Internet Connection While Camping?

[Cathi]

Brooke, if you don't mind reading papers a day or two late, we often download a paper when at a wifi spot going through a town. You can get an App "Wifi Finder" that lists wifi hot spots wherever you might be. The obvious places to go when in towns are libraries and coffee shops with Wifi. We purposely bought the Wifi only IPads (cost much less as I recall), did not want a monthly service fee either. You can find some papers that will allow you to download and have them for whenever you want to read.

[BCDave]

If you are a caffeine addict like I am, Starbucks has wifi. If U R a junk-food junkie, most if not all McD's have wifi. There are a zillion places to download and read later at you leisure

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by Cathy

We purposely bought the Wifi only IPads (cost much less as I recall), did not want a monthly service fee either.

Yes, the 3G iPads cost $129 more. They not only have 3G, but also GPS. You do not NEED to pay for 3G service, nor do you need a contract. You can pay month by month. You just activate it when you want 3G and deactivate it when you don't.

I'm sure wifi only is okay for some folks, but you never know how you might want to use your iPad a month or a year after you buy it. For instance, a week after I bought my iPad, some workers cut through the data line to our building at work. Using 3G, I was able to keep up with emails, print out customers' internet orders, and even process credit cards for the two days it took to get the data line back up and running.

[Mouse]

Great ideas!

I am looking forward to meeting people with eggs at Aqua Caliente and Lake San Antonio the Spring! I can take a look at all your solutions and improvements then go home and make some changes to Mouse.

Satellite solutions - Any names of places to research them?

[Jon Vermilye]

Just a quick note - Millenicom has suspended offering their "Advanced Plan" (20GB per month @ $59.99) for awhile (the one I recommended in an earlier post).

According to them they are running out of accounts and won't be issuing new ones for awhile. Those with accounts on vacation or temporarily suspended will be able to restart them.

[RussL]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

I have Millenicom's "Advanced Plan" which provides 20GB per month on the Verizon network for $59.99 per month ...

Hi Jon,

I've been looking for a non-contract data package on the Verizon network and they're few and far between. Almost all of them are on Sprint. Looking at the devices Millenicom offers I would guess that they're on Sprint too (they're supplying a WiMax USB device and as far as I know Sprint is the only carrier using WiMax).

I've got an email in to Millenicon to check but I was wondering if you had any other info on their carrier setup.

Thanks,
Russ

[Jon Vermilye]

Millenicom uses either Sprint or Verizon, depending on the plan. Their "3G/4G Hot Spot" plan is on Verizon, as well as their currently suspended "Advanced Plan" (20GB 3G for $59.99). Their "BYOD" (Bring Your Own Device) is on Sprint as is their "3G/4G Unlimited Plan".

By the way, I've seen postings on a couple of other forums that if you call Millernicom & ask they may still be offering the "Advanced Plan", just not advertising it. It depends on whether they have modems available...

[Newfang]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

Yes, the 3G iPads cost $129 more. They not only have 3G, but also GPS. You do not NEED to pay for 3G service, nor do you need a contract. You can pay month by month. You just activate it when you want 3G and deactivate it when you don't.

I'm sure wifi only is okay for some folks, but you never know how you might want to use your iPad a month or a year after you buy it. For instance, a week after I bought my iPad, some workers cut through the data line to our building at work. Using 3G, I was able to keep up with emails, print out customers' internet orders, and even process credit cards for the two days it took to get the data line back up and running.

Initially I bought a WiFi iPad, but found that not having the built in GPS was irritating at times. Several apps I had used on my old Droid depended on GPS and I didn't even realize it...little stuff like a movie app that tells me what the show times are at the nearest theater. So within a week I exchanged that iPad for a version with GPS (a Verizon 3G model). I went without the data plan for a couple of months then activated it on a trip we took. Sadly I've been a data addict ever since. I use the cheapest $20 plan and it's been enough (use WiFi at home and many other public places), but I can't bring myself to turn it off! I love the convenience. Dan and I are private pilots so it's not unusual to find ourselves in places without WiFi (Not unlike RV folks). Many aviation apps give us so much valuable information it's truly game changing. Sure is a wonderful world we live in.

[Cathi]

Jesse, since you can use your IPad for business, that is a whole different deal. Maybe you can even deduct it?!

I pay the big outlay in the first place but I absolutely hate monthly fees. I am too cheapie cheap on that. But we do not have a trailer. When we get one shortly, I may soon decide that having the 3G or 4G might be great if I can subscribe and unsubscribe at will. That said, however, I expect to be in areas that frequently do not have cell phone service so I am supposing there goes the 3G anyway, right?

But one of the considerations is having a multi-purpose unit. We use Garmins. Some time, the battery on the IPad will go out and that's that, as far as I know. Do they replace batteries if you send them in? Anyway, when you lose the battery on the IPad, you just lost your GPS, too.

Is there really any change to recommend the 3rd generation?

Cathy

[Ed Harris]

Cathy
In general it requires a much weaker minimum signal to use the data features on a carrier than it does to use it for voice calls. So even though you might lose signal for talking I frequently still have enough signal for data use.

Also Apple has a fixed rate for the battery replacement though I can't remember what it is?
I am an iPad dealer through business and I have sold a few hundred maybe and have yet to see a bad battery but it is surely a matter of time before they start going bad.

