| Author | Message | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
I am about to make an automobile trip of several thousand miles and am comtemplating use of hotspots to check mail etc while on the road. I have a "b" and a "g" adapter all installed on the laptop. Am I going to find an abundance of spots that make it feasible to use, or not? Input from current Wi Fi users wanted. | ||
| Jim (Skyslayer)
Rating: N/A |
We have found that in larger cities and bedroom communities this works ok there is a program called Net Stumbler that will show you hot spots while on the move. I have also herd people that use the new verizon system are happy with the service. The Extremefamily 4106 | ||
| dug Rating: N/A |
Hard to give an answer without knowing general trip details, but as Jim said most cities you should be ok. Some are free, some are not. I also use Network Stumbler. Most hotels have hotspots as well. If you have an ethernet connection on your notebook, you should carry around a network cable. You might run into some hardwired connections. Best of luck, Dug 75 MC8 Arcadia, FL | ||
| Brent Coursey (Busboy)
Rating: N/A |
Don, All of the rest areas in Texas have free wireless internet. Places like Panera Bread have wireless access. Best thing to do is get somewhere, open up your wireless icon and see what hotspots are around. You would be suprised how many individuals have a wireless setup in their homes and don't have any security codes to access it...although I'm not advocating driving around nieghborhoods looking for a signal. Also, I just registered on the board although I have been participating for some time. I chose the username "busboy"...I'm assuming nobody has that name as the system let me use it. Happy Trails, Brent '84 Eagle 10 | ||
| Ian Giffin (Admin)
Rating: N/A |
DonTx, Most Timothy's and Second Cups have free wifi. And every other wifi hotspot known to mankind can be found here: http://www.wifi411.com Ian www.busnut.com wifi-less | ||
| dick egler (Dickegler)
Rating: N/A |
This may help http://www.wififreespot.com/ | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
You'd be 100% better off using the usb cord type of wifi adapter. You can put the WiFi receiver on the dash, or roof to get signals you won't see otherwise. I use the Linksys Wireless-G USB54G and have had absolutely fantastic results. Your computer security can be breached easily while using WiFi, so be aware of that. Using your handy-dandy WiFi adapter allows others to connect to you as well. Use a firewall, and if your hard drive starts spinning for no reason, in the middle of surfing, disconnect. (Well... hell. Anyone can do that now, if you're connected to the Internet and they know your IP address...) Also, you may need to use a web-based Email service (like hotmail), since most ISPs will not allow mail to be sent out, via a secondary connection. I.E. If you're not connected directly to your ISP, you will not be able to send mail using their system. Some of the WiFi providers (like MacDonalds) censure web sites containing "adult" material, and/or other web sites they do not deem "fitting". There were one that would not allow connects to anything not on their "program list". Aside from that.... It's free; it's great. | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
Sounds like it will be a fun trip, they seem to be everywhere. The problem I see that in a strange town, I need a wi fi hotspot. Problem is, I have to GET ONTO the internet to find them! I have one of the USB types, and it comes with an extension cord, just for the reason John suggested. Actually I got two, a "b" one that has an external antenna that plugs into the card, and a "g" one that us the USB type. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Don - I just plug in the Linksys in, and drive around. The thing connects automatically when it catches a live one. They now sell a small WiFi detector that fits on a key chain. Neat $20 item for the nerd that has everything. Just hold it up and it'll tell you if there's an access point around! No computer of WiFi box needed. Come back later and hook up. | ||
| captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A |
I just bought the Verizon wireless card for my lap top today. I'm using it right now and it's pretty fast. by the way they credited my account for those astronomical overages to the tune of 300 plus dollars. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Good deal on the credit! (with interest, right?) | ||
| TomNPat
Rating: N/A |
Don, Ron has the real deal! We used Flying J wifi until the end of 2005. But we bought Verizon in October of that year. Flying J was great WHEN WE WERE THERE! You said current users only. We aren't, so don't read on if you want to limit yourself as you specified! Verizon connects wherever we are, including going down the freeway. If you have the time to search for WiFi sites, go for it. It only costs a few dollars a day and, by sneaking in, it may cost nothing! And each site which charges does it for a few dollars a day. Flying J is only $4.95 per day. Verizon costs us $60 per month. We can use it motoring down the road, at any truck stop, at any restaurant, and any rest stop, etc. Last year we paid $199 for a year of Flying J. We used it on 12 days. We could have got WiFi at Starbucks at a little more per day. We could have gotten several signals at the same price. But we would have had to move to an acceptable location. We also paid to have a landline installed for one month at $150 at a location where we stayed a while. Choices are everywhere. Our programmer uses Sprint. We think it sucks, but it works for him. He's on anytime he wants. So Verizon isn't the only choice, but it is the one we chose. Yeah, you can save some money looking for free spots. But when gas is almost $3 per gallon, how much can you travel to save $2 per day? Nuff Sed for the Wise. TomNPat | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Don - You do know that with a CDMA cellphone and the proper PC cable interconnect (and software), you can use it to connect to your ISP, right? With Verizon, connects to their "VZW" network (higher speed), comes with cell phone plan. We used that, plus the WiFi, and have never had a problem getting our Email, or servicing our web site on a daily basis, regardless where we were (East coast). | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
I am a Verizon guy, have been for many years. I have been using the cell phone and cable for years as well. The slow speed and difficulty of finding a spot with DIGITAL service sucks, but it is still a backup for me. The Verizon wireless card is great for sure, but for someone who only needs it a couple of months out of the year, paying for the entire year don't cut it either. For those reasons, the WiFi seems pretty well suited. I bought one of those key chain wifi sniffers last night on EBay, neat toy for sure! Thanks for the tip John. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Don - If you have a copy of MS Streets, you can download free CSV files and have the map program display all the WiFi spots across the country. It's a fairly short learning curve to make your own comma separated data files, and upload them into MS Streets. It's well worth the time, though. | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
