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Poprivet · 07-08-2007, 06:03 PM

I'm pretty good at hooking up color coded cables and such - It's what you have to do before and after the hookup that confuses me - Here is my question for you techies:
Att has a service called EDGE which is a data transfer something. If you hook a cellphone that has EDGE to you pc with a transfer cable, can you get the pc to connect to the internet?

Poprivet · 07-09-2007, 05:54 PM

Is there a cell phone on the market that can be used to provide a internet connection to a PC?

Phil Gobie · 07-09-2007, 06:23 PM

I am also using the Wilson Elect. booster w/my Version Internet card and my cell phone. The card also allows us to use a Sling box to get our cable TV from home. It works fairly well depending on the signal strength. It is nice to get your own local news.

**moosetags** · 07-09-2007, 06:40 PM

We are using Alltel's Axcess Mobile Link. It interfaces my Motorola Razr cell phone to my notebook PC via a USB connrcting cord. The service is great all over the country. Anywhere you can get a cell signal, you can get on the internet. It's not as fast as cable broadband, but probably about equal to DSL. I am on it right now in Lucy in Jacksonville, Florida.

Poprivet · 07-09-2007, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

We are using Alltel's Axcess Mobile Link. It interfaces my Motorola Razr cell phone to my notebook PC via a USB connrcting cord. The service is great all over the country. Anywhere you can get a cell signal, you can get on the internet. It's not as fast as cable broadband, but probably about equal to DSL. I am on it right now in Lucy in Jacksonville, Florida.

Do you have to pay for the link and cell phone service?. What I'm trying to find out is say if I have a dialup internet connection at home, can I connect to it via a cell phone and the usb data cable to the PC with no other services involved??

bhayden · 07-10-2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Alan

Do you have to pay for the link and cell phone service?. What I'm trying to find out is say if I have a dialup internet connection at home, can I connect to it via a cell phone and the usb data cable to the PC with no other services involved??

I believe the answer to that is no. Maybe if you had an old analog phone the signal quality might be good enough to transmit and recieve the beeps and screaches that a modem sends over "voice" lines but in the drive to carry more calls over existing bandwidth all the digital phones loose so much through compression that a modem will not function. Remember, the network is designed to carry voice conversations so anything outside the range of normal conversation is considered extraneous or noise. Hence, the separate data connection feature for which you pay so dearly. -Bernie

TBRich · 12-22-2007, 09:47 PM

I know this is an old thread, but thought it was worth posting on...and bumping, because I know there are others wonder what to do... After months of wondering what was the best solution for me to access the internet while on the road, I opted for an air card. I already have Alltel cell phone service, so that's the company I went with. Other carriers offer the same service. I am on a Mac, by the way, which Alltel supports, as does Verizon, I believe.

I researched air cards vs tethering a cell phone to the laptop via a USB connection, which is in effect using the cell phone as a modem. There are 2 differences I could determine from a lay standpoint (without being overwhelmed with the technical stuff)...speed and cost. The faster connection of the 2 is an aircard...that about $60 a month plus the cost of the air card, which varies depending on the card...mine was $170 with a $100 mail-in rebate. The less expensive method is using a cell phone with EVDO capbility at $25/mo. Both are unlimited time and data upload/downloads. My cell phone is pretty basic (the way I want it), so I would have to buy a new phone with the proper capbailities... I didn't want to do that, and the connection speed is important to me because I need to be able to conduct biz on it—and being a graphic designer, that means large file transfer sometimes.

Both depend on being able to get a cell signal...but my experience with Alltel is that I am able to get a cell signal most of the time...

Soooo...today I took the leap and bought the card and got my laptop all set up for an upcoming nearly 2-week trip. This will be great for my clients who always get just a tad nervous when I leave town. I should be able to stay in touch with clients by email, and with my studio phone forwared to my cell phone, most of them will not even know I am gone! (Hmmm...can anyone say "Gone Camping"...?) Each day at the end of work I do a complete backup of my desktop computer hard disk onto an external hard drive...that I can take with me on trip, connect to the laptop, and have access to virtually all my active business files... Violá! I'm in the mobile aluminum studio zone!

I will use this upcoming trip to figure out how connection is and if I need to get a booster antenna or whatever, but so far I am a very happy camper. I am sitting in the AS at the moment, connected to the internet via Alltel, and though I can notice a bit of a lag, I'm finding it totally accetable so far...and I'm used to a very fast cable connection in my studio. It doesn't seem to care that I am surrounded by aluminum...and in fact, I think it might just get a charge out of the fact that my laptop is a Mac PowerBook—with its brushed aluminum casing matching the AS!

