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View Poll Results: What is your primary way to stay connected to e-mail and Web on the road? Multiple OK
Smartphone 12 24.49%
Smartphone tethered with PC/Mac 2 4.08%
Wi-Fi hot spot, McDonald, Starbucks, campground, etc… 31 63.27%
Mobile Wi-Fi hot spot , Mi-Fi, USB, built in 3 or 4G 17 34.69%
Campground Dial-up or DSL 8 16.33%
Satellite 0 0%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 49. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 11-12-2011, 11:15 AM   #1
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How you stay connected on the road.

What is your primary way to stay connected to e-mail and Web while on the road? Please vote and comment, you could add a carrier coverage experience.
Smartphone
Smartphone tethered with PC/Mac
Wi-Fi hot spot, McDonald, Starbucks, campground, etc…
Mobile Wi-Fi hot spot , Mi-Fi, USB, built-in 3 or 4G
Campground Dial-up or DSL
Satellite
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Old 11-12-2011, 11:47 AM   #2
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Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
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Internet Connection

For 3 or 4 years we have a Verizon 3G hotspot with unlimited data coverage. It costs us $60 a month. We use it for our Internet coverage at home and away. If it's setup in the house, we are still capable of picking up a signal in the trailer outside.

We typically use a bout 5 gigabytes a month. It is capable of supporting 5 computers or Wi-Fi devices at once.

We will be upgrading to Verizon 4G some time during 2012.

We use this device when we are on the road and home. We have no other Internet coverage.
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Old 11-12-2011, 11:51 AM   #3
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Wi-Fi hot spot
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Old 11-12-2011, 11:55 AM   #4
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Name: David
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Arizona
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I have a dumb tracphone and wireless highspeed for the laptop. The reason I got the tracphone is that I often have no service at all for months. Why pay the monthly bill?. Same goes for the internet, but I haven't found a good alternative to the wireless. All this technology is geared for urban dwellers, not for boondockers. I looked into satellite communication, but no way I can afford that. I don't even have one bar of signal now, but it's enough to usually stay connected. I've considered just dropping the internet. I wish I could. It costs too much for what I get from it.

David
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Old 11-12-2011, 12:23 PM   #5
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Since I try to update my web pages every day when traveling, I am probably a bit overboard on connectivity.

I have an AT&T iPhone that rides in a Sleek cradle in the tow vehicle, and a Wilson cell phone amplifier & repeating antenna in the trailer. A Millenicom USB modem (uses the Verizon network) feeds a WiFi Ranger router that provides a local WiFi around the trailer (and a good part of any campground). The advantage of the WiFi Ranger router is the input can be switched from the USB modem to any local WiFi signal or a Ethernet connection giving you many choices for the source for your local WiFi (very useful where you have good campground WiFi & no cell coverage or traveling in Canada where my US plan was far too expensive to use). Since it is 12V powered, when I'm driving it also provides a WiFi signal from Millenicom's Verizon signal to my iPhone if there isn't AT&T coverage.
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Old 11-12-2011, 12:38 PM   #6
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Since you can have multiple answers, how about one for those of us that "don't stay connected most of the time but if or when we do ..."
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Old 11-12-2011, 01:13 PM   #7
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There's always a free wifi hot spot someplace close. Example almost every town has a McDonalds. Coffee shops such as Star Bucks is another one that's now free. We probably average getting on line once every 10 days.
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Old 11-12-2011, 02:04 PM   #8
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ATT iPhone
ATT iPad
Verizon MiFi
Toughbook with Verizon Modem
Hot Spots

Must stay connected!
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Old 11-12-2011, 02:53 PM   #9
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Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
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Wireless

We pay a relatively heavy price for our Internet connection but easily justify it because it is our only service since we use it home and away. As well both Ginny and I spend a lot of time reading on the net since it is our source of newspapers, magazines, books and knowledge in general.

When one compares it to the benefit it is easy to justify. I believe in the future the Internet will be even more useful and hence more justifiable. Comcast has suggested recently that it is losing customers because people are replacing cable connection with wireless Internet, their TVs with Pads.

Unfortunately Verizon only meets our USA needs, Canada is another matter. In Canada while in NB and PEI we used our Blackberry for about two weeks to get our email a few times a day and make a few calls. It turned out to be relatively inexpensive, about $8. It turns out that emails are really fast and take mostly little data.

Generally when traveling in Canada in the past, we used free wireless hotspots. They were typically at the local library or part of Canada's Community Access Progam (usually buildings with a big CAP sign on them).

The CAP program is nice because it seems even way out towns have one, places where you won't find a McDonalds, Starbucks or even one of our favorites a Tim Hortons.
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Old 11-12-2011, 03:37 PM   #10
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We use our basic ( hillbilly model ) cell phones and try to camp where there is no coverage.
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Old 11-12-2011, 05:05 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by honda03842 View Post
We pay a relatively heavy price for our Internet connection but easily justify it because it is our only service since we use it home and away. As well both Ginny and I spend a lot of time reading on the net since it is our source of newspapers, magazines, books and knowledge in general.

When one compares it to the benefit it is easy to justify. I believe in the future the Internet will be even more useful and hence more justifiable. Comcast has suggested recently that it is losing customers because people are replacing cable connection with wireless Internet, their TVs with Pads.