John, you have a poor grasp of the concept of laziness in total retirement :-) That would entail far too much work, I will just drive around with my keychain gizmo when I get tired of driving for the day. If it lights up I get lucky, if it don't I find a soft bed for the night. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Sounds like a plan, Don!! (HAR. Why didn't I think of that) | ||
| JW Smythe (Jwsmythe)
Rating: N/A |
Ok, here we go.  I've more than played with connectivity for years, so here's all the advices I have. Since I assume you're using Windows, yes, use NetStumbler to find access points that area available. http://www.netstumbler.com/ Be aware though, if you find an "open" access point (not encrypted), it may belong to a private individual who has not enabled security. That is usually due to their failure to secure it, and not their attempt to put an open invitation for anyone to use it. Using a private network without permission is illegal. It's very rare that you'll get busted for it, unless you're bragging it up. Even then the feds won't touch you unless you're either making the news, or committing crimes that are over $10k. If you are going to go the 802.11b/g route, you should really get a card that allows you to connect an external antenna. While your laptop does have a better antenna than the standard PCMCIA and USB devices, it's not great. I own a Senao 2511CD PLUS EXT2, which has tremendous range compared to other all the other devices I own (I have over a dozen types). The reason it's better is that it has a 250mw amplifier internally, compared to the 20mw that most devices have. http://www.seattlewireless.net/SenaoCard Senao now makes a 400mw mini-PCI card, but you need a slot that supports it in your laptop. I have succesfully maintained a 70% signal strength connection over 3 miles with with 2511CD PLUS EXT2 a 24dBi parabolic dish for weeks with this card. http://diary.illusions.gen.fl.us/01.05.2005.wireless_hack/ You really should have an external antenna attached for it to work. Even though the documentation says it won't work without one, it does work fine. Without the external antenna, it performs as well as any other card available at retail stores. Now, on to antennas. The best place that I've been buying antennas from is http://fab-corp.com . For a bus, you could easily use the 15.4dBi omnidirectional antenna. It looks like a CB antenna. When you order the cable to attach it, try to keep the overall length down to a bare minimum. Some power is lost through the cabling. Doing this, you can be farther away from the AP, and you'll have a better signal. This will help you if you happened to be parked outside of the parking lot, or across the street from someone offering public service. Hell, it'd even get you service blocks away. I was demonstrating to a few people how well this works. In an office, up on the 10th floor of a building in a city, we tried with a regular card to listen for AP's. We heard 3, with weak signals. I then tried with another 20mw card and a 4.5dBi antenna, and we picked up 20. I then went with the 250mw card with the 24dBi parabolic antenna, and we heard over 300. Some of them were named for their location, so we knew that we were picking up AP's for miles. The problem with a parabolic antenna is that they are very directional. That's what makes them good, but it also means you need to have an idea of what you're aiming at, and you need to aim the antenna well. I had a 100% signal strength connection for about 1/2 mile for a year. It went from my house with a Linksys AP (20mw w/ 24dBi parabolic antenna) to my office with a Linksys AP (20mw w/ 18dBi panel antenna). Here's a full description of this setup, with pictures. http://diary.illusions.gen.fl.us/Wireless.Dec-2003/ Now, with all that said, you should seriously consider the Verizon Wireless internet service. Most cell phones offer 9600 baud service. Sure, it's online, but it's pathetically slow. Some off 1xRTT, which is roughly 80k service Verizon Wireless is offering EVDO service, which can be around 1Mb/s, depending on where you are. I've had a lot of success with the Verizon Wireless. You should spend the extra money and get the "Kyocera KPC650", and buy the external antenna from evdoinfo.com. It really makes a big difference. Any city that I've tried it in, I got around 1Mb/s. In rural areas, it'll fall back to 1xRTT. You can get the coverage map on evdoinfo.com or the Verizon Wireless site. Verizon Wireless service is roughly $60/mo, but if you're going to be on the road, it's really worth it. I can get on my laptop virtually anywhere. If you have a Verizon Wireless cell phone, you can use that to judge if the service in an area is good enough to use the internet service. Look at your signal strength, and the 3G icon. If you have questions, you can email me. I'm not selling anything, I just have a lot of experience and advice | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Good goin', JW!! | ||
| TomNPat
Rating: N/A |
Don, Sorry, forgot you sold your bus and are trying to go on the cheap. Wifi is probably the best way to go for you especially since you are looking for low cost or free. Sorry! TomNPat | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
Cost effectiveness is what it is all about TomNPat, the Verizon $60 a month is great, but if I use it only one month a year, that makes it cost me $720 for that month of use, and it becomes more effective to just stop by local libraries! | ||
| Geoff (Geoff)
Rating: N/A |
Don, just drive around neighborhoods stopping here and there until you find an unsecured wireless signal from somebody's house. | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
That is my plan Geoff, won't know til I tried it. | ||
| JW Smythe (Jwsmythe)
Rating: N/A |
Don, You didn't hear this from me, but... Try apartment complexes, especially near colleges. And, high gain antennas are your friend. Even if you only get the little 4.5dBi antenna. The little 5.5dBi magnetic roof mount is only $7. You'll be more than happy with the increased range, and it only looks like an old cell phone antenna. Remember though, to use an external antenna, you need to get a card, and be sure you get the right connections on both ends. There are several different antenna connections. I guess I should mention, there are legal limits to how much power you can put out. Then again, if you're sitting outside someone's house surfing the internet, legal limits are pretty low on the list. The FCC won't screw with you, unless you're being blatent about it, or you're interfering with a commerical or civil service. I noticed another thread on here with folks talking about HAM radio. They can tell you more about that, if you really care. |