Wireless Communications

appreski

Member
I'd like some advice on a wireless set-up for our Grand Canyon. We travel and would like to do business while enjoying our trailer. Anyone have suggestions on this subject? Thank you.None
 

Princess Kathleen

Well-known member
Wireless communications

Hi
I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 that has wireless connection and a pc card from verizon
I have a wireless mouse and keyboard....
Have a printer, copier, scanner combo from Dell

Cell phones from Verizon

I went to Canada about 2 weeks ago and could not use the pc card, but the campground had wireless internet which I used

There was a very good article in Trailer Life a few months back, if I can find it I will send the issue number and maybe you can contact Trailer Life for a back copy.

If we need to fax or overnight anything we go to a UPS store

We use a yahoo email address

We set up all our accounts for over the internet

If I can be of anymore help let me know

PK

I am going to look for the Trailer life article in just a bit so I should be back in a few minutes:p
 

kaxel

Member
Hi,

I have a Gateway 600XL laptop that I use with a Sprint PCS wireless card. It has always worked great at any location that I can get a Sprint cell signal. However, I do not believe it will work out of the continental US. I use MS Outlook Professional for my email and have a Charter Communication email account (high speed at home). Since my email downloads to my system the only temporarily change I have to make to use the Sprint wireless card is to direct my outgoing mail through Sprint. This change is very easy to make and not an issue.

Kay
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Business Grade Internet Methods for RV

appreski,

As others have mentioned above, there are several ways to get Internet access while in your RV.

As for having an Internet connection that is robust enough for "doing business", probably only two methods may be suitable and only one of those has superior up-time.

PC Card (Aircard etc):
One method as suggested above that seems pretty darned good from people I have spoken to that use it is the PC method. Aircard is another name for it. Basically, it's a wireless Internet card that slips into an available PC slot in your laptop (1 per laptop). Most of these cards use cellular communications protocols. As such, they are reliant on cell towers being available to your RV's location. Airtime charges vary but I understand them to cost in the $50-$100 per month range. In addition to kaxel and Princess Kathleen above, BigBlue on this forum also uses one and he too may chime in.

Satellite Internet:
As I understand it, using a specially configured ground based satellite dish that both transmits and receives (vs. Dish/DirectTV - receive only), you can obtain Internet connectivity in most parts of the continental US. These satellite systems are supplied by one or two companies. Service is provided by one or two companies but may be remarketed by others. Equipment (dish and related transmission equipment) costs are much higher than the PC card above. I "think" monthly airtime costs around $100. Some commercial grade satellite systems are also available. Faster speeds & higher costs.

Another benefit of the satellite based system is that most of them come with or have an option for a wireless access point (WAP). This allows you to create your own hotspot in and around your RV. This allows for the simultaneous use by several laptops/desktops.

This information is by no means meant to be exhaustive and may not be 100% accurate. It's what I think I know off the top of my head. Do your own research of course and do try to pickup that recent Trailer Life issue that walks you through all of the current methods of connecting to the Internet from the RV.

I left out the obvious - connecting via Wi-Fi where available at some campgrounds as I was focusing on something that would be more guaranteed (for business use). I find campground Wi-Fi to be hit-and-miss still.

Best of luck to you,

Jim
 

nhunter

Well-known member
Aircards

I use an aircard for internet while working. Cost is usually about $20/20MB/month all the way up to $100/ month for unlimited. You can get a variety of antennas but it is dependant on cellphone coverage. Does work very well though
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
I'm using a Toshiba Qosmio laptop. It includes an internal wifi modem and I use it when a free hotspot is available. I also subscribe to Cingular's Data Plan. With this plan I use an Aircard an can get connection wherever I can get Cingular cell phone service. The speed with the Aircard varies with the signal strength, the stronger the signal the faster the connection. I have the unlimited data plan so I can leave the laptop connected all the time. Unlimited service runs $80.00 per month.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
JP,

Thanks for letting people know of that thread over at 5thwheelforums.com.

Note too that user Motor31 over at 5thwheelforums.com is also a Direcway Satellite Internet installer for RVs. So lots of great information posted by him.

Jim
 

fireflipper

EX-Travel Bug
Fireflipper

Like BigBlue I used a cingular air card while full timing. I thougt the 80 bucks a month would be cheap compared to some of the other methods, but boy was I shocked when a got a 700 dollar plus phone bill for the month I was in Canada. It seems that cingular unlimited does not apply when out of the country. They charged me an additional 99 cents per minute. Ouch, so be careful or furgile while in Canada.
 

Princess Kathleen

Well-known member
bill after canada

All I can say is unbelievable my bill almost 400:confused:
'But grand babies are very valuable....don't mind a bit...it is just my retirement money:eek:

pk
 
I too was shocked at the cell bill I got after a fishing trip to Canada.With Verizon our plan was suppose to be no more roaming but the phone was saying roaming before I crossed over the border and I used it anyway.When I got the bill I went streight to Verizon and complained about it roaming before I crossed and they took the charges off.They said next time if it shows roaming just don't use it because the Canadian towers have a stronger signal than the ones in the US.
John
 

SmokeyBare

Well-known member
We have been full timing for very close to 2 years now. We started out using a Verizon Cell phone with a Tri-mode phone. This allowed us to connect using a Verizon Mobile Office program and a cable that connected the phone to the laptop's USB port. This restricted our Internet usage because I didn't connect to the internet untill after 9:00PM so we wouldn't burn all the plans minutes in a short time. After 9 it is no charge to the minuted on the cell.

