Connectivity on the Road

I'm a little curious as to how to remain connected while on the road. Obviously, public telephones are an option, but I'll be taking my laptop along with me. How easy is it to find and use public wi-fi networks? Also, it is safe to use public wi-fi?

Check out some of the other discussions here, and try using the advanced search button above. There are also a few related article in our library.

Ah, thanks. I hadn't noticed the "Advanced Search" link before. I found this thread ( http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=5411.0 ) which is really awesome, thanks.

I found it very easy to find public wifi from Florida home last year.  Most Libraries, Starbucks, electronic Box stores, etc all provide wifi, plus many parks now include wifi as part of the camping fees.  So, while it may not have been every night, emails were answered at least every second or third day.

Horse said:

I'm a little curious as to how to remain connected while on the road. Obviously, public telephones are an option, but I'll be taking my laptop along with me. How easy is it to find and use public wi-fi networks? Also, it is safe to use public wi-fi?

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While we have internet satelite on top of our rig, there were times in Newfoundland this summer that we could not get a signal.  We found, in addition to the places mentioned, that we could  catch wi-fi at most hotels or motels.  We just drove to their parking lots and  searched for a signal.  We do not find many public phones at all anymore. The cell phone seems to have replaced them.

Betty

I found that a lot of rest areas along the interstate have wifi, in OR, WA, SDand i saw some in TX

I've had several concurrent alternatives to our (fast) cable modem at home, including satellite internet (HughesNet), T-Mobile air card, WiFi, and a few others, although I've rarely had to resort to using WiFi.

The HN option is great while in the boonies, but my hardware has proved to be unreliable. Also, the hardware costs of being online via HN while on our boat are beyond my budget. As a result, I haven't been online with the system for over a year, and finally canceled the service a couple of days ago *.

My T-Mobile air card has had great coverage across the US, in Eastern Canada, down in Mexico, and even overseas. The "EDGE" system that T-Mobile uses is relatively slow, so I've been researching (maybe vacillating would be a more accurate term) faster air card alternatives, including Sprint, AT&T and Verizon. A couple of days ago I opted for a Verizon USB air card at Costco. They offered a better deal than Best Buy, and I wasn't ignored as I was at the Verizon store around the corner. Net cost to me is $0, although it required a 2-year contract. The contract can be canceled at no charge within 30 days, and the air card can be returned for a full refund within 90 days. no questions asked.

I plan to use the Vz air card alongside my T-Mobile card for a while, and might even switch to Sprint for a trial period.

* When I talked with a nice lady at HN to cancel my service, I recognized the accent and asked "are you in the Philippines?", and she confirmed she was. I wished I could recall the small amount of Tagalog (the Philippine national language), or even Taglish, that I'd learned. Looks like HN is falling into the same "cost cutting" mode as other providers, and are forced to outsource their support.

For what it's worth, StarBand's satellite service has US-based technical support. StarBand is also quite friendly to mobile users. They don't have a problem with them, as long as they get their installer certification, which is free.

Joe and I have traveled the last several years with both StarBand and HughesNet. Because we are running a company on the road, we need to be online at all times and satellite is still the only way to almost guarantee that (there is NO 100% guarantee even for a fixed location.

The air card is quickly becoming a solution almost as good, in terms of providing connectivity. For those who don't boondock off the beaten path, it is an excellent solution and one which requires much less equipment and almost zero startup costs.

Wi-Fi in RV parks is a "spotty" solution, at best. Sometimes it works very well indeed, but particularly during prime time, tends to be very unreliable in terms of both being able to connect and the speed of the connection. It is an adequate solution for those who don't really care if they get online without walking down to the clubhouse or not.

We went the aircard route and are quite satisfied.  There are times, dependent upon location, that it is a bit slow, but we have service. 

Before, we used ATT broadband packaged with TV & home telephone.  We kept their phone but switched
TV to Direct and data to the Sprint aircard.  At the time, Sprint was the only aircard provider that did not limit download to 5 GB/Mo.  Now they all do.

For home we plug the aircard into a wireless router.  On the road we plug the aircard into the PCMIA slot on the side of the laptop.  We have discovered that the aircard software boggs down the laptop, so in the future we will take the wireless router along too.

I used wifi for the last five years and was very unhappy. I recently switched to Verizon air card and couldn't be happier. Best $59 per month I have ever spent. The modem costs $99 with a $50 rebate. I get a signal almost everywhere I go. Most of the time it is a high speed connection that is very fast. Out in the boonies, like Yellowstone I get a signal but it is not high speed, it is about 56K speed and it is still useable.

I have been using VZ for my aircard and it is my only connection for telephone/Internet service (Skype, Magicjack).  This has been my only connection to the Internet for several months and the service has been exceptional.  When we go to our cabin or go RVing I use an external whip antenna.  At home it isn't necessary. When WiFi is available while driving - I use that to make my connections. VoIP works great there too.

