Mobile Internet Access In Us

August 28, 2005

Hi,

I'm planning to come to the US for a couple of months at the end of the year. I'm gonna hire a mobile home and drive around and see the sights. I'll be going ALL over the US.

If I brought a laptop with me, would I be able to get hooked in to the internet with a reasonably quick connection while I'm mobile? If I could, it would mean I could grab a few geocaches along the way, plus do a few hours work along the way (I'm a web developer).

TIA,

KF

August 28, 2005

Many cell phone providers have a way for you to wirelessly connect through the cell phone. Its not very fast though, think phone modem speeds or slower.

On the other hand, you might just be able to find local hotspots wherever you are at established locations. I have heard of Starbucks having wireless access. Places like that. just check around.

August 28, 2005

There are a lot of restaurants that are now offering wireless internet access. Here in Maryland, Panera bread and the Ground round both have free wireless access. When I was in Florida last year some of the Crystals Burgers had wireless internet access. You can also get wireless access at Borders book stores. But I think Borders charges by the hour for their wireless access.

August 28, 2005

So I just whack a wireless networking card into my laptop, and some places I'll be able to get free access, and other places I'll have to pay by the hour?

Are all wireless network cards the same? Or is there some standard type I need to get for use in the USA?

1.2k · August 28, 2005

So I just whack a wireless networking card into my laptop, and some places I'll be able to get free access, and other places I'll have to pay by the hour?

Are all wireless network cards the same? Or is there some standard type I need to get for use in the USA?

As long as your WIFi card will do 802.11B you will be safe. 802.11G is used in someplaces but I have never seen a time when my B card did not connect.

August 28, 2005

Thanks!

I found this service offered by T-Mobile:

http://www.t-mobile.com/hotspot/services_about.htm

Says it's a flat fee of $29.99 a month! Bargain! Or do I also have to pay additional fees to the hotspot owners do you think?

Seems to me like the hotspots are all going to be in city centres right? What am I gonna do with my mobile home while I browse the web? I guess parking a large vehicle in the US isn't quite as problematic as it is in the UK hey?

3.8k · August 28, 2005

That $29.99 should cover you for the whole month, and there are Starbucks all over the place in most areas.

August 28, 2005

No fees for hot spots in places like Barnes and Nobles Bookstores, and Starbucks. My understanding is a lot of major universities have large hot spots for the students to access. I heard on the news they were trying to create one in a portion of downtown DC. Found this link by googlilng wireless hotspots maybe it will help.

http://www.wififreespot.com/

1.3k · August 28, 2005

Says it's a flat fee of $29.99 a month! Bargain!

Most mobile services in the US offer some sort of flat rate plan. I'd be careful to check the provider out to make sure that it'll have coverage in the area you go in. T-Mobile is very big in parts of the country but in others it is not. (A geocacher from California visited me and he had no service on T-mobile here in Mississippi).

Check out Cingular, Nextel, Altel and other companies to figure out which has the best coverage.

As far as wireless goes - many places of free wireless. I beleive MacDonald's Resturaunts also offer free wifi access. You should be able to check on Google and/or Yahoo for Wireless access points. Many state and local tourism divisions have wireless access points.

sd

3.8k · August 28, 2005

It's still early but there's a Waymarking category for WiFi hot spots.

9.5k · August 28, 2005

You might also look up local libraries that provide Internet access. It is likely they also have free wireless.

As for Starbucks, it depends upon the franchise if you have to pay or not for the wireless services. Some provide it for free, whilst others will be with a pay-for-service such as TMobile.

3.9k · August 28, 2005

I use a little keychain Wi-Fi locater that I got from dell for 28.00. I've found that if you pull into the parking lot of most major hotels you can get a signal. You can also get a signal in any Best Buy parking lot, or most truck stops.

El Diablo

2.1k · August 28, 2005

google local wifi search lists a bunch of places that other listings seem to miss, at least in my area

http://local.google.com/lochp?q=wifi%20hot...wifi%20hotspots

nfa-jamie

August 29, 2005

This is a very usefull topic. Glad I found it.

Questions,

1. What is Wi-Fi?

2. I have a Laptop, it has a 802.11g wireless internet card . I can access the internet from my house with it through my wireless Router. Would this work at these locations found in the Google search mentioned in NFA's post?

August 29, 2005

I have Verizon EVDO and 1X as well. If you contact www.verizonwireless.com, it will cost you about $80.00 a month. The downloads maxout about 700K, and the coverage is pretty good around most population centers. We use it all the time. Well worth it to us, since my employer pays for it.

