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techntrek View Drop Down
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Posts: 9062 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Internet service on-the-road and in-camp
    Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 12:13pm

We can't get cable or DSL at home, so our phones are our only "high speed" internet option.  We could do satellite but its the same price as a cell data plan and has a high equipment cost (and you can't use it going 60 mph down the road or under trees).  So cell phone is the answer.

Our phones have Wifi, so I use a neat - and free - program called WMWifirouter version 0.91.  Search the net and you'll find it out there.  It now has a commercial version and you can buy that, but version 0.91 was released "free for personal use" so its legal to use.  I don't have any problems with the free version so I recommend it.

It WILL drain your battery fairly quickly since you are using two radios at one time.  My phone drops about 30% per hour on a good 3G signal (3G uses more power than Edge), so when camping I'll plug it into the phone charger inside the 'pod and leave it there.

My phone also accepts an external antenna, I don't buy a phone unless it does.  Like someone else, I have a high-gain cell antenna and if I don't have a good signal I'll plug the antenna in, too.

Between WMWifirouter and the cell antenna I have a great rolling Wifi setup.  If you have any other options, please share.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 293 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 12:18pm
Many cell phones (running palm, windows mobile) and others allow for laptop tethering ... basically by attaching your phone to your laptop/pc via a USB cord you can use the phone as a gateway to the internet. Make SURE you have an unlimited internet plan first... and be aware that if you run up a huge internet usage amount your phone company can deactivate your phone. It would have to be a large amount, like downloading movies, etc. For general email, web surfing, etc you will be fine.

I have the Palm Pre phone and use a product called My Thether .. it works great and I get DSL speeds on my laptop anywhere Sprint has 3G coverage.
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Posts: 9062 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 12:22pm
Good point, although I've never gone above 3 GB per month even with streaming CD-quality music many days at work and using it as my only internet access at home and on the road.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 6:45pm
Originally posted by rpodadmin

Many cell phones (running palm, windows mobile) and others allow for laptop tethering ... basically by attaching your phone to your laptop/pc via a USB cord you can use the phone as a gateway to the internet. Make SURE you have an unlimited internet plan first... and be aware that if you run up a huge internet usage amount your phone company can deactivate your phone. It would have to be a large amount, like downloading movies, etc. For general email, web surfing, etc you will be fine.

I have the Palm Pre phone and use a product called My Thether .. it works great and I get DSL speeds on my laptop anywhere Sprint has 3G coverage.
I am thinking about getting a new phone with wifi.  However, when I looked at the ATT site, it appeared to be saying that if you were caught using the web without buying an extra data package from them, they would cancel your service.
Can I download the program you mentioned to my laptop and then just tether with a data cord from my Samsung Soltice phone (not wifi) without using ATT's plan? I already have their unlimited data plan.
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Posts: 663 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 11:28pm
We have USCellular and have visited the store recently about tethering our phones.  Sounds interesting, but we still have another year on our home DSL service thru Verizon.  We can use there WiFi sites while traveling.  Does anyone have USCellular and done this?

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Posts: 9062 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Nov 2009 at 10:48am
pepperpod - I know several people that only have the $30 (non-tethering) AT&T data plan but still use work-arounds to do it, without any problems.  Obviously there's no guarantee that they won't in the future, but something to chew on.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 235 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Nov 2009 at 2:55pm
I have a BlackBerry with a Verizon data plan and would love to hear about any work-arounds to allow for tethering without the extra $30/month as we already pay $30 for the internet service. Alternatively, at least it is cancelable on a month-to-month basis, so if I have to, I can activate it only for the traveling/camping months.
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Posts: 112 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jun 2011 at 3:13pm
I did the BlackBerry / Verizon data package for years and it worked well, recently I went over to the dark side and got an I-Phone it works well and doesn't seem to have trouble other than the screen size. I do find that some parks say they have WiFi, but have not been able to use my I-Pad. Clark
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Posts: 133 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jun 2011 at 8:56pm
I have a lap top that has Verizon built in. I have not been anywhere that it does not work.
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Posts: 539 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jun 2011 at 9:16pm
Originally posted by tdrace

I have a lap top that has Verizon built in. I have not been anywhere that it does not work.
 
That's exactly what I have!  Except neither it or my Verizon phone worked at Fort Mountain State Park.  Once in a while I would get enough of a signal to get a text message through, but that was about it.  I think I went through internet withdrawal but I probably needed the break.  Ouch
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