mobile wifi device

Has anyone found a really good way to connect to the internet while they are camping/traveling? I know I can get wifi in McDs and many campgrounds but some places don't have them. Or we are stopped somewhere and need to look up a campground/motel to stop at. We don't have smart phones but have a Kindle and a laptop. I've used a T-mobile mobile hotspot but it didn't work well. We really need something reliable so that my husband can also use the internet to do his work. I might get a Verizon Jet Pack or something like that but wanted to ask here first.

If you need to be independent from wifi, a Verizon device is going to give you the best coverage, followed by AT&T. T-Mobile has lousy coverage away from major highways and cities.

As you might expect this subject comes up every so often on this Forum. Here is a thread started in 2011 that touches on most aspects. In the post, I mention that I was using the Jet Pack -- it worked really well for the year or so I used it. These days I use an Android smart phone that does everything the Jet Pack could do without the expense of another monthly charge.

The reality is that you can find Wi-Fi everyplace where a digital phone might work. There are still vast sections of the USA where there is no digital service (& never will be) but in both small towns and large cities -- you can always find a way to get online.

Mark

Besides McDonald's and campgrounds you can get wifi in ever so many places as you travel. Many supermarkets offer wifi. Home Depot, Starbucks and places like Panera Bread, Altanta Bread and Perkins. Even a lot of rest areas along the interstates now, have wifi. Most truck stops have wifi. Many hotels do not have a password on their wifi. Just park in the parking lot. Not all wifi is free, but most is, and you will soon get the hang of where you can find it. Very often I have just pulled up outside a place, stayed in the car, logged on and looked up something I forgot to note the night before.

Check as you go, you will find wifi in all but the most remote and back country places.

Lifey

Public libraries also have wifi, in many locales. Sometimes they say "library card must be presented to get password". I've been known to go into a public library somewhere else, present my local library card, and be granted access. Other public libraries don't have a password, and you can even access it with your mobile device right outside the library.

SOME public schools have loose wireless connections. However, some block so many websites that trying to do any type of research is useless (or almost), and most of the time it's pretty weak outside. Many schools turn wireless off for the summer (our district does).

My husband and I are not people to absolutely rely on electronic means, though. We carry the AAA tour books, a good set of maps and a AAA triptik, and a book called "The Next Exit" when we travel. This is because we can't always count on electronics. The battery dies unexpectedly, the hard drive dies (happened to us in 2012 near the end of our trip), the GPS dies (another thing that happened to us on our 2012 summer trip), the GPS sends you down a road that it shouldn't (dangerous). I'd recommend carrying some type of books with you, just in case the electronics you love suddenly give out on you.



Donna