We decided we needed a change that allowed anytime use of the Internet. We selected the system that Jim Beletti covered in an earlier post quite well. As he stated there are two Satellite Internet Systems out there. Our Internet Dish system is by Directway which now is called HughesNet:

- http://www.directway.bz/orderhugesnet.html -
If this link doesn't load, google directway...

The DW7000 system I bought was Tri-pod Mounted using a contractors type tripod. It came complete:

DW7000 modem, Directway Dish, Off-Set to mount dish to Tripod, Dewalt Tripod, cables, wireless router/hub, OPI Meter (Outdoor Pointing Interface), Align-A-Site, Instructions, and software for the laptop.

It takes around 30 minutes or so to set the system up when we arrive at our next campgrounds. My Bride is getting the computer ready while I put together the components of the Dish. The software works much like the Dish TV... type in the Zip code of your area and it gives the three Settings (Azimuth-Elevation-Skew) the dish needs to be adjusted so the signal reaches the Satellite.

Costs are always changing so I won't post the price I paid. There are many dealers who are selling this system... and with those dealers there are many diffierent prices. Do your research. I will be happy to respond to any emails. Our Monthy cost are $59.95 plus tax.

For those who has unlimited funds... DataStorm Satellite System that is fully automatic. This must be mounted on top of your RV. The monthly charge is higher as well as the cost of this System.

It wasn't difficult to learn the system and how to point it each time we relocate. I hope this helps... Email any questions.

My First Post... <Grin>

Marv
 

Steve3670

Member
Satellite Internet

First time to jump in but have read many.
After doing much research I decided I need 24/7 internet with good speeds so I have ordered the Direcway satellite system (now Hughes) through Maxwell Satellite. http://www.maxwellsatellite.com/ I have talked to many people using it for their main internet provider because they are out in the country on the farm and can't get cable or DSL. Their are different plans and I went with the 1 mbps download speed so a 1mb video should download in 8 seconds. Maxwell answered all my questions and was very helpful.
 

trdeal

Past North Carolina Chapter Leader
We have had Hughes Net in our home for about 6 months.We have been happy with the service so far. Can't tell you what speeds we have,but I do know that it is faster than dial-up. We have seen a few of the Hughes net dishes in campgrounds, but I guess for now we will leave ours in our back yard.
 

jcd8822

Joseph
Internet and TV Through Satellite

We went through Mobil Satellite Technologies and purchase our Internet and television service for our 2006 Bighorn 3500RL. It is all automatic, all we do is push a button and the dish goes up, finds the satellite and locks onto it. When we are ready to leave we push a button and it cuts off and stows itself.

We have the DataStorm F1 Series, which is great for the average internet surfer, getting email, etc. The do have some "business" series which are bigger and faster. Although the signal goes through Hughes Net, formerly Direcway, we kept our original ISP. (That was a personal option) It is setup as WiFi so both of us can use our lap tops, but others around us cannot get in and use our service.

For satellite TV you can choose from DIRECTV or Dish. Because Heartland wired the televisions correctly in our rig, we can use both TV's. We had to get the extra receiver for the bedroom, but it is worth it to us. (Two different viewing personalities here.)

We had the system installed the week after last year's rally and used it all summer in Canada. It was great not having to worry about whether or not we would have Internet or TV at parks where we stayed. All we needed was "a clear view of the Southern sky." The installation was quicker than I thought it would be and was very professionally done. They ship the unit to you can then come to you to install it, or you can visit their place, or they will meet you wherever you are located on the road.

You can visit their web site at http://www.motostat.com
or you can call Matt Glaize at 757 312-8300 or email him at matt@mobilsat.com


Joseph Dorsey



 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
Satellite Internet

We have been online with our Hughes Direcway satellite internet for two months now. Since we tend to get into remote places, I decided to go with the satellite rather than an air card for obvious reasons. As most of you know, I've been off line for the past three weeks due to being in the woods. When they say you have to have a clear view of the southern sky, they mean it. I have learned a lot about peaking through the trees and it does work. I didn't buy a new or automatic system due to the financial aspect of the initial investment. I went on eBay and started buying pieces. I ended up with two complete systems, so I sold one and recovered much of my initial investment. I took several peoples advice and bought a Birdog signal finder and this has helped me find those "holes" through the trees. To make a long story short, I have less than $500 invested including the Birdog and have a system that takes me less than a half hour to set up most of the time now. (My first several attempts were much longer) I hope to get it down to around 15 minutes with a little more practice. Besides that, I also have a router so I can share my "wifi" with others that are parked around me. It has been a learning experience but it has been a lot of fun also.
 

bsnider

BS & Ruth Ann
Internet Service

I just ordered a satellite system from http://www.maxwellsatellite.com/ and the price including rebate is $1700 plus $60 a month. There is a 15 month contract. You can get coverage anywhere in the US, some in Canada and Mexico depending on which satellite you get. For coverage, it works like satellite TV, if you can see the southern sky and it is not raining, it works.

:( They have "Fair Access Policy" which means that you are limited in the amount you can upload or download. If you go over their limit, they slow you way down for a day. The limit does not appear to be a problem unless you are heavy into online gaming or uploading a lot of large graphics. Because of this limitation, I would not recommend adding WiFi for others to use.

:cool: I researched all of the deals and for me, the cell phone systems will not have the coverage in most of the parks that I want to stay at. The WiFi in most parks requires that you go to the club house, which for me doesn't work. I looked at a directional high gain antenna to pick up the WiFi from the club house, but gave up on that too.

:) I think the satellite is the best way to go if you are serious about having reliable Internet service.
 
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