Cheapest Way To Wifi?

4.5k · January 26, 2005

Ive been have been by the local computer stores and have scoured the net looking for a cheap, portable device to use with wifi hotspots. I just want to be able to browse the internet and send/receive email. Pda is too small and a laptop is a bit too big (would be nice to be able to slide it under the seat when leaving in a parked car). The tablet pc looks good but the price of that gadget is prohibitive. I thought for sure i would find a device (around $300) that was made just for this purpose, you know, without all the computer bells and whistles. Any suggestions? What do you use and how do you like it?

P.S. I did try searching the forums but didnt find anything helpful, feel free to markwell. :lol:

January 26, 2005

I'm curious. Why would the PDA be too small? If viewing is a problem, I can understand. You can make the text larger, but scrolling then becomes a hassle. You can get external keyboards, if data input is the problem.

If you don't go PDA then you're going to pay a price for small. You might check Ebay - there are some tiny Sony VAIO's and IBM Stinkpads, err, Thinkpads that might fit the bill.

January 26, 2005

If you have a Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, you can switch the screen view to landscape which gives you a much larger viewing area.

Edited January 26, 2005 by TahoeJoe

20.7k · January 26, 2005

If you have a Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, you can switch the screen view to landscape which gives you a much large viewing area.

Same with a Tungsten. I am really considering buying one of these, but I would probably still cache with my old m505, just in case.

January 26, 2005

If you have a Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, you can switch the screen view to landscape which gives you a much large viewing area.

Same with a Tungsten. I am really considering buying one of these, but I would probably still cache with my old m505, just in case.

The Tungsten C is the only current Palm model with built-in wifi. It has the landscape capability on some (not all) applications, but the screen is almost square anyway. If you really want landscape, I think the E model with the new SD WiFi adapter would be the way to go.

20.7k · January 26, 2005

The Tungsten C is the only current Palm model with built-in wifi. It has the landscape capability on some (not all) applications, but the screen is almost square anyway. If you really want landscape, I think the E model with the new SD WiFi adapter would be the way to go.

My plan is for the T3. It will do the trick, just slip a wifi card in it.

January 26, 2005

I recenty bought the Dell Axim vx50 (VGA screen) and it's the next best thing to a laptop.

Edited January 26, 2005 by TahoeJoe

January 26, 2005

Although it would be too big, you could get a very cheap 2-3 year old laptop, slip in a wifi card and have one heck of a wifi web surfer.

You could probably do this within your $300 budget and get a lot more functionality out of it.

Depending on the size of your car seats, it might still slip underneath.

OF course, I would also LOVE an wifi internet machine that was about the size of a paperback book. . . . I just don't think there is a product out there to fit this demand just yet.

24.7k · January 26, 2005

In your price range you are either stuck with a used mini laptop, or a pocket PC.

Local cachers who do WiFi with their pda's are raving. Everyone else I know lugs their laptop and raves. Mostly they just like driving to a spot and having access when out and about and I'm not sure the device is critical to the opinion.

For actually doing something though I'd rather use a mini laptop than a PDA just becuase typing out a log or sending an email is a pain on a PDA if you don't have a keyboard (but you can get the keyboard...)

January 26, 2005

I have a Toshiba E800, with built in wifi,vga and dual compactflash/sd capability. Got it free from work (boss won it somewhre and gave it to me since he already had a handheld he really likes) otherwise I wouldn't have it. It truely seems to be a handheld laptop.

sorry for the offtopicness of this post... :grin:

20.7k · January 26, 2005

...It truely seems to be a handheld laptop.

My first laptop was a 50 mhz thinkpad. Current pads smoke it in terms of speed, memory, and reliability.

January 26, 2005

The Tungsten C is the only current Palm model with built-in wifi. It has the landscape capability on some (not all) applications, but the screen is almost square anyway. If you really want landscape, I think the E model with the new SD WiFi adapter would be the way to go.

My plan is for the T3. It will do the trick, just slip a wifi card in it.

That's the one with the stretch screen - I remember now. I knew one of them had it, but just couldn't remember which one.

Local cachers who do WiFi with their pda's are raving.

I would tend to agree to a certain extent. I use my PDA while caching, but not the WiFi. I really don't count on being in range of WiFi when I'm out and about. :grin: However, the WiFi really comes in handy in our office for surfing the web during long, dull meetings, all the while looking like you're taking notes.

9.4k · January 26, 2005

The OP is off-topic but if the topic switches to using WiFi for geocaching it should continue.

http://wap.geocaching.com works very well with PDAs and the small screens. Try eBay for a laptop that will do the trick.

20.7k · January 26, 2005

...Which is why I won't replace the m505 for caching. I would hate to kill the T3. I wonder if the wifi card would work in my M? I could simply swap it back and forth. Hmmm....