Edited August 29, 2005 by Douglas_Clan

2.1k · August 29, 2005

This is a very usefull topic. Glad I found it.
Questions,

1. What is Wi-Fi?

2. I have a Laptop, it has a 802.11g wireless internet card . I can access the internet from my house with it through my wireless Router. Would this work at these locations found in the Google search mentioned in NFA's post?

I go online for free in lots of places like starbucks, borders, hotels, libraries, etc...these wireless "hotspots" are all over the place.

nfa-jamie

August 29, 2005

Many KOA campgrounds offer Internet access for a small amount. (A couple of dollars per hour.) I'm sure other campgrounds offer similar connections. I'll know for sure as I'm traveling from MD to NM next month. Have fun on your vacation.

Terri

August 29, 2005

NFA was correct in his earlier post. I use a wi-fi card in my laptop and pocket pc and can usually just drive up in many hotel parking lots and access their free wireless networks. Most hotels even advertise their free high-speed internet. My local grocery story even has a wifi network that can be accessed by customers.

Once you find several chains of hotels that offer this, you can usually find one easily.

1.2k · August 29, 2005

Nearly every motel I have stayed at lately has had free high-speed internet available.

Maybe you can park close enough to piggyback on their connection?

Ed

1.2k · August 29, 2005

This is a very usefull topic. Glad I found it.
Questions,

1. What is Wi-Fi?

2. I have a Laptop, it has a 802.11g wireless internet card . I can access the internet from my house with it through my wireless Router. Would this work at these locations found in the Google search mentioned in NFA's post?

Wi-Fi is a fancy short hand for exactly what you are doing with your wireless network connection. Its a Wireless internet connection using the 802.11x system.

4.2k · August 29, 2005

You can also donwload and install a free program called NetStumbler that alerts you to wireless networks.

You can literally drive down the road and pick up networks (much easier than a keychain that you have to press to check).

Note: I am not advocating using anybody's network - just letting you know what's out there.

August 29, 2005

Nice one. Thanks for all the advice. I reckon if I grab some lists of locations offering free/cheap access, I'll be sorted.

Next question. Do UK mobile phones work in the US?

August 29, 2005

Next question. Do UK mobile phones work in the US?

Depends on the Make and Model of your phone it needs to be Tri-band to work in the States , also make sure your provider has enabled international roaming on your account

here is a small list of Tri-band phones

http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/handset...band_technology

2.7k · August 29, 2005

I use a little keychain Wi-Fi locater that I got from dell for 28.00. I've found that if you pull into the parking lot of most major hotels you can get a signal. You can also get a signal in any Best Buy parking lot, or most truck stops.

El Diablo

But just because you can get a wifi signal doesn't mean you can get access to the internet. WalMart in my area uses a wifi network. I can only guess what for because it is passworded and encrypted. The hotels that I have stayed at recently have had free wifi access but you need to get the username and password when you check in to use their wifi connection to access the internet.

2.1k · August 29, 2005

Two great sites that list most of the available wifi in more populated areas are:

http://www.wifimaps.com (currently doing an upgrade so it's hard to get the info from them right now)

and

http://www.nodedb.com (more self-selective data but more useful in those areas where it has information...including some secure wifi with the necessary passphrases)

Wifimaps is from anyone who has scanned the area (wardrivers) looking for signals and then uploaded that information to the database for anyone else to use.

NodeDB is from specific groups that want to advertise that they have available wifi and allow access to their nodes (some of which are secure, but available to others).

Of course, there's always the "well, this is where I am, let's see if my card can find anyone's open network" method too. One of the easiest places to find an open (and available) network connection is on a university campus.

2.7k · August 29, 2005

Next question. Do UK mobile phones work in the US?

Depends on the Make and Model of your phone it needs to be Tri-band to work in the States , also make sure your provider has enabled international roaming on your account

here is a small list of Tri-band phones

http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/handset...band_technology

There are some GSM providers in the USofA but the coverage areas are very small. I haven't priced Tri-band phones in a while but when I did, back in 2001, they were cheaper to buy in Europe than in the USofA. Another and possibly cheaper option is to rent or buy an inexpensive cell phone when you get to the USofA.