Unfortunately Verizon only meets our USA needs, Canada is another matter. In Canada while in NB and PEI we used our Blackberry for about two weeks to get our email a few times a day and make a few calls. It turned out to be relatively inexpensive, about $8. It turns out that emails are really fast and take mostly little data.

Generally when traveling in Canada in the past, we used free wireless hotspots. They were typically at the local library or part of Canada's Community Access Progam (usually buildings with a big CAP sign on them).

The CAP program is nice because it seems even way out towns have one, places where you won't find a McDonalds, Starbucks or even one of our favorites a Tim Hortons.
Thanks for the tip about the CAP hot spots. I'll pass it along to the Cuz who often travels to NB to visit relatives.

Me, I'll stick to Tim Horton's. As a wise man once said: " You are born alone, you die alone, but in between 'There are DONUTS' "
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Old 11-12-2011, 05:27 PM   #12
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We also have the Verizon 3G with unlimited usage (contract from 2007) with a Cradlepoint router. We use the same service at home and on the road.
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Old 11-12-2011, 05:47 PM   #13
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We have an Alltel, now Verizon, unlimited 3g wireless connection.Contract is no longer available.
We love the access. However, available power limits our online time when camped.
Canada is another story for US users. Don't think you can use your phone or wireless device on the other side of the border, for the same price, even if it works.
For phone, when we cross the border, we opt for the North America plan. For data, we just forget it, and work on whatever available wifi we find. It's not a big deal... We're camping, after all......
Sherry
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Old 11-12-2011, 06:34 PM   #14
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I was a computer hacker back in the 80s and 90s...so I cannot resist the urge to put my cantenna to good use while traveling. I've even considered making a cantenna repeater for multiple laptops a few years back.

I do not crack any encrypted connections, even though crackers are available. I only connect to open networks and there are many. Since I haven't really been on the road for many years, I haven't done it lately.

When I return to the road, I'll probably be using Norm and Ginny's solution. The company I work for hires, retired hackers, but FROWNS (think axe) on them hacking anything but good solutions for our company
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Old 11-12-2011, 06:44 PM   #15
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You missed a big option!

Local libraries!

Every town, village and city has a library and public access computers. With our GPS libraries are easy to find. Most are free, or at most charge $1. or so for an hour.

We instruct family and friends to send news via regular e-mail. We pick it up on any computer, Canada or U.S.A. And while connected, send a quick report on our location and latest adventures.

Des & Diane
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Old 11-12-2011, 07:10 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Des Nolan View Post
Local libraries!

Every town, village and city has a library and public access computers. With our GPS libraries are easy to find. Most are free, or at most charge $1. or so for an hour.

We instruct family and friends to send news via regular e-mail. We pick it up on any computer, Canada or U.S.A. And while connected, send a quick report on our location and latest adventures.

Des & Diane
That's a good reminder.
We've used libraries often in Canada. not so much in the US.
Sherry
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Old 11-12-2011, 07:13 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Des Nolan View Post
Local libraries!

Every town, village and city has a library and public access computers. With our GPS libraries are easy to find. Most are free, or at most charge $1. or so for an hour.

We instruct family and friends to send news via regular e-mail. We pick it up on any computer, Canada or U.S.A. And while connected, send a quick report on our location and latest adventures.

Des & Diane
Excellent point!
George.
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Old 11-12-2011, 07:35 PM   #18
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Name: Norm and Ginny
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Smart Phones

Smart Phones alone are adequate to get our email. Actually I rarely get on line to check emails; I simply read and respond to them on the phone. Smart phones more advanced than mine can almost eliminate the necessity for a wi-fi hotspot or can serve as a hotspot themselves.

I mostly get on line to read newspapers or similar sources to check the news and review specific topics of daily interest. This usually takes me an hour each morning. Though some of these tasks are possible on a smart phone, the size of my phone makes it not quite feasible. Of course there's this forum that I probably spend an hour a day reading.

For many people I'm certain a Droid or IPhone could do it all without a more traditional Internet connection.

Times are a changing....
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Old 11-12-2011, 09:18 PM   #19
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Name: Jesse
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iPad. The wife and I also ha e iPhones, and our 20 month old boy has an iPod touch. Yep... Getting started early. The iPad and my iPhone have unlimited data packages. I can stream Netflix, listen to music, listen to radio, email, surf the web, play games, sort and edit my photos, control my home computer, check the weather, use the GPS, etc. While connected to a wifi network, I can also watch xfinity TV (HBO, etc), and video chat with family and friends.
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Old 11-12-2011, 09:20 PM   #20
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Motorola Droid Razr

I just bought new Motorola Razr Droid smartphone even thou I tend to wait for a product maturity before purchase. This new Motorola product was just introduced yesterday, 11/11/11 and as we can see it was not the end of the World but hopefully a good day for Motorola. The AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) display is just phenomenal. For glasses wearer as me this display beats any LCD to shame. It will take some time to get used the Android OS, fortunately I have some experience with RiP WebOS which is similar. We are planning long trip around US early next year and the new Smartphone, hot spots and Libraries! will give us Internet connections.

Many years ago the display technology folks claimed OLED taking over the display world, it took a decade to get it to a phone or camera and likely another decade to a TV or a monitor size. Contrast ratio and color saturation are just superb. Battery life should be excellent as well; in LCD display the backlight is blocked by LCD in OLED light is only emitted where it needs be so black is black because there is no light.

George.
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