January 26, 2005

Geocaching.com works great on my Axim in landscape mode and I have the option of changing the layout to desktop (lots of scrolling), one column (crunches the text to fit on the screen) or the default setting which I prefer. I downloaded WiFiFoFum (free) which allows me to search for free hotspots while out caching.

Edited January 26, 2005 by TahoeJoe

6.4k · January 26, 2005

We have an old IBM Thinkpad 240 for caching. It's old and slow by today's standards, but it's also quite small, even by today's standards. It easily fits under the seat or even in the backpack (weighs less then 3lbs)

With some extra RAM it works just fine for geocaching. It runs garmin mapsource and all the 3rd party apps for the GPS just fine, as well as a web browser. Comes in handy for travel, I can easily load maps/caches into the GPS for different areas. That's not something you would be able to do with a dedicated web appliance. I'm sure you could probably find one or something like it for $100-200.

Edited January 26, 2005 by Mopar

20.7k · January 26, 2005

a massive 6.4gb hard drive.

6.4k · January 26, 2005

a massive 6.4gb hard drive.

Yea, but really, if you're just using it for caching and web browsing, and maybe email/IM apps, 6.4g is more then enough (Although I think I tossed an old 10 or 12gig in ours) . I did max out the RAM at 192meg, the base 64meg was not cutting it.

20.7k · January 26, 2005

I agree. I just thought it was funny. It has less memory than my pda or mp3 player.

January 26, 2005

We've got a Sony TH55 PDA - it's a PalmOS machine with built-in Wifi, so you can sniff out a network if it's in range and log your finds on the move! A stretch screen like the Palm brand T3/T5 models, a fair bit of onboard memory, and also has a VGA camera - pretty grainy for family portraits, but adequate for most caching purposes. There are a couple on Ebay available for ~$300 at the moment.

We tend to use PQs and GSAK to produce HTML pages of the caches we're looking for, but the wap.geocaching.com site Jeremy mentioned looks interesting - especially the zip code lookup. That'll give us a backup for any changes since we ran the GSAK output. Now, if only there was a way to filter out the ones you've already done!!

There seems to be much more potential for wifi caching here compared to our previous digs in Australia - maybe you could create a cache that required you to find the MAC address as the decrypt to the final location? :grin:

4.5k · January 26, 2005

The OP is off-topic but if the topic switches to using WiFi for geocaching it should continue.

http://wap.geocaching.com works very well with PDAs and the small screens. Try eBay for a laptop that will do the trick.

Yes, this is for geocaching.

I have an older Sony Clie PDA that i bought to use with pocket queries about 2 years ago. Just cant seem to find anything that works with it. Found one wifi memory stick but it didnt list my pda as being compatible with this particular unit. It is the PEG SJ-20u.

The bigger screen would be nice so now im guessing a small laptop will be the best option for me now. Hopefully i can find an older one that i can get a good battery for.

Thanks for the information!

2.4k · January 26, 2005

The bigger screen would be nice so now im guessing a small laptop will be the best option for me now. Hopefully i can find an older one that i can get a good battery for.

Thanks for the information!

I often use my laptop with mapping software and a USB GPS to route me to caches. When I'm caching, I just slip the laptop under the seat. Unless you get a really BIG bulky laptop, or have a strangely small area under your seats, it shouldn't be an issue. There are also 'after market' power cords available for laptops, that can use either household, or 12V "cigarette lighter" input power, so you wouldn't need to rely on the laptop's battery for a full day of caching, either. I've been caching with other people, and have had my 15" widescreen laptop under seats of multiple vehicles without problem. My biggest problem is finding WiFi hotspots while I'm out and about. I've rarely been able to log on to check for new caches or log finds, but I don't live in a city area, either......

Like Mopar said, if you go the laptop route, and have a mapping GPS and detail maps, you can always load a different detail map into the GPS "in the field" if you find you've traveled out of the coverage area you had loaded initially. (comes in handy if you're taking a long trip and don't have the memory to load the entire area into the GPS)

4.5k · January 26, 2005

If you have a Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, you can switch the screen view to landscape which gives you a much larger viewing area.

How do you know what version you have? My asset viewer says I have OS Version Windows CE 4.20

How do you switch gpxsonar view to landscape?

January 27, 2005

I use a Sony m505 for all of my out of house surfing. I was recently on a trip and it was great to have the ability to surf the net for hotels and eateries at each stop. We stayed at a Best Westerrn and Hampton Inn both had access points. There used to be a website (yahoo Maps I think) for seeing WiFi locations. I was not been able to find it the last time I looked. While on the trip I even looked on the internet to find the locations of BurgerKing in the Fort Lauderdale area. Since getting into geocaching it got me thinking about where I could find internet connections while away from Home. Can any of you list where to find Public access points? Are there Libraries that have them? I know that Panara Bread Company has access in there locations. Get a bite to eat and check out the next cache location. Wouldn't it be great if one of the national fast food chains put in access points?

