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How I Connect to the Internet
Updated Aug 6, 2007 (click
here for update) at bottom of page.
In the early 1990s, I installed a dedicated phone line to my home office so I could stay connected all the time. It was a standard phone line that ran a maximum speed of 54kbps, but that was all I needed. I not only sent emails and surfed the internet - the computer and an internet connection became mandatory for buying and selling stocks, tracking my investments, paying bills, looking at my bank statement and other routine activities. I became completely dependent on having an internet connection. When we started traveling fulltime in 1999 I signed up with Earthlink because they had nationwide service and an 800 number for connecting in rural areas. Before making campground reservations we asked if they had a phone line for connecting to the internet and if they did not we skipped that campground. Most campgrounds did provide a landline connection, but often it had limited hours, limited usage (like ten minutes) or there was a charge to use the line. I bought my present laptop in November 2004 and it has been connected to a phone only two times due to newer technologies. Then I learned about internet-by-cell-phone and I used AT&T to connect to the internet with a very slow connection of 14.4kbps in analog mode, but at least I could do email sitting in the motorhome. We had unlimited night and weekend minutes so I usually waited until those times to connect. Later the speed increased by going digital. Three years ago I switched to Verizon and had 1-xRTT which they call National Access and it was up to 2 1/2 times the speed of a landline. Still I was limited to nights and weekends unless I wanted to run up a large usage bill. While I was using the cell phones many people started using satellite internet. There are many companies selling these products and basically a portable dish cost about $1,500 and $60 a month while an automatic roof mounted dish cost about $5,000 and $99 a month. I thought about buying internet-by-satellite but I had some concerns. A portable dish would need to be set up in every campground and stored for travel between trips. A roof mounted dish cost too much and could be blocked by trees. Next came WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) and that was a blessing for fulltime travelers. Anywhere WiFi was available I could connect to the internet - campgrounds, truck stops, hotel parking lots and even borrow a signal in a residential neighborhood. Before making campground reservations we asked if they had WiFi and if not, we skipped that campground. Some WiFi systems are free and other have a daily, weekly or monthly charge. Many times we were in the fringe area of the signal so I had to walk outside until I found a signal strong enough to connect. The last few months we stayed at an Escapees campground with TengoInternet and they have the poorest excuse of a WiFi I have ever seen. Downloading a page could take five minutes and sometimes the system would be down for two day at a time and for this I paid $29.95 a month. After attempting to use TengoInternet I decided I had to have my own WiFi system. I knew data connections by air cards were improving with new technologies so I decided to wait for the latest and greatest which is always a month away. For air card (data) connections there was first TMDA, then IS-95 CDMA standards and then 1xRTT standards that was the same speed as my cell phone connection above. Then came 1xEV-DO technology which was upgraded to 1xEV-DO Rev O and then to 1xEV-DO Rev A. This latest affordable technology is DSL or high speed, if you are in a strong signal area (5 bars) and the tower is not overloaded with other users. 1xEV-DO towers are being erected around the country at a rapid pace and if 1xEV-DO is not available the connection reverts to 1xRTT and still connects, but at a slower speed. I have used my air card in several rural areas and I have always had a connection. One of the advantages of air cards is they can be left connected all the time and can be used while driving in a motorhome or car. (I am not an expert on internet access so I may have some terms incorrect. I’m still learning.) Before I get into what I bought I would like to say that everyone will have different needs depending on their computer and operating system. Some laptops have PC Card slots (PCMCIA) while newer laptops have ExpressCard slots. USB air cards are also available. Verizon uses cards that may be different than Sprint or Cingular cards, and antenna connections and routers may require different air cards. Also, technology is changing so quickly anything I discuss may be obsolete in a few months. DO NOT go to a Verizon, Sprint or Cingular store to purchase because those people sell cell phones and know nothing about data by air cards. Also, do not buy online from any of the cell phone companies. Do an internet search and find a company that sells and supports air card technology and talk to them about your needs and requirements. The internet companies are authorized resellers for the phone companies and usually give a much larger discount than the cell phone companies and better support after the sell. I found a promising internet company and sent them an email asking several questions. Three days later I received a reply and they did not answer any of my questions so I decided I would never buy anything from them. Next I emailed 3Gstore.com and a man named Alex replied immediately. Over the next few days Alex and I exchanged several emails determining exactly what I needed and I was very happy with the information and suggestions he provided. Well, the time came to buy and I went hog-wild when I purchased because I wanted all the bells and whistles. When my order arrived I found every component worked as advertised and was easy to set up with my laptop. For my needs an air card would have done
the job, but I wanted to set up a WiFi network so Linda and I can be online
at the same time and I can also share it with close friends. By close I
mean good personal friends who are camping close to us. The air card can
be used in the laptop or installed in the router to run a WiFi network.
This is what I bought.
After I use the air card and WiFi while traveling
I will update this article.
Updated August 6, 2007 I have been using my Sprint air card and WiFi setup for three months so it is time to give an update on its operation. I have connected in about 40 different locations including large cities, small cities, small towns and way out in the boonies. I have the capability to take decibel readings on signal strength and upload and download speeds, but I won't give technical information for three reasons. 1) Most people have no idea if a -83 dB (decibel) signal is good, and don't know if a -73 dB signal is better or worse than a -82 dB signal. (Hint: the lower number is better.) 2) Usually different cell towers work different and I keep moving from tower to tower so I can not get reliable information on the way towers work. 3) Upload and download speeds are higher at 2:00 a.m. than at 6:00 p.m. when thousands of people are using their air cards. So even if I am on the same cell tower the speeds will vary depending on the number of users. So to give information on the signal strength and speeds I would have to draw 40 charts (one for each cell tower) with speed information for each of the 24 hours in a day. And my information would probably not compare to the tower where someone else connects. So even though I am a technician by trade, I will revert to a non-technical discussion of how my internet connection is working. When in cities I always get a strong 1x-EV-DO connection and the internet runs at a high speed, similar to DSL speeds. When in small cities I sometimes get a 1x-EV-DO signal, but usually get a 1x-RTT signal that gives speeds between a normal landline speed up to 2 1/2 times the speed of a landline. There have been two places I was not able to connect - Columbus, KY and Federal Dam, MN. Both places were way out in the boonies and I could drive a few miles and find a signal to connect. I usually keep the air card in the router and use the WiFi connection, but when we are traveling in the motorhome or car I insert the air card directly into the laptop. The WiFi signal transmits between 100 and 200 feet, depending if it is line of sight, so a WiFi equipped laptop will work at that distance from my router. I set the router and WiFi to encryption (WEP) so no one can connect unless I give them the key. I named my system "Unavailable" so when someone is looking for an open WiFi network and they see Unavailable, they will assume it is just that - Unavailable. If I named my system Dutch Star they would knock on my door and ask if they could connect. The air card connects to the internet no matter if we're sitting under a tree or driving down the road. There are no set ups or adjustments with the air card, just turn on the router and laptop and I'm connected. A two-way satellite dish won't do this. Overall, I am very happy with my air card, router, remote antenna and amplifier and it is so nice to have an internet connection 24 hours a day. Linda enjoys surfing the internet at the same time I'm online. If I were doing it again I would buy the same components. |