Arky
I asked this question on another forum and here are some of the responses....don't know if this helps there is a lot of gobbleygook but also some decent tips...... you hadn't got any other responses so for what it's worth...oh just disreguard any references to other companies...this was from a trucking forum....I was thinking about OTR also
1. if you want to use wifi, get a laptop, either including the card, or as an option. there are a couple different protocols out there for wifi. 802.11a, b, and i believe g. you should get one that supports all 3, and most do. You can get a schneider discount on Dell computers. Sorry, are you an SNI employee? I forgot to even ask. Anyway, Dell's are ok. My opinion is that they are not that good. But thats just me. I use an IBM thinkpad model # R40. it has a 15" screen, very light, not incredibly thin like a sony, but a good buy. I paid $800 for it, new. It has a P4 1.8GHz mobile processor, 256 ram, 20 gig hard drive, and a cdrw/dvd drive. Very helpful for backing up, making music, and watchin movies in the truck. It also came with the wifi card. And every conceivable port from standard usb/parellel/serial to a firewire, base 10/100 ethernet, and even an infrared port (thats a fun one for palmpilot syncronization.)
whichever laptop you buy, buy the most advanced you can afford (we all know the rate of expiration on tech) and you need to make sure you get the options you will use. remember, you pay for options whether you use them or not, so dont get a 'mainframe' when all u want to do is check email and play games.
2. If you happen to get a Sprint PCS phone, use a cable from sprint or 3rd party vendor to connect via ur cell phone. You wont have the fastest connection, but they claim it is faster than 56k. I dont know how fast mine is, but it seems to be at least as fast as my home dial up. Benefit is that its truly portable the way your laptop is. that way you dont have to be payin for the convenience and portability of a laptop, only to be tied to a wall in a truckstop to use the internet. Hope that helps. Let me know if you need any info on sprint or 3rd party software/cable vendors for the sprint phone.
3. You can use a network card to access a Wi-Fi hot spot or you can use a land line to access your ISP from inside the truck stop. In extreme situations I use my cell phone but it is very slow, only 9.6k.
4. I've heard good things about Verizon's wireless service too. Have seen quite a few posts here and on other boards from users that are happy with it..
5. If you have SprintPCS Vision, you can hook a cable from your phone to the laptop and you get better than 56k dialup speeds. On an analog connection thru a cell phone, you won't get any better than a 14.4kbps connection. The bad thing about it is Sprint doesn't want you to do it that way and may restrict it in the future. You also have to mess with using the phone, stopping and dialing, ect.
Also you may want to consider a SprintPCS data business account for your laptop. It's about $80-100 per month for 70-80kbps avg speeds (tops out at 144), always on, on wherever you have a Sprint signal (they use digital CDMA for voice and data, so it's available where you would have a sprint cell phone connection), and about $150-$200 for the laptop card. It is seperate from a Sprint phone account.
Personally I plan on getting FlyingJ 802.11 WiFi yearly paid for $99 (because it's faster and I like playing games over the Net), in addition to the Sprint data card connection (so I can be on anywhere, to do my basic email and web browsing).
6. just got on with Verizon, $39 plan, 400 minutes and unlimited nights and weekends, add $5 and you get online with Verizons Express Network, add a data cable and you can get on with your laptop unlimited nights and weekends and also check email on your phone. Connection rates about the same as dial-up. Daytime use will use your minutes though. Not bad for $45 bucks a month
Centrino is a marketing gimmick, its just Wi-Fi built in to the new laptops plus Centrino PCs are designed to use less power by stepping down CPU speed and such therefore allowing longer battery life. Get an 80211b card and get on the same way right now.
The problem is you need to be within a 100 yards or so of a Wi-Fi transmitter, these are called Hot Spots, this is what Flying J is using at their Truckstops. Hot Spots are what the WiFi areas are called and can be found at various bookstores, hotels, airports, and even a whole bunch of Mcdonalds in California but not a lot of places for drivers other than Flying J right now, I predict more in the future though, in the meantime drop a 100 bucks at the J and you will be surfing at high speed at the J for a year, Not bad.
7. Well Cj
I got a wireless 802.11b Pc card for 20 bucks at wal-mart and 2 usb wireless adapters also for 20 bucks each i get online at the j for 5 bucks for 24 hours or 99 bucks for a year i just dont get into a j to make the year profitable for me thats all TA was sposed to be doing the wi-fi thing too but its still in the works the Monrow Mi TA is the only one i know that has it its not bad as for cell phone well thats ok speed is limited somewhat but it works where there isnt anything else and no long distance plan means you can logg on anywhere
8. What do you mean a 180 watt wont run much??? to run up a laptop at the most it takes 75 watts and that is if its charging it, I can run my laptop a regular home size printer and have never had a problem and mine is only 150 watts,If your thinking of runing a inverter to run a TV, VCR, or what ever, your 100000000.0 % better off by getting a TV that runs off both 110 AC and 12DC use the 12volt not the 110 it will take 2x's as much power to due it 110 vs 12volt
9.For my TV, I was using a 300 watt inverter(which I bought while with SNI)I originally had an ancient 13" TV and a POS VCR. (until my lightning experience, which fried the TV and VCR) The inverter survived, so I picked up a TV/VCR combo at Wally's. It worked great. The inverter simply plugged into the cig. lighter. After going to Stevens, I picked up a bigger inverter (I think it's either a 750 or 1000) and I had them install it. Inverters have a tendency to cause fires or real cool melt downs if installed incorrectly. SNI's policy, at least when I left, was only a small one.
10. I use a dell inspiron 2650 its the best system i have ever used over the road. celeron 2.2 ghz
512 ram 32 meg nvidia video and a standard 20 gig hard drive , flopy and a cd/dvd/cdrw burner cmbo drive a 10/100/1000 ethernet and a 56k modem all for less then 900 it rocks and it was on credit from dell too just a year to pay off and its tax deductable too hope this helps
11. a surge protector???? Im pretty sure just about any invertor has one built in, plus the fact that your cable to your laptop should also have one built into it, your can get a very small invertor 75 watt one that looks like a any other cable and it just plugs into your cigarett lighter, im pretty sure the invertor your company wont let you use is the type that connects directly to the battery, and the arguement is that they drain the batteries or put to much load on them is sort of not true, generally your cigarette outlets are rated for 30 amps, so that is alot of juice,
12.You can get them at auto parts stores and from hardware places like Harbor Freight and Northern Tool. But you'll find better quality, name brand inverters at lower prices available at major truck stops.
13. The price I was quoted at the auto parts store for a 3000 watt inverter was terrifying, close to two grand. Northern Tool and Harbor Freight offer no-warranty, no-name, Chinese-made units for about half that price.
The local Petro, Flying J and Pilot all have 3000 watt inverters from Cobra and another maker for less than $400. You can't beat the inverter prices at the truck stops and I recommend them to my friends who are looking for inverters for RV and camping uses or for racing and ham radio like I use them for.
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My own thoughts....... whatever you buy make sure it's on your insurance coverage.....portable electronics in a commercial vehicle usually take a beating including coffee spills and falling out onto the ground and they are favorite items for thiefs
mick