Also if you are looking in to prepaid plans. Be aware that unlike in Europe. The cell phone owner pays for outgoing and INCOMMING calls to and from the cell phone. The most popular home phone plans are flat rate plans. Because of this the cell phone service provider can't simply charge a higher meter rate in the USofA like they can in Europe. So instead they charge the cell phone owner. Once you run out of minutes on a prepaid plan, the cell phone is worthless until you recharge it, you can't even get incomming calls. The only number that will work is our nation emergency number 911.

That reminds me of another tip. In case you don't know. You should be able to use any phone in the USofA. Dial 911 and be connected to whichever emergency service you need (Hospital, Fire, or Police) and is closest to you.

2.1k · August 29, 2005

Speaking on cell phones (not for internet usage)...

I have a friend from Spain who came to the US for the summer and she found that for the 3 months it was easiest to get one of the "free" (rebate equal to cost) cell phones from a major carrier in the US and get one of their monthly plans without an annual contract.

There are also "pay as you go" phones from T-mobile, Virgin, and Cingular where you pay up front for a number of minutes and like a phone card, when it's used up, you have to purchase another set of minutes. This something you see in Europe more often than the States, but it has picked up here somewhat.

Most of the US runs on a different cell signal than Europe so *most* phones can't work in both and those that do are usually fairly pricey (and you have to buy a new data card for the inside of the phone to establish connections on the other network). The best solution I have seen for my friends that go between both continents is to get a very cheap phone in the other country(ies) and a small plan to go with it.

August 29, 2005

I use T-Mobile and it works at lots of hotels, some book stores and, more importantly, Starbucks. :lol:

August 29, 2005

My mother just bought a 30 foot RV and went off to D.C. and VA Beach a couple weekends ago. She took her iBook with WiFi card and was glad she did. I"m not sure which campground she stayed at, but she said they had wireless internet there, and she made good use of it.

I'm finding many hotels have wifi anymore, about half are open (no pw needed).

I still keep my dialup account for roaming use (as well as the server space i get), but i find i'm using the wifi card more than dialup when i'm "out". (I have broadband at home)

3.9k · August 29, 2005

Depends on the Make and Model of your phone it needs to be Tri-band to work in the States

If by some chance you don't have a triband phone (most phones <18 months old are triband), find a friend with a Nokia 3100 (half your friends have them, believe me) and swap phones with them for the duration of your trip.

The 3100 is a dirt cheap phone (typically the one you get for nothing when you sign up for a talk plan) but it does triband, and GPRS/WAP so you can look up caches with just the phone (no PDA or PC needed), and it's completely indestructible.

August 29, 2005

Your best bet is to look up campgrounds with wireless. Avoid the GSM route if you arent from america. It is pretty hard to roam on gsm/gprs in the middle of no where.

Also, check these links for lists and maps (lat/long) of all available open WAPs.

http://wigle.net/gpsopen/gps/GPSDB/

http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/

http://www.seattlewireless.net/index.cgi/SimilarProjectLinks

And read the RV wireless forums: http://www.rv-wireless-internet.com/secure...n/yabb/YaBB.cgi

If you have a 802.11b/g card youll have the most luck.

(worst case.. use AirCrack or other airopeek based apps that supports Atheros or Hermes drivers, and be able to borrow a cup of encrypted bandwidth... not that Im endorsing that sort of thing.)

Ohh also, make sure your laptop or desktop wifi card has an attachment for an external antenna. A 5-15dBi high gain antenna is a must when you are parking far away from where ever your connection is. The FCC has not approved them, but stores keep selling them...

Edited August 29, 2005 by PhotoDuck

3.8k · August 29, 2005

I'd recommend Free Wi-Fi spots. The Texas Department of Transporation is rolling out Free Wi-Fi at all of its rest areas.

August 30, 2005

Says it's a flat fee of $29.99 a month! Bargain!

Most mobile services in the US offer some sort of flat rate plan. I'd be careful to check the provider out to make sure that it'll have coverage in the area you go in. T-Mobile is very big in parts of the country but in others it is not. (A geocacher from California visited me and he had no service on T-mobile here in Mississippi).

Check out Cingular, Nextel, Altel and other companies to figure out which has the best coverage.

As far as wireless goes - many places of free wireless. I beleive MacDonald's Resturaunts also offer free wifi access. You should be able to check on Google and/or Yahoo for Wireless access points. Many state and local tourism divisions have wireless access points.

sd

I'm a cross country truck driver with somewhere arouund a million miles under my belt. Got two computers in the truck, (one for my wife and one for me) and she spends a lot of time on line while I drive. for the past few years I've been using Sprint with reasonable luck. I have looked into Cingular and belive, from their maps, and other truckers like my self that they have better coverage than Sprint.