I also don't use an iPad as a GPS though I can,I find a dedicated GPS much easier to use.

The new iPad offers a much higher resolution screen and is faster mainly.
It also has better camera capability as well as potentially much faster internet speeds and a host of other new features but fundamentally they all do mostly the same things.

[honda03842]

Ditto Ed,

In our travels there have been many places where the 3G Internet was fine and cell service was non existant. This trip where we often been hugging the border the only place without Internet so far has been Seminole Canyon in TX. Fortunately the state park provided free Internet. The Country is really wired.

[mcbrew]

Cathy,

The 3rd gen iPad mainly enhanced some of the features it already had. Faster processor, better camera, faster wireless, and higher screen resolution.

The screen should be very impressive. The iPad 1 and 2 have amazing screens, but the iPad 3 had over 1 million more pixels than a high definition TV! That's four times the resolution of an iPad 2. It also has improved color quality, which is hard to imagine.

The faster processor makes new things possible. The image editing capabilities have been enhanced quite a bit. A lot of this is in the software, but the faster hardware makes it pretty much instant.

Another thing they added is the ability to use the iPad as a hotspot. In other words, you can connect your laptop or other device to the Internet through the iPad just like you would connect to any wifi router. According to Verizon, they are not going to charge extra for this feature. Of course, this does use up your data plan, so be careful!

My iPad 3 should be here on Friday, so if anyone has any more technical questions, I should be able to answer them shortly.

[Cathi]

Well, Ed, Norm And Ginny, that is definitely good to know that you can function with a weak signal. Now I will wonder if the places I go might have service.
Jesse, I will have to go get one of those 3rd gens, oh, wait a minute, somebody might hold me back on that!! I will look for your review.

[HappyFamily]

Our original 1st generation iPad hasn't had a battery issue; it had heavier usage for the first year and then was bumped down and probably gets an hour of usage a day. Same with the iPad 2, which will go to DH as soon as my iPad 3 arrives. As far as charging, the iPad 1st gen charges faster than the iPad 2. Depending on what you need for performance you could even look to pick up a refurbished 1st gen, which is what we did so each child could use an iPad for educational purposes. We've had no issues with a refurbished unit; Apple changes out the battery before selling them.

[Lynn Musgrave]

Looking forward to I Pad 3 review from someone I know. DH has the IPad 2 mine plan had been to get a the new I phone to replace my second gen touch and wait for the I Pad 3 to come out next year. Well did they ( Apple) fool me! DH is a lot more "Tech" smart than me and does a lot with his #2 so now we are thinking about getting him the 3 and me using the 2.

Let us know all of your real feelings ........Thanks ,

[mcbrew]

Well, I've had my new iPad for almost 24 hours now. The screen is amazing, and the 4G Internet is definitely faster than 3G. It is true that you can turn the iPad into a wireless hotspot for no extra charge. It is very easy to do, so it would be great for hooking up a laptop on the road. Another great feature is the voice dictation. In fact I am dictating this message now, and it has not made a single mistake.

The data plans are a little different than they were before. They start at $20. The $20 plan will get you one gigabyte per month, which is better than the cheap plan used to be. I opted for the $30 plan which includes 2 GB per month.

If anyone has any specific questions about the new iPad, I would be happy to answer them.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Which carrier, McBrew? I am sticking to my iPad 1 as long as it is my only Internet, due to my unlimited plan, but I am glad to know if I go to the 3 I would also be able to use my laptop. I am perfectly happy although some of the features of the newer ones are tempting. Maybe I will be ready for the iPad 4!

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by Bobbie Mayer

Which carrier, McBrew? I am sticking to my iPad 1 as long as it is my only Internet, due to my unlimited plan, but I am glad to know if I go to the 3 I would also be able to use my laptop. I am perfectly happy although some of the features of the newer ones are tempting. Maybe I will be ready for the iPad 4!

I got this one with Verizon... My iPad 1 was AT&T. Since my iPhone is with AT&T, I decided that it would be best to have Verizon for the iPad, so that there is a better chance of having service on one or the other. I do have 4G service in town, but it is 3G at home. Of course, I have wifi at home, so that's no concern.

I mentioned in an earlier response that I has Verizon on my iPad 1. I was thinking of my old cell phone... Or just going crazy. My iPad 1 was AT&T.

[Donna D.]

I've been reading Chris Dunphy's & Cherie Ve Ard's blog (Technomadia) postings about networks. Since they make their living on-the-road, reliable connections is very important to them. You may find value in this post: The Choice: Verizon or AT&T’s 4G/LTE Networks

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

I got this one with Verizon... My iPad 1 was AT&T. Since my iPhone is with AT&T, I decided that it would be best to have Verizon for the iPad, so that there is a better chance of having service on one or the other. I do have 4G service in town, but it is 3G at home. Of course, I have wifi at home, so that's no concern.

I mentioned in an earlier response that I has Verizon on my iPad 1. I was thinking of my old cell phone... Or just going crazy. My iPad 1 was AT&T.

Another advantage of the Verizon iPad - they currently do not charge for tethering (setting up your iPad as a "Hot Spot" to provide a WiFi connection) to your other devices. AT&T does not offer the "Hot Spot" feature.