| Author |
Message |
William R. Graf (Billfrombrazil) (206.158.10.224)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 8:30 am: | |
To all the fulltimers or those that spend a lot of time away.
I have read that shopping for internet providers should include finding one that has an 800 access number, which makes a lot of sense. However, so far I have not succeeded in finding such a provider, they all advertise many local access numbers but upon investigation don't have local service to some of the places we intend to go. Can any of you send me names of providers that do have access from anywhere without paying long-distance?
We will be leaving Nebraska to go full time in the bus at the end of this month. I just signed up for a cel phone that will cover the area we plan to travel, the western half or so of the country, but still hunting for the internet provider. I plan to be involved in web page developement as time permits so need full internet service.
Things are going well, albeit slower than I would really like, on our Crown. Ready or not we will move into it very soon.
Bill & Sandi |
SLO (24.205.245.178)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 8:56 am: | |
I have some experience in this arena, and unfortunately, with the same results as you have had. The problem is, 800 numbers cost money, and somehow the buisiness has to recover those costs. They are great for sales based buisinesses, because they can build the cost of one or two calls into the price of a product they are selling. But when you talk about the phone time being the product, well, they can't seem to give it up for free and stay in biz......
I never tried this, but.......You might try doing a search on "Internet Phones". That's where you can make calls for free via the internet. I always wondered if they would work on a dial up connection, but never tried.
You also might try this addy http://www.findanisp.com/
Good Luck,
SLO |
Tom Connolly (148.78.248.10)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 9:44 am: | |
If Sprint Vision has coverage in your travel area? Unlimited use is just $20 additional to their wireless plan, We have the Wireless card $250 in our laptop it surfs at 70 - 90KB or about 2 x dial-up speeds!
Tom C |
R.C.Bishop (128.123.221.189)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 10:51 am: | |
Bill.....anxious to see how your conversion came out...any pics? Best wishes on your trip!
RCB
'64 Crown Highway Coach |
Scott Whitney (66.82.9.15)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 11:43 am: | |
Hi Bill & Sandi,
Earthlink has a huge base of local access numbers. They also (or used to anyway) had an 800 number. But you pay extra for the use of the 800#. The convenience is not having to look up new numebrs as you move.
If you use Verizon for your cell phone, the ISP is included. So you don't need an outside ISP. But you must be in a digital area. And connecting thru a cell phone is slow, slow, slow.
If you plan to do Web site development, what you really need is a Datastorm for high speed satellite Internet access. Always on, flat monthly rate.
I sell the system and have lots of details here:
http://www.dustyfoot.com
Scott |
Beefmalone (Beefmalone) (67.33.235.241)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 1:36 pm: | |
AT&T also has a LARGE number of dialup numbers. |
Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (63.224.197.10)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 2:37 pm: | |
Hey Bill, I also am very interested in your Crown conversion. I have a '74 10-wheeeeler ex-schoolie which I live aboard while planning.
How did your heating system turn out? Staying warm in Nebraska? Communicate if you wish. CROWNS FOREVER!!! henryofcj@hotmail.com |
FAST FRED (63.215.232.220)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 4:09 pm: | |
I use a JUNO account , that will let you pick up the mail from ANY computer. FREE
Not good for trolling the net but just fine at lots of campgrounds.
Juno Web is a local call in many areas so FREE surfing depends on the area code where you are.
FAST FRED |
Chuck MC8 (207.69.1.39)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 09, 2002 - 6:42 am: | |
Just for information:
http://www.mail2web.com/
is a site that allows you to pickup and send your e-mail from anywhere in the world. Its great
when my outlook express at home gives trouble or when we're visiting relatives out of town. |
Ross Carlisle (Ross) (216.107.195.12)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 09, 2002 - 6:41 pm: | |
You can pick up mail from any account using Yahoo also. Every now and then I have to pop into a public library to check my email if I'm traveling.
I think the new 144K high speed cellular data service is the way to go. Just waiting for the rates to get a bit more reasonable.
Ross |
TomNPat (68.128.12.120)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 09, 2002 - 8:28 pm: | |
Bill
We happen to live in a GTE/Verion local phone company area so we started with them years ago. Traveled all over this year, but especially in California, and they provide a list of local phone numbers we use. Didn't have too much trouble finding local numbers near metropolitan areas, but NW Kansas is challenging!!
$20 per month, but need a land line. We tried cellular with a prior phone but very slow and needed very good signal. Would have worked for text e-mail only though.
AT&T probably has the same thing as GTE, but they are advertising receiving e-mail on their cell phones. May try it. You should too, so our stock will climb back to where it was when we bought. hehe
Tom |
William R. Graf (Billfrombrazil) (206.158.10.224)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 5:12 am: | |
Thanks for all the comebacks, continuing to investigate before making any decision on this. We are selective in how we spend our money, especially monthly charges, and try to keep everything in balance.
It is a funny thing, for 47 of my 57 years I got along fine without a computer. In fact, in Brazil we got along fine without electricity for 2 1/2 years. We had been without a telephone for a number of years in Wyoming and then went without for the majority of our twenty years in Brazil. It wasn't uncommon for a letter to take a month or more to make a turn around, sometimes just the letter took a month! It has only been in the last ten years or less that we have had e-mail and less than two using the internet so it isn't any necessity in life!
I must say though that the web has been usefull, especially this site. We bought our bus after finding it advertized on BNO listing and have learned many usefull things for the conversion and for the lifestyle we intend to adopt. Our main interest though is the opportunity to continue to help the Brazilian people learn to really know the Bible by putting material on the web. It took me an awfull lot of effort to learn Portuguese and I don't want it to go to waste!
I intend to ask a young lady at church if she will take some pictures of our bus with her digital camera so I can send them to those interested. That camera went with her to Siberia and Mongolia and was dropped in a river by a peasant who offered to take her picture with some of the others but she prayed about it and let it dry out and it continued to work. God has been just as good to us, providing people to help and tools and materials that have been given or loaned. An incredible amount has been done in a short time with a very small outlay of cash. Very soon the bus will head for Texas and Rio Grande Bible Institute.
Will keep you posted as we can.
Bill |
Stephen Gutknecht (66.174.34.156)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 27, 2003 - 3:10 pm: | |
There are many options... but I will present one that we have found gets the job done.
For over 6 months we have been using Verizon Express unlimited for $99/month. We full time work Internet out of our Bluebird.
The Kyocera 2235 is the phone to get for constant use.
The 2235 has a car kit that allows external antenna + 12volt + data cable (rs232 9-pin serial at 234,000Kbps).
The phone is around $90, the car kit $175 direct from Kyocera. For in-motion on Interstate, works great.
Verizon has great coverage maps at their web site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/express_network/index.html
They have been expanding coverage about every 4 months, so keep checking. |