BarbN said:

For what it's worth, StarBand's satellite service has US-based technical support. StarBand is also quite friendly to mobile users. They don't have a problem with them, as long as they get their installer certification, which is free.

Joe and I have traveled the last several years with both StarBand and HughesNet. Because we are running a company on the road, we need to be online at all times and satellite is still the only way to almost guarantee that (there is NO 100% guarantee even for a fixed location.

The air card is quickly becoming a solution almost as good, in terms of providing connectivity. For those who don't boondock off the beaten path, it is an excellent solution and one which requires much less equipment and almost zero startup costs.

Wi-Fi in RV parks is a "spotty" solution, at best. Sometimes it works very well indeed, but particularly during prime time, tends to be very unreliable in terms of both being able to connect and the speed of the connection. It is an adequate solution for those who don't really care if they get online without walking down to the clubhouse or not.

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As I have mentioned in earlier threads we also have Motosat and our west, in Mexico, or in most parts of Canada, (I am currently in Newfoundland with no service!) it is the best coverage but this spring we headed to the northeast and in New York and New England a majority of the parks were in trees and our sat coverage become iffy. I got tired of walking every park to find a suitable site so began using my Verizon PDA as a backup. I would guess the Verizon was used about 30% of the time. Up here we are following in the Brewer's and Russ's footsteps looking for libraries and motels if the park doesn't have WIFI.

Last night we parked up on the coast of Newfoundland and gladly gave up internet for the view. MotoSat was receiving but could not pass a ranging test because of wind shaking the antenna.

I think the conclusion I am leading to is that if you travel in the western US, Mexico, or Canada as we do then satellite provides better coverage but if you primarily RV in the east or on major routes out west then cell service is a less costly solution that has advantages like coverage while you are moving and a lower initial investment.

Yes, with all the trees combined with mostly low-on-the-horizon look angles to the satellites, it is tougher to get online in the east, especially with a roof-mounted antenna.

This is probably the biggest advantage of the tripod-mounted setup ... the flexibility to set up the tripod where it has the best line of site. Cost is the second big advantage.

The other side of the coin, of course, is the need to manually point and fine-tune the antenna versus being able to just push the button and have it do this automatically.

Why are there always tradeoffs?

This weekend is my first opportunity to compare my trusty T-mobile air card with my newly-acquired Verizon USB modem. The weekend isn't over, but the jury is still out.

The first day I connected with Verizon I was getting broadband speeds for a brief period, then it dropped to below dialup speeds before displaying a message to call Tech Support. The call got me talking to a friendly, helpful lady who first tried to convince me I was too far away from a tower. When we got past that, and after having her locate me on a map, she had me reboot the PC. When the VZ modem came up at high speed, she declared it had been some conflict on my PC.

I'm on my third day and, when it works, the VZ card is reasonably fast. But it continues to periodically go into this "call Tech Support" mode.

Meanwhile, my T-mobile card keeps on trucking, albeit at much slower speeds.

Speed test results using testmy.net (limited sample so far):

Download:  764-864 Kbps  (93-105 kB/s)

Upload:  214-223 Kbps  (26-27 kB/s)

I suspect there are a lot of Verizon users in your circle of yachts as well as in the general area, so sharing of the bandwidth is going to be a factor in your speeds.  The "call Tech Support'  seems odd, though. First I've heard of that!

I've been using a Sprint USB modem since April1 and have had very good results overall. In a couple places I've needed an external antenna to get a decent signal and in some places Sprint has only 1xrtt service instead of EVDO, but I've always been able to get online.

Understand the sharing of bandwidth Gary, but I'm often online while others are either partying or fast asleep. I'll be running more tests over the next couple of days/nights and recording times.

An external antenna is something I'll definitely buy if/when I'm convinced this is the right choice of carrier. I have one for my T-mobile card, but didn't bring it along this weekend.

When I got this VZ modem, I also had the option of Sprint or AT&T, and might switch or add either or both of them for a trial period. Of course, it might be a better test if we were traveling across country right now, but service while afloat in our cruising area is one of my criteria.

The results of your analysis should be interesting.  I am sure it will prove more accurate than what is claimed in advertising. ;D

My experience with Sprint has been similar to Gary's.  I switched from ATT's high speed internet to the Sprint aircard and at best notice a considerable slower speed.  When I called Sprint with speeds like Gary reports I was told that "near" DSL speed is what is to be expected and is acceptable.  I don't have a real problem with that.  I suppose if I were downloading huge files i might.

But, in some locations (generally rural) I get the 1XRTT which is about dial-up speed.  The good news is; in the same location wifi isn't available so it is better than nothing. 

.... in the same location wifi isn't available so it is better than nothing. 

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That's how I feel about my T-mobile card. I've used it across the US and through eastern Canada, and even in the UK. It's not super-fast, but has proved to be reliable and had good coverage for the last 3 years of testing. At $29.95/month, the price is right too. I'm sure not going to cancel that service unless/until I have a solid alternative that works in places I need to be online.