Muddler

January 27, 2005

There are tons of websites with lists just search wifi hotspots. Some lists are good some are bad. I like http://www.wifinder.com/ because you can search places.

January 27, 2005

There are tons of websites with lists just search wifi hotspots. Some lists are good some are bad. I like http://www.wifinder.com/ because you can search places.

January 27, 2005

Personally I use a Panasonic Toughboof CF-27 I got from eBay for about $100. Its the toughest laptop you can buy, though it does weight like 11lbs. It has fallen from my truck pasenger seat to the ground more than a few times and survived without any issues.

Grab yourself a wifi card and head over to www.netstumbler.com and follow some of the directions @ www.wardriving.com and your set for all the free Wifi you could want.

Note to the Admins on free Wifi: If the access point is unsecured, its free to use by anyone so long as they dont try to access any of the computers on the local network.

This is the law in Ca anyway... not sure about other places.

I have driven around geocaching with the laptop on the seat and netstumbler running. 70% of all access points are open. In areas that have broadband available have access points every few hundred feet sometimes.

9.5k · January 27, 2005

If you have a Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, you can switch the screen view to landscape which gives you a much larger viewing area.

How do you know what version you have? My asset viewer says I have OS Version Windows CE 4.20

How do you switch gpxsonar view to landscape?

Then you have Pocket Windows 2003.

Btw, I have an IPaq 4355 after being on a Palm M130 for 2 years. I have to say the difference in usage is night and day. It is WiFi and Bluetooth capable and has a pretty fair range.

With the Palm, you have to convert everything to PDB format and then import it in with the HotSync. With the IPaq, drag and drop is the rule of the day. Any conversions happen on the fly, and I can explore the IPaq from the desktop like an extra storage card to move things around. ActiveSync is pretty proactive and has the capability to keep your IPaq up to date within seconds of any changes.

The usage on the IPaq is more familiar to Windows users making the transition from desktop to PDA much easier. I'm not struggling nearly as much with the transcribe on this PDA versus the Palm which caused me to resort to hand writing my notes to transcribe later. Keyboard pecking was painful with the Palm, but with the IPaq, it seems to be easier and more sensitive to fast taps. Having the thumb keyboard built in also seems to help in certain situations. The text is easier to read and can be tuned to your particular eyesight.

Yes, it costs a bit more than a comparable Palm. But to me, the time savings in the ease of use is worth it. For me, this is a great answer between lugging a laptop or carrying a light and quick access to basic info and editing logs on the fly.

Oh... and the really cool thing... I was able to put my avatar on as the background. :unsure:

Edited January 27, 2005 by TotemLake

January 28, 2005

Try Tiger Directfor cheap WiFi.

They carry lease return tablets, notebooks, and laptops with built-in WiFi. I picked up an IBM Thinkpad a22m about a year ago w/ 14" screen, CDRW-DVD player, Integrated WiFi, PIII -900MHz for under $350. It's "older" technology, but it was like brand new and it handles all mapping software and geocaching easy gps wihout any hesitation. And it has built in WiFi! At this price, I can destory or lose about four of them for the price of a new notebook.

Edited January 28, 2005 by The Beacher

January 28, 2005

I use a Dell Axim 30 in a Rhinoskin case while on the road. The unit costs in the $500 range with the built-in wi-fi.

On Long Island I've found that a majority of the public libraries have free wi-fi access. Also in Manhattan, you'll find that most of the larger public parks (Union Square, Madison Square, parts of Central Park) have freely accessible public access.

In general if you find a wireless spot with the default name (ie: netgear or linksys)

it used to mean that the owner was leaving it open for public access.

-PD

January 28, 2005

I like Jiwire for Hotspot searches.

There is a program you can download for offline searching too.

4.5k · January 30, 2005

Went out for this Cache yesterday and it turned out to be an all day affair. It made up our minds real quick in that a laptop was gonna be the way to go! Went ahead took a chance and bought a used one off ebay last night. We'll see how a $225 used laptop works. Thanks again for all the good information...

January 31, 2005

a massive 6.4gb hard drive.

Yea, but really, if you're just using it for caching and web browsing, and maybe email/IM apps, 6.4g is more then enough (Although I think I tossed an old 10 or 12gig in ours) . I did max out the RAM at 192meg, the base 64meg was not cutting it.

Off topic:

My box (the one that I'm using at the moment) is a Pentium 2 at a whopping 300MHz, 64 meg ram, 8 meg agp graphics card, 2.93 gig hdd... Hold on to your seatbelts, extreme game machine coming through!

OK, now that the computer geek side of me has said it's part, back on-topic me? off-topic?? never!

Around here (Southern NH), there aren't a whole lot of WiFi hotspots (well, *public* ones, anyhow), and I don't know of any hotspots near any of the caches within about 10 miles of me...

Ok, that was admittedly a fairly pointless post

Happy Caching

Jeff

Cheapest Way To Wifi?

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation