RV traveling with laptops

[Pat And Arleen]

What!!!
Retail store!!! Where else would most people purchase a laptop??

Seems to me WiFi is WiFi. Whether you are at home, outdoors or camping.

I have had my laptop for 3 years now and it works perfectly fine in the Outdoors and RV parks. If the WiFi signal isn't strong enough I move closer to the source, but rarely have to.

Yes if you want a home PC or laptop go to a retail store. If you want one that will work well at home, at the office and on the road get yourself a business laptop. years ago we did home pc's (won't do that again) they just don't work on the road. I can get over 11mb from a hotspot over a mile away with my 3lb Thinkpad. I don't need move closer to or sometimes can't move closer to the sourse. All I am saying is most laptops from retail stores do not do well outside the home when it comes to Wifi. Get a Ext. Ant and it will work better. The one Greg A. posted is a very good one I have setup lots of them for people with boats that can't get closer to the docks but need to get wifi to their boats.

[Pete]

Although my MAC has an internal wifi capability, I have chosen to go with an air data card from my carrier. It does require an additional monthly fee around $60 but the security and range of signal is worth it. A cell phone signal booster (http://www.powerfulsignal.com/RV-Motorhome...-Motorhome.html) installed on my egg increases coverage even more . . . I visited Idaho's City of Rocks National Reserve where cell phone coverage was unheard of - until I turned on my booster and then I had a strong signal. Both cell phone and internet access were solid.

[Bigfoot Mike]

I have been using an EVDO "air" card for several years now. We have found it to be very useful and able to connect almost everywhere. There have only been only a few places where we could not connect in the western states.

WiFi on the other hand has been very disappointing. It seems Macs don't connect as well as PCs in general (at least that has been my experience.) In one RV park we were between two metal buses. I couldn't get any signal. Many RV parks have poor or weak signals and only use the WiFi as a selling point. The parks don't accept any responsibility for poor quality.

I have been taking inventory of my needs lately and it seems I may want several antennas.

• Wilson EVDO antenna w/router (Cradlepoint MBR1000 Mobile Broadband Router)
• External 8.5dBi Portable Omni WiFi antenna & Repeater Router (RV-KIT-REPEATER)
• AM/FM antenna
• Serious Radio antenna
• MotoSat TV antenna (MHDTV DishTV skewable system)

I plan to mount the EVDO & WiFi Antennas each on a 20' painter pole. When we park we will pick which one we want to use and attach to our back ladder.

I plan to continue my Internet Web Development business when we go Full-time so being able to connect anywhere is important to me.

[Gina D.]

another vote for an aircard here. I have Verizon, and like others, rarely get skunked for signal, even in the remotest of areas.

That said, the park I work in now has wifi.. I live in a park model mobile home this gig and its like being in a giant shield. I had to buy an external card and can only surf in certain areas of the house.

I suspended my air card service for the period I am here in an effort to save $$$$. I am thinking of getting it back as when I go camping now, I have no service.

[Bigfoot Mike]

another vote for an aircard here. I have Verizon, and like others, rarely get skunked for signal, even in the remotest of areas.

That said, the park I work in now has wifi.. I live in a park model mobile home this gig and its like being in a giant shield. I had to buy an external card and can only surf in certain areas of the house.

I suspended my air card service for the period I am here in an effort to save $$. I am thinking of getting it back as when I go camping now, I have no service.

gina, that is why I am getting the Repeater. I can move it between my metal park model and my Bigfoot. It is suppose to give a strong signal throughout the inside of the trailer. We’ll see.

[Gina D.]

it is not common to get housing supplied for you when you work in a park, so I don't really want to invest in a lot for a temporary situation. But I could see how the repeater would be a great asset for longer term living.

[Penney H. & Mike E.]

Gina when we first got our AT&T air card I bought an antenna to stick on the window but decided since only part of our house had a metal roof it wasn't worth the hassle, but it did help. Instead I use a hub which I happen to have and stick the air-card in the hub which sits in the window and I get better reception. Metal roofs or metal trailers definitely are not 'user friendly' when it comes to using an air card, though oddly enough I have no problem in the car if in a good reception area. You could try an antenna.

I am impressed Verizon let you discontinue service for a period of time, I thought they locked you into a 2 year contract time like AT&T.

Something to note about air card service from these companies, if you cross over the border, as in going to Canada, and use it, it will cost big bucks, which is noted in the small print. Living in the NW I barely think of going to Canada as 'international travel' and when we were in BC purchasing our Escape in March I went on line while waiting in long border lines - it was a very expensive lesson in forgetfulness, stupidity and paying attention to the fine print. Beware of borders with that type of service!

[Gina D.]

I am impressed Verizon let you discontinue service for a period of time

They let you go into "Vacation Mode". You can suspend (Not dicountinue) your service for 2 3 month periods every two years.

I have been with Verizon for SO long (Decades) that I am no longer on a contract and they actually treat me very well.

The only time I get a new contract is if I upgrade equipment. So far, since 1997, I have only bought two phones and an aircard. I run em into the ground.

[Pat G]

Every time I get on here to reply a truck pulls in the drive. I don't get to town to often but one trip I stopped at the Chammer of Commerce and asked about wifi spots in town. They gave me three or four. One was the Library. I visited the Library and made sure may card was up to date. Next week I will go in with the laptop. Last week I was sitting in a trailer with my two 18 yr old grandchildren. One has had a laptop for over a year and the other just got one. She was asking her cousin how to get on line. He said he had a switch on the side of his. She didn't have a switch, :-) But this old gramma new how and she was off and surfing. The three of us live on dial-up, so when she got on line at a high speed her smile couldn't be bigger or dimple deeper.

[Pat And Arleen]

They let you go into "Vacation Mode". You can suspend (Not dicountinue) your service for 2 3 month periods every two years.

I have been with Verizon for SO long (Decades) that I am no longer on a contract and they actually treat me very well.

The only time I get a new contract is if I upgrade equipment. So far, since 1997, I have only bought two phones and an aircard. I run em into the ground.

Our phones are from the days before camera phones. And work much better then the newer phone people use today (newer is not always better) we get much better range than most phones today. We are going to keep them as long as we can.

[Pat G]

It was good to here what others do. Thank you for sharing. I just returned from a country music festival where cell phone were iffy, but they had wifi via satellite. I don't know what it cost to use. I did see laptop go by with people attached. I didn't take mine because we were dry camping. Thank you all again.