Community Forums

Ned · 09-14-2004, 03:40 PM

Hi all,
Other than using a cell phone to connect, what other options are available? I am particularly interested in satelite internet. Thanks.

Ned · 09-14-2004, 03:40 PM

Hi all,
Other than using a cell phone to connect, what other options are available? I am particularly interested in satelite internet. Thanks.

Ned · 09-16-2004, 11:52 AM

If satelite internet turns out to be an expensive option, I will resort to using a cell phone. I've heard the AT&T "Edge" mobile internet system is about as fast as any. Anybody using this setup?? Thanks.

**RV Wizard** · 09-17-2004, 03:50 AM

Ned, I am using verizon and with free night & weekends it has bee just fine. Depending on the area you are at you may even have a broadband connection speed. I was amazed when we switched from Alltel and 14.4kbps.

3huskies · 09-17-2004, 05:39 AM

Ned,
The roof mounted satellite will run you about $5000.00 installed plus $99.00 per month for service and you have to have a pretty open campsite to aquire a satellite. I purchased a Wifi card from Ebay for 12 bucks. Most all Koa's have it and campgrounds are subscribing by the hundreds yearly. High speed internet pretty reasonable and you only pay when you want it. Imho it is the way to go.

Bill R. · 09-22-2004, 06:28 PM

The ATT Wireless edge connection works pretty well. Of course if you are sending/receiving any real large files or attachments, it will be slower, much like a dial up.
You can connect either thru an GPRS edge capable phone (i.e. Nokia 6200), or thru an edge card in your computer. If you dont already have a phone or computer card, make sure you get a dual band device (850/1900) as in some areas edge is deployed on the 850 band and others on 1900. You will still have service in either case, but a faster connection with edge.

Fla2RI · 09-25-2004, 06:38 PM

RV Wizard, can you tell me how you hook up your Verizon phone for internet use? Do you connect a cable from your laptop to your phone? Thanks

**RV Wizard** · 09-25-2004, 07:14 PM

Yes, a cable is connected from the bottom of the phone to the USB input of laptop. You will need to get the connectivity kit for your spcific phone with the cable & software (drivers) for use in the computer. I am using it now.

Fla2RI · 09-26-2004, 07:24 PM

Thank you

Joe Weber · 10-10-2004, 08:01 AM

Bill,

Does the Edge card still require you to hook up to a cell phone to it? If been looking at a SprintPCS connection card. As I understand, the Sprint connection card is like it's own cellular device. The card has it own phone number associated with it and you do not hook up a cell phone to it.

Ned · 10-10-2004, 11:49 AM

No, if you have an Edge card, it does not require a cell phone.

I opted for an Edge capable phone from AT&T however. The connection speed is about like dial up, sometimes a little quicker, sometimes takes a little longer. I've only used it for two days, so still working with it.

ocexpress · 02-13-2005, 06:25 AM

I have been using the Sony GC82 edge card with ATT service for almost a year now with great results. The speed varies according mainly to signal strength but the slowest I have gotten was when roaming which was 44k. Usually it is around 144k. I love riding down the road in the rv surfing for good spots to stay, and places to see. I opted for the unlimited access for $79 a month. You do not need an additional phone as the pcmcia card has it's own phone number, so all you do is boot up and click logon. Real easy. I love it. If you are in a Sprint service area, they have real fast internet using your cell phone. I got 230k using the cell to laptop connection, but Sprint has terrible coverage so I wouldnt recommend them to the full time travelers.

Retired and Happy · 02-16-2005, 06:45 PM

I have used Verizon with a Nokia phone for travel internet connectivity for a few years, but I use a serial cable to connect the phone to the computer. Can I get faster connection speeds if I switch to a USB cable? If faster, is it noticibly faster? How much would the cable and software cost?

Ken Lenger · 04-18-2005, 05:32 PM

My Verizon cell phone contract finally expired, and I have a cell phone provided by my employer, so I decided to find a workable solution to getting on-line while camping and traveling. Since I need to pay for this out-of-pocket, I needed a solution with good coverage, enough connect time to be usefull, and a low enough price to be affordable. A business associate suggested getting T-Mobile internet service so I looked into it. $100 (after instant rebate) for the Sony Erickson GC79 card and $30 / month for unlimited connection time. So far it's worked out pretty well for me. Connection speed is about 56k plus some where compression is effective. I downloaded an 80MB audio book one day and it worked fine. Took a long time, but the connection never dropped. I think it will work out OK. Access out in the boonies while camping remains to be seen. The card also supports Wi-Fi connections for those computers that don't have a Wi-Fi card built in. See it at http://www.tmobile.com/products/default.asp?class=data