I am just so pumped about this!
TB

chhmiami · 12-22-2007, 11:07 PM

I've been very happy with the VuCube for a satellite antenna, very light weight, just put it on the ground point it south, fine tune with the remote control, pricey but it works like a champ. - Carl

Vu Qube Portable Satellite TV Antenna - Camping World

acgypsy · 12-23-2007, 01:43 AM

i'll jump on this thread, i use a sierra 860 from ATT on my laptop. the antenna is form flying 'j' truck stop, wilson brand, two foot tall, attached to a home depoe 24 foot roller paint extension, mounted to the tounge jack. some time its low bars, sometime high bars== 1.3meg/bits/sec.....as far as movies, you need to go to 'white spring.tv.com' free 24/7movies with no commercials on the interner. keep the 'net' FREE, vote ron-the texas dude-paul, out...........

henw · 12-23-2007, 03:56 AM

If you are going to stick the antenna on a pole, then get a directional YAG antenna. Big improvement over the straight 2' Wilson. Up to 10 -15 dB.
Wilsons website provides you a number you can dial in for your brand of cell phone. You get a display of signal strength. It's just a matter of spinning the pole and finding the direction of the nearest cell tower.

lovingtahoe · 01-19-2008, 12:22 AM

Did you buy the Cantenna? If so, what do you think of it's performance? I have been looking for a way to be able to "blog" away while IN the Airstream. The signal at the State Beaches has been poor at best.

ScottW · 01-19-2008, 07:57 AM

After much searching and comparison, I decided to buy an Apple iphone instead of upgrading one of my laptops and installing a card. The cards (Alltell and others) run apprx $60 per month. I can add data to my ATT (nee Cingular) acct for $20 per month and have the same coverage as my cell phone. Do the math. The iphone will be paid for in savings in 10 months, and, I get a neat phone that has a built in ipod. just my 2 cents.

ScottW · 01-19-2008, 08:00 AM

Oops! Forgot. I carry a portable tripod and antennae for Dish network. I have 200' of coax (the max) so I can always have a clear shot with the dish. Only takes a minute to set up.

lovingtahoe · 01-19-2008, 09:41 AM

so then do you tether your i-phone to your laptop?

ScottW · 01-19-2008, 09:46 AM

Nope. The iphone becomes your laptop. It does it all, phone, email, internet, ipod.....everything. Everything but cheap.

lovingtahoe · 01-19-2008, 10:18 AM

For basic computing I see how that would be a great solution. But, I need the availability to run wordpress, dreamweaver and photoshop from my laptop and then be able to FTP via a good internet connection... all from within the Airstream. Has anyone had any great luck with the Cantenna, WaveRV or the RV2InternetSMART iAntenna 300?

2airishuman · 01-19-2008, 10:52 AM

i'll skip BIGTIME on cantenna, rvwave, rv2internet....

basically these are all wifi signal amplifiers or repeaters...

you will still be faced with FINDING the wifi hotspots and limited to whatever the wifi owner has established....

wifi is fine for the occasion connection in an urbanlife, for folks who live in paneras or starbucks, or a flying j, or koa....

but is won't be how folks are connecting 3-4 years from now...

even NOW, it's tedious finding a signal for any frequent rv traveler who really NEEDS a connection...

why waste time looking for signals...

i've stopped using wifi almost completely while on the road.

a broadband/cellular card plugged INTO the computer or INTO a personal router is the best option available now....

not expensive monthly and minimal equipment costs commitment, with signal availability that matches a cell phone.

many of us are using verizon cards for 90% of the country and a cell signal booster/antenna for more remote spots or weaker signal areas...

go back to the sub forum on THIS topic, there are many threads on each of these issues...

many of the best details are in just a few of these threads on each SPECIFIC technology or product.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f451/

yes sat dish technology continues to improve but the equipment is still pricey...

and the least expensive stuff still has to be 'set up' at each site...

whle a broad band card is approximately dsl speed and can be used while moving or parked.

and it takes just seconds to connect WITH all the utility and features and software of your entire computer.

richC full times in an a/s and has written a book on digital rv technology...

he also has a forum and equipment reviews on his website/blog...

richC's books and website are here...

cheers
2air'

lovingtahoe · 01-19-2008, 11:01 AM

Cool, thanks for the RC Tech link. I love it.

2airishuman · 01-19-2008, 11:09 AM

u r welcome.

and almost everything u need to learn about using these cell cards is here...

What is EVDO : EVDOinfo.com

richC and richL both use broadband cell cards that plug into a router....

the router is IN their trailers.

so when they pull into a campsite, they have/provide wifi for others nearby...

basically they 'share' their broadband signal with others this way...

it makes them VERY popular with nearby campers too!

the contracts include very generous (nearly unlimited) data downloads with a fixed monthly price...

happy surfing!

2air'

lovingtahoe · 01-19-2008, 12:49 PM

You know, I love the idea of the aircard and router set-up. Could have fun naming the signal too (great way to make friends). But, I am hoping to find a solution that is not going to incur another monthly bill... if at all possible. I might just have to go that route in order to work and be able to travel with Roman. But, if I can get by with a "booster" that would be nice.