCIA, or just expansion slot .
Although the card is somewhat pricey, performance is at or above 56K phone quality, and you can get it anywhere there's a cell phone signal. T-Mobile has the best unlimited Internet access plan and the best speed, IIRC. However, the Verizon card is much cheaper up front, and Verizon has much better coverage than T-Mobile.
Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Bernard, please. :-) much easier to type. Okay, I have the brochure in my hands, I'll scan it tomorrow when I get back to school. What PC Club is selling is AT&T's unlimited data plan (you can buy it online) which you can see here from what the sales person (who was the store manager...seems like I always attract the store manager for some reason...maybe it's because I tend to buy more...and somehow pay less) told me PC Club offers the card for free when you sign up, and it's for one year, not two. You can get the details of the plan at www.attwireless.com/speed. You can get the PC Club deal here. This uses a PCMCIA card, like Tstorm said, except, average speeds are at 100-150kbps, with bursts up to 200kbps, the problem is, currently nobody has a very extensive GSM network, though as I said earlier, AT&T is expanding theirs this summer (you can see their current coverage at the attwireless site). Hope this helps! Satyagraha
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