Living in a wireless world

[redytrk]

Jeff`s EO article is a good one.

In addition,I wonder if competition between truck stop chains will ever prompt one of them to offer free or low cost service.From other "geek"sources,it is very cheep to install and maintain.

Maybe someday they will tie in free WiFi with fuel purchases,like showers. Right now they look at it as extra revenue. The "J"has proved that it promotes buisness.

Another coming on fast provider for the wireless world is the air cards put out by the cell phone companies.Like Verison`s high speed at about $60 mo. Their coverage of the US was very spotty in the begining,but today covers at least 60% of the US.This may be the big threat to WiFi.Cell towers are everywere.

 

[theend]

Wi-Fi is a 'secured' service. Right now I am on an 'unsecured' service. Free. To get here there is a yellow yield-like sign on one of the monitor screens, on the bottom toolbar. I click on that and a box comes up. Then I select the 'view wireless networks' box. Then it shows all the satellites in your range. If an 'unsecured' one comes up, click on that. If there's enough power for you to use it, you can go on-line.
The first time I did this I was just going to play a game offline and a bar came up saying there were satellites in the area, so I played around with it and got to go on-line. Then, I moved to a different place and it didn't work.
I don't know that I would do any money transactions on it though. But, I'm not comfortable doing on-line transactions anyway.
The thing I want to know, is if I can hook into DSL through the satellite system, without having to buy a router box, simply through configuration? at home. Or would I have to buy Netgear to do that?

 

[greg334]

Redytrk you know you have a good point.

I see this gap, a lack of real service throughout all the truck stops. I mean guess where I am at and why? FlyingJ for the internet access! Even though I am bored out of my mind, I went out of my way to park here. When I pull into T/A I don’t even take the computer out, I don’t subscribe to their service unless they have an agreement with FlyingJ.

I feel that rest areas and state owned property should have free access; I think Maryland has it now, maybe a free other states. Why not? Rest areas are public. I was disappointed with Ohio and their $4 access fee, I won’t use the service. The great thinkers in Michigan think giving access for a price will increase tourism but I don’t think the governor has actually done anything except listen to Comcast about this issue and she will of course do something stupid by giving them exclusive rights and subsidizing it at the same time while we are charge $10 a day.

 

[cargodreaming]

when I am out on the road I like to use wireless myself. I always wanted rest stops to offer this service , but have not ran across any that do. So what I normally do is park at a truck stop thats near a hotel that offers free internet service. They have a wide range of coverage so I usally pick them up well sitting in the lot. I do not do any banking or anything else thats requires some measure of security. I most often check out news, send instant messages to friends, and small task like that. I carry my laptop with me everywhere being I use it for my routing with GPS. Thats a big time saver and money saver in its self but another topic. I use Netstumbler http://www.netstumbler.com/ to locate all my wireless hotspots and it works great. My antenna has a 1 amp boost to maximize my coverage area as well.

 

[wshort]

I've found the wi-fi coverage to be spotty and usually not very good
in truck stops, motels are usually fairly decent.
I too am thinking about going with one of the wireless air cards,
heard verizon is the best of the bunch, I'm currently a sprint customer
but I haven't heard anything good about their air card service, and
from what I understand in order to get the $60 a month rate you also
have to be a voice subscriber as well otherwise the rate is like $90
a month and that's for both verizon and sprint the last I looked.
Sprint was giving away the air card if you signed up, think verizon
had a similar deal not sure.
Yeah it sure would make life easier to have 24/7 internet availability
that didn't cost an arm and a leg while out on the road, would like to
see the truck stops giving it away for free like the motels do.
And it's not like they are making a major investment, wireless
equiptment is quite cheap now.

 

[cheri1122]

Rest areas in Iowa offer free wireless now. I posted awhile ago that I checked with Verizon, as I am a cell subscriber, & they said I would have to buy a card for $200, then pay $80 per month. I don't think I'd need the card, as my laptop has an internal whatever-it-is, but even so - no thanks! I subscribed to SBC Freedomlink, for $20 a month, most locations are McDonalds or Barnes & Noble, but there are so many places to get online for free now, I hardly need it. At this moment, I'm outside a Panera, they're closed, but the free wifi still works! If you "Google" free wifi, there's a lot of it out here. As long as you don't need to input any financial or personal info, free is best!

 

[vipra]

Here's an easier, cheaper way if you have Sprint or Verizon. I used to pay that $80/month, but now I pay only $15/month and can use it anywhere that I get Sprint's signal. Go to Radio Shack and get a software program on CD called FutureDial SnapDialer for $40. Also get a cable that connects your cell phone to your laptop's USB port for $20. Install that Snapdialer program onto your laptop, add Sprint's Vision plan to your phone service for $15/month, and now you've got wireless Internet access anywhere in the country that gets Sprint's direct signal (it doesn't work if you're roaming). I don't know what Verizon's name is for their Internet service, but I know they have one.
Check here http://www.futuredial.com/matrix/Default.aspx to make sure SnapDialer will work with your model of cell phone. You can buy the program and cable on this website if you don't want to go to Radio Shack. The connection speed is slow, 56K, but you don't have to be sitting at a truck stop to use it. A problem is that if someone calls you when you have your phone hitched to your laptop the call may come through so you can talk, but sometimes it sends the call to your voicemail. I'm not sure why it sometimes goes to voicemail- maybe the Sprint signal isn't strong enough to handle the Internet data and a call at the same time.
Sprint just started offering a high-speed wireless service called Power Vision, but it's $80/month, it requires a $400 phone, and so far it's only available in big cities.
So, $60 for software and a cable, then it's only $15/month after that. That's a heck of a lot better than $60-$100/month.

Vipra

 

[tr]

If you have enough minutes to waste so to speak, purchase a connectivity kit for you cell phone. It should be less than $50.00 bucks, software and cable for your phone. It will be slow, about the same speed or less than the old telephone modem, but for checking email or surfing when you have a lot of time, it will do the trick.