Internet service on-the-road and in-camp |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
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. |
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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rpodadmin
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 17 Feb 2009 Location: Midwest Online Status: Offline Posts: 288 |
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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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
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.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Guests
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Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 6:45pm |
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yizit
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 25 Feb 2009 Location: Wis. Dells, WI Online Status: Offline Posts: 663 |
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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Former owner of 2009 172 Darlene & Jim, Ewok our Lhasa Roada our 2004 Roadtrek C190Popular |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
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.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Tusten Traveler
Senior Member Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Location: Catskills NY Online Status: Offline Posts: 235 |
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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John and Linda
One 14 lb Cockapoo 2010 RPod 174 |
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Tri-Pod
Senior Member Joined: 17 May 2011 Location: Liberty Hill Online Status: Offline Posts: 112 |
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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2010 PR 176 sold 2012 replaced with
2013 SP 240 w outside kitchen 2012 Toyota Tundra Crew Max 4x2 5.7L V8 Me, My Honey, and Max our GSP |
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tdrace
Senior Member Joined: 18 Apr 2010 Location: Florida Online Status: Offline Posts: 133 |
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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tdrace's
2018 180 2010 FORD F150 V-8 equalizer e-2 hitch Sisters on the Fly #1569 |
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Hodge-PODge
Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Location: Calhoun, GA Online Status: Offline Posts: 539 |
Posted: 01 Jun 2011 at 9:16pm |
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.
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2011 RP 177, the Hodge-PODge
2011 Mercedes ML350 "A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it." |
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