Comments on The Digital RVer: Connecting - or Not

Based on the comments here, Verizon seems to have ...

2009-08-21T11:58:26.294-07:00

Based on the comments here, Verizon seems to have decent coverage. In fact, several of our fellow campers in the VA location were able to use their Verizon based cell phones, though none of them had internet systems.

My experience with AT&T has been good when traveling around the country. Sprint has also provided decent coverage. My personal opinion, though it can get costly, is to have more than one carrier to try.

It's likely that I'll add a Verizon service (most likely the MyFi unit) to my arsenal in the near future, through I'm not sure that I'll keep all 3 running at $60/month each. On the other hand, staying connected is a necessity to my work, and having a total of 15gb/month download capacity is also likely to avoid any overcharges.

As for the booster I'm using, it's the Wilson in-building amp with a trucker's antenna. Per the web site: "The Dual-Band SOHO Amplifier improves signals by 50 decibels in the Cellular (824-894 MHz) band and the PCS (1850-1990 MHz) band and works with Verizon, US Cellular, Cellular One, Alltel, Bell Canada, Telus, Cingular, Sprint, T-Mobile and all other Cellular and PCS carriers." So it covers pretty much every carrier. Also, it runs on 110v current, so only runs when docked.

Scott

re: Verizon - before using the Verizon aircard in ...

2009-08-19T12:14:29.816-07:00

re: Verizon - before using the Verizon aircard in Canada, you better check their rates, and then check again, because most of their support staff are clueless that using the VZ aircard in Canada will incur major roaming, long distance and megabyte charges. We were told multiple times we could use the card in Canada, but when we did, we ended up with a bill of over $22,000 for 45 days use!!!! We contacted the CEO's office, and after a couple of months they gave in and wiped out the bill, but in the process they changed our online account # without telling us, then cut off our phones because we hadn't paid...

I have a Mac laptop with the required AT&T ser...

2009-08-16T16:06:07.965-07:00

I have a Mac laptop with the required AT&T service. The enclosed reviews seem to pan the AT&T wireless card, what is my best course? I will be full timing beginning October.

Thanks,
John
johnrides@yahoo.com

Where we live, which really isn't in the booni...

2009-08-16T06:41:27.276-07:00

Where we live, which really isn't in the boonies, we can only get Altel data and cell phone.

In traveling around I have found that I can use my blackberry almost everywhere on altel many places where everyone elses 3G systems are unavailable. My blackberry has the data plan so I can tether the computer on it.

I am not sure what has happened to Altel now that Verizon owns them but if I had to do what you are doing I would have AT&T and Altel as the backup

Your repeater is a good start but you didn't say if it covered all the bands, which it probably doesn't. Most will amplify only one of the bands which means that if it works on 3G it won't fall back to the other slower standards on different bands, even though the network card will.

We are running a verizon aircard via a cell antenn...

2009-08-15T14:37:01.144-07:00

We are running a verizon aircard via a cell antenna on the roof, into a amplifier, into the air card, into a cradlepoint wireless modem. Works great.

On campground wifi: too many "experts" on blogs and newsletters advise waiting for wifi in campground, then downloading videos, movies, tv shows, and software updates instead of doing so on the air card --to avoid the common 5 GB limit on aircards. These usage hogs reduce a shared wifi connection in a campground to the useless level for other users.

Ditto re: VERIZON VZ Access. We are full-timers,...

2009-08-15T08:52:12.121-07:00

Ditto re: VERIZON VZ Access. We are full-timers, constantly on the move, and have found that this even works at times when our Verizon cell phones don't!

However, not in Canada. We are in the Maritimes these days, and VERIZON is useless either way, phones or internet access. But it's so nice here that we can keep searching for WI-FI connections until our move-ments return us to the USA. Sometimes, taking in the view and the local offerings serves us best!

You should have had a Verizon air card. I can'...

2009-08-15T03:51:15.379-07:00

You should have had a Verizon air card. I can't talk to Sprint, but I had AT&T and found that it provided almost no service at all (except for my driveway) when we traveled throughout VA, WV, PA, NJ, and MD. Now with Verizon (no I'm not an employee!) and we have NEVER been without service.