roadtrip connectivity

[chris trapp]

hi everyone,
i was hoping to find some help in planning a roadtrip i am taking this summer with a couple friends. we will be travelling over 3 months to see a baseball game in every major league park. along the way we would like to be able to connect to the internet from our rv to read email, get content (news, scores, etc.), and update our website.
what are possible solutions? also what would be the associated costs?

i am unfamiliar with this area. i do know that you can get wireless modems but do not know of the quality, cost, or manufacturers. are there any other solutions besides wireless modems?

thank you very much for your help.

chris trapp

[Megan Edwards]

With the new "wireless Internet" phones from Sprint you can get sports scores and news. The ads suggest you can throw away your PC, but they are, to say the least, misleading. Yu can't update a Web site using one, for example. When we're on the road, we use a variety of methods to connect with a laptop. In no particular order, they are cell phone with a Motorola S1936D interface, truck stop restaurants, public libraries, and Kinko's. The cellular interface connection is slow-- 9.6 kbps most of the time-- but it works. Many restaurants at big truckstops have table phones with data ports-- you can have a cup of coffee while you log on-- and a lot of them even have electrical outlets so you don't have to worry about your battery dying. Most Kinko's have pay phones with data ports at desks that you can use for free. You can also buy time on their computers, which offer high-speed access in most places. Public libraries usually have terminals, but the rules for their use vary widely.

Hope this helps!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Like the s-1936D, there are a variety of digital interfaces that can be used to connect to the Internet. But one to consider might be the AirStar 100 that was developed for the StarTac handset. Some brief information can found in a recent column at www.roadtripamerica.com/rw/rw18.htm

Costs: If you were to attempt to operate in a fully wireless mode and diligently worked to keep your .jpegs and other files under 100K and logged on less than two times a week and stayed in areas covered by digital networks your costs might be in the range of $250 to $550 per month. If you operate in marginal areas and work in analog and etc. the costs could easily triple.

What budget did you have in mind? Perhaps I can provide other ideas.

Good luck. Let us know what you choose.

RW

[peter roos]

We made a similar trip last summer. Had to buy a new cellphone, Nokia 6160 or 6162, get a cellular ready 3-com modem, & cables to connect the two. Also ended up with an antenna, which helped to improve reception in campgrounds, under trees, etc. in marginal areas. And it looks like you can only use a laptop, which, of course is a space saver in an RV anyway.
The system works fine, as long as you have a decent signal. We had good luck with AT&T's one rate program. No roaming or long distance charges and pretty good coverage nationwide.
Once you get just a little off of the interstates outside of major metropolitan areas, reception drops somewhat.
An alternative is to visit the local libraries for internet access. We did that quite a bit. They are generally free and usually available. Sometimes you have to make a reservation for later in the day.
If they are tied up, there is often an internet cafe where you can get access for about the same cost as your cell phone time.
Have a great trip.

[chris trapp]

thanks to everyone for their help.
we're about to leave in less than 4 weeks.
most likely, we'll just end up stopping at kinkos,libraries, truck stops, etc. but after hearing peter's suggestion about using a cell phone and cellular modem, we'll have to look into that.

chris

[chris trapp]

thanks to everyone for their help.
we're about to leave in less than 4 weeks.
most likely, we'll just end up stopping at kinkos,libraries, truck stops, etc. but after hearing peter's suggestion about using a cell phone and cellular modem, we'll have to look into that.

chris