What ever you do, don't bother with Nextel. That was my first provider and the worst mistake I ever made. I lost about $250.00 to them.

I agree on T-Mobile. The price looks great and they do have a good customer service reputation but they do not have the nationwide coverage of Cingular. I know of a number of other drivers that don't get coverage with T-mobile in many parts of the country.

Bottom line, in my humble opinion, Cingular for phone and Cingular as a first choice, sprint a distant second choice for modem.

The speed is realistically between 90-120k. They claim it to be faster but that isn't the real world most of the time though I have seen the higher speeds on my wireless modem on occasion.

August 30, 2005

Most Public Libraries have free use PCs and Internet access! :anitongue: ImpalaBob

August 30, 2005

We have a cable that connects our Verizon cell phone to a USB port. It comes with some software and is readily available at the Verizon store. (obviously, you need the correct cable for the correct phone). It cost something like 40 bucks, and it's even cheaper on Ebay.

You'd think it would be slow. It's not. Not nearly so as regular dialup for some reason. It works really well. You can then connect for free from anyplace, the only thing it will cost you besides the cable and software is your regular airtime minutes.

1.1k · August 30, 2005

So I just whack a wireless networking card into my laptop, and some places I'll be able to get free access, and other places I'll have to pay by the hour?

Are all wireless network cards the same? Or is there some standard type I need to get for use in the USA?

I am sure in Europe the situation is the same. Here in Denver the public libraries have free WiFi. What you may want to do is buy a month or two of WiFi from Starbuck, a coffee place, for about $40/month. Since there is a Starbucks on every street corner then you would be set. There are many places, Starbucks, that sell by the day, $10/day. There are many options.

cheers

August 30, 2005

We use a Sprint phone & USB cable. Faster than conventional dialup, but not spectacular. Service is available in most places, and along the stretches of interstate highway we drive (I-10 in Arizona).

The only problem has been that Sprint silently drops your connection after a very short period of inactivity (like, say, while you're typing up a log before pressing 'submit'). Solved this by pulling up a command-line box and sending a continuous 'ping' to a server as some token activity. Don't know whether this restriction still applies (as the 'ping' workaround has become such a habit), but it's something to be aware of.

August 31, 2005

Thank you SO much for all of your replies! This is great stuff!

Next question... I want to rent an RV. Going to drive a LOT of miles I think, over a period of 2 months... also wanting to go into Mexico... where should I rent from? There appear to be a lot to choose from.

August 31, 2005

Go to RV.net and ask that question. It is a forum dedicated to RV ing and they should have some pretty good answers. I am a full time rver with internet access on the motorhome via satillite. I use the site frequently to get answers to my rv questions.

Enjoy your visit.

2.5k · August 31, 2005

Just be aware that some car rental agencies (and I assume RV renters as well) restrict people from taking their cars into Mexico. The problem is not as bad if you want to go into Canada. Some insurance companies do not extend their coverage into Mexico as well.

August 31, 2005

I'd recommend Free Wi-Fi spots. The Texas Department of Transporation is rolling out Free Wi-Fi at all of its rest areas.

The state of Iowa has free wifi access at all its interstate highway rest areas.

GeoForse

August 31, 2005

Thank you SO much for all of your replies! This is great stuff!

Next question... I want to rent an RV. Going to drive a LOT of miles I think, over a period of 2 months... also wanting to go into Mexico... where should I rent from? There appear to be a lot to choose from.

As a native Californian from San Diego I would say it is not a great idea to take a vehicle into Mexico because if you get into even a fender bender odds are that your vehicle will be impounded.

If you just want to check out Brownsville or Tijuana the bus is a good idea.

You also will get through Customs a lot easier. With the Patriot Act you can be detained for quite a while and any disassembly of your stuff is on you.

August 31, 2005

Two great sites that list most of the available wifi in more populated areas are:

http://www.wifimaps.com (currently doing an upgrade so it's hard to get the info from them right now)

and

http://www.nodedb.com (more self-selective data but more useful in those areas where it has information...including some secure wifi with the necessary passphrases)

Wifimaps is from anyone who has scanned the area (wardrivers) looking for signals and then uploaded that information to the database for anyone else to use.

NodeDB is from specific groups that want to advertise that they have available wifi and allow access to their nodes (some of which are secure, but available to others).

