Wi-Fi connection?

Any body out there uses a cellphone to connect to the internet? If yes, what ISP, cellphone model and cell provider. Was hacking into my cell, got connected to Roadrunner dailup, but would not exept my password. This is going to be my nightime project on my next trip.

[spinolio]

Been researching myself, from what I've discovered, Verizon seems to have the best coverage with their Express network
http://www.verizonwireless.com/expre...ork/index.html


If you want true WiFi, try Boingo

http://www.boingo.com/

I'm very anxious to try them myself, seems like WiFi is the only true mobile broadband available, unfortunately they don't support Mac yet.

[Pick]

Apple calls it "Airport", same thing, same cards (Orinoco, or Lucent), also known as 802.11b. Now Boingo may not have software for a MAC yet.

It would be nice if Campgrounds would offer 802.11b wireless internet connections. T-Mobile is pushing this hard at Starbucks and Borders book stores in the next year.

What kind of Apple do you have spinolio?

[spinolio]

New IMac @ Home, and a G4 powerbook for the road. I've got the Airport card. You're right, what I meant was that Boingo doesn't have software yet.

T-mobile ought to target KOA instead of Starbucks

[Jim Clark]

Originally posted by Pick


It would be nice if Campgrounds would offer 802.11b wireless internet connections. T-Mobile is pushing this hard at Starbucks and Borders book stores in the next year.

What kind of Apple do you have spinolio?

I thought about going around to Camp Grounds and offering to install wireless networks. They could charge you $5.00 a day for high speed access. I guess we could all stick a 802.11b sticker on the trailer and work out networks on the fly. May not have access to a high speed WAN but could do a LAN on the fly. All the new AP'S offer a DHCP server so no big deal. Could do file sharing and a few other things.

BTW : I have a Apple Cube , NeXT Cube and a whole host of Windows machines.

[Andy R]

I have been researching wireless option for my current employer. It looks like Sprint dropped the $10/month for unlimited 144kbps (3 times faster than dial-up) wireless access in October. For those who are grand fathered LUCK YOU! They can pay $10 on topof their plans and get unlimited internet access anywhere a Sprint phone connects.

If you want this service now, you willhave to pay based on your usage & buy a wireless aircard. Before you could teather your phone to your laptop with a cable. Aircards are $200 after $50 rebate.

Usage fees are based on your bandwidth needs. It gets pretty pricey. The top plan is $120/month for 120MB. If your main use of the internet is email, then a smaller plan from $40/month would work. If you plan on doing a lot of browsing, then you might need a larger plan. You can change your plans on an as needed basis. But make sure you do change it. Overage charges are super high!

Hmmm... We need a special AirstreamForums.com members discount! Well, I can dream that we had that much buying power!

Andy
1961 Bambi

[rtaylor537]

Last summer my wife and I traveled extensively through the West starting from Michigan and turning around at the mouth of the Columbia River, at Fort Stevens, Oregon.
We kept up with our email and so on by using Verizons wireless connection (via cell phone). It was pretty much seamless and trouble free and at 14.4K text messages were downloaded/uploaded relatively quickly. With 1500 free weekend minutes and no roaming charges, the cost was minimal.
We had a connection at nearly every stop except at Tahoe where ExpressNet could not find an internet portal. We composed our journal entries in MSWord and attached it to multiple addresses making our work a bit simpler.
On several occasions, we used the internet hookup provided by the RV campground, but did find using the cell phone at the picnic table much more convenient.
RTaylor 30 ft Excella

[spinolio]

Here's a copy of an email I sent to the wifi people @ T-mobile
As a soon-to-be member of the rapidly growing Recreational Vehicle community, I'd like to make a recommendation on a possible partner relationship that would, I think, dramatically increase your 802.11b sales. RV'ers are typically thought of as an older demographic, not tech savvy, and not interested in becoming so. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just type in "motorhome" or "airstream" into a search engine and check the abundant results. Rv'ers are very tech savvy, very active on the internet, and starved for high speed access while on the road. The only choices at this point are unreliable cell phone access, or plugging into the 14.4 modem line that some campgrounds offer. DirecWay won't service us because we don't have a land line for their monitoring use, and the only other satellite system available is from TracNet at a cost of $6000.00 or more. Despite the high cost of TracNet, SOME PEOPLE ARE PAYING IT, that's how starved this community really is. So far, Verizon's ExpressNet is the most viable alternative, but coverage is limited. A partnership between T-Mobile and KOA campgrounds http://www.koa.com seems like a marriage made in heaven, with 500 locations in the US and Canada, they're the largest chain in their category. You could also partner with Camping World http://www.campingworld.com, a camping supplies retailer with 30 US locations, or even with the WBCCI http://www.wbcci.org (the Airstream owners club with 10,000 members and airstream only campgrounds around the country).

These of course are just suggestions, but, someone eventually is going to service this community. be it T-mobile, Boingo, Joltage, or another company.


Some more links of interest:
www.fmca.com
www.airforums.com
www.escapees.com
www.airstream.net
www.gmcmotorhome.com


Thanks for your time,

Curt Allan

Let's get active on this, and get the campgrounds wired!

[ALANSD]

nice idea, well stated.