Of course, there's always the "well, this is where I am, let's see if my card can find anyone's open network" method too. One of the easiest places to find an open (and available) network connection is on a university campus.

what is a wardriver?

2.7k · August 31, 2005

Two great sites that list most of the available wifi in more populated areas are:

http://www.wifimaps.com (currently doing an upgrade so it's hard to get the info from them right now)

and

http://www.nodedb.com (more self-selective data but more useful in those areas where it has information...including some secure wifi with the necessary passphrases)

Wifimaps is from anyone who has scanned the area (wardrivers) looking for signals and then uploaded that information to the database for anyone else to use.

NodeDB is from specific groups that want to advertise that they have available wifi and allow access to their nodes (some of which are secure, but available to others).

Of course, there's always the "well, this is where I am, let's see if my card can find anyone's open network" method too. One of the easiest places to find an open (and available) network connection is on a university campus.

what is a wardriver?

Wardriving comes from wardialing. Wardialing is where you set your computer up to call a series of phone numbers (for example, an entire area code) and listen for the beeping that means that another computer picked up the phone line. Your computer then saves any phone numbers that a coputer aswered so that you can call back later and check it out. See the movie War Games.

Wardriving is very simular. You drive around with a laptop that has a wireless modem in it and is running software that records all the details of when, and where if you have a GPSr connected, your wireless modem heard a wireless connection. You can then go back to each place and see if any are wireless hotspots.

September 3, 2005

Cruise America are offering us a good price on the rental of one of these for the period:

http://www.cruiseamerica.org.uk/rv_rentals.../CompactRV.html

Looks like a regular hotel on wheels!!! But only does something like 12 to 15 mpg!!!! Which seems a bit awful!! What's the average price of petrol per gallon at the moment? I guess it's ramping up right now due to the recent devastation in the south :laughing:

They cover us for travel in the northernmost states of Mexico for an extra $20 per night. Not checked the map yet, but hopefully this will allow us to fulfill our travel aspirations. Checking the map in a mo...

Thanks for the warning about Mexican travel - but we're going to have a lot of gear with us, so taking a bus would be VERY awkward (I'm a photographer, rock climber kite landboarder and kite surfer). So we're just going to have to risk it.

9.4k · September 3, 2005

Cruise America are offering us a good price on the rental of one of these for the period:

http://www.cruiseamerica.org.uk/rv_rentals.../CompactRV.html

Looks like a regular hotel on wheels!!! But only does something like 12 to 15 mpg!!!! Which seems a bit awful!! What's the average price of petrol per gallon at the moment? I guess it's ramping up right now due to the recent devastation in the south

They cover us for travel in the northernmost states of Mexico for an extra $20 per night. Not checked the map yet, but hopefully this will allow us to fulfill our travel aspirations. Checking the map in a mo...

Thanks for the warning about Mexican travel - but we're going to have a lot of gear with us, so taking a bus would be VERY awkward (I'm a photographer, rock climber kite landboarder and kite surfer). So we're just going to have to risk it.

12 to 15 MPG is excellent for an RV. Most I've driven get well below 10 MPG. Gas is running $3.00 to $3.50 currently (a 20% increase over last week), so your trip will cost quite a bit just for gas.

October 5, 2005

Hello again

This trip is almost fully sorted now. I've booked an RV for the duration. I'm getting excited.

Only thing I'm worried about now is that the US branch of "CruiseAmerica.com" are not responding to any of the emails I send them... and before I land in LAX with 10 tonnes of gear, I'd really like to speak to someone to confirm that we're gonna definitely get our RV... yes, I'm paranoid, after all, we've got the booking confirmation from their UK outpost...

Anyway, if I call a US toll free telephone number from the UK, does it cost me money?

And

How do I call a US toll free number from the UK? What do I prefix it with?

THANKS!

1.7k · October 5, 2005

If I remember dialing an 800 number from outside the US will cost you money. To make the call dial like you would to make a call to the US, not sure what the international prefix is.

October 5, 2005

I'm gonna hire a mobile home and drive around and see the sights. I'll be going ALL over the US.

I've never looked into it and I'm sure it's not cheap, but theres always mobile satellite internet.

Found it here.

Good luck and have fun.

October 5, 2005

PLEASE be careful in Mexico. Depending on where you go, the bad guys prey on tourists, especially if you are driving there. Just take precautions. A couple of bad apples ruin it for the bunch.

Mobile Internet Access In Us

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