JanaBeaty, There has been a lot of discussion on this forum about why people need Wi-Fi when they are on the road. Perhaps you have not had time to read all those other threads. Fortunately JJ explained it very well. It is great for people to "camp" and get away from it all--no computers, no satellite, no cell phones either. But there are many situations when RVers need and want to stay in touch. Besides keeping up with friends and family I use my computer to learn about the area we're in, locate attractions and restaurants, and find local phone numbers to get information, buy tickets or make reservations. I also send back pictures to our 80 year old parents who love to see where we are. Now this may not be your definition of "camping," but hopefully it will help you see why some people want Wi-Fi. But if you don't want it that's ok, too. Just don't yell at those who do.
I dont care if the wifi is free or not, whatever it is, if it is advertized, it should work! We flat wont stay if there is no wifi, and if the reception is bad, ill be sure to say so on the review
QUOTE(JanaBeaty @ May 18 2008, 06:18 PM) [snapback]11519[/snapback] IF YOU ARE CAMPING WHY DO YOU NEED WI FI???? oR YOUR SATELITE? COME ON PEOPLE..... I want them, and that's all there is to it !!! P.S. A 42' DP isn't exactly "camping". When I was in the MARINE CORPS, that was "camping" !
We recently re enterd the RV world. For internet use, we got a Verizon Air card for the laptop. Other than having no signal going thru some canyons in Arizona, my DW was able to keep her family advised as to when we were going to be arriving. As far as WiFi goes, Id rather use my Card. IMHO its more secure than an open WiFi connection.
QUOTE(donee @ May 25 2008, 07:27 AM) [snapback]11567[/snapback] We recently re enterd the RV world. For internet use, we got a Verizon Air card for the laptop. Other than having no signal going thru some canyons in Arizona, my DW was able to keep her family advised as to when we were going to be arriving. As far as WiFi goes, Id rather use my Card. IMHO its more secure than an open WiFi connection. Donee, I think you are correct about that. However, some of us just "take our chances" when we use the open connections. Some parks have started locking down their WiFi with a password. It's still free, but you need the password. That may add a little more security, unless someone in the RV park who knows the password is trying to "Sniff out" the other people on the WiFi. I've been debating myself whether to get a Sprint Air Card. I've heard more people mention Verizon than Sprint, but my Long Distance and cell are on Sprint, might be cheaper if I went Sprint. JJ
QUOTE(donee @ May 25 2008, 07:27 AM) [snapback]11567[/snapback] We recently re enterd the RV world.... Welcome back to the RV life! B) We were blown away by the technology shifts when we converted to fulltime / hit the road. Sure don't miss the land-line for phones OR computer... :lol:
QUOTE(DXSMac @ May 25 2008, 10:56 AM) [snapback]11568[/snapback] Donee, I think you are correct about that. However, some of us just "take our chances" when we use the open connections. Some parks have started locking down their WiFi with a password. It's still free, but you need the password. That may add a little more security, unless someone in the RV park who knows the password is trying to "Sniff out" the other people on the WiFi. I've been debating myself whether to get a Sprint Air Card. I've heard more people mention Verizon than Sprint, but my Long Distance and cell are on Sprint, might be cheaper if I went Sprint. JJ From what I understand, Sprint has a larger network, now that they have aquired Nextell. All may change now though, because of the Gov't analog auction. It may all go to Wi-Max. Robbie
Hi All, Well, I've had a chance to test my Alfa 500 with the 15 db omnidirectional antenna. The antenna was broken thanks to the post office in USA, or Canada, or perhaps the customs folks, but I decided to take it on my trip to North Battleford to see the *nutty* Frenchman try to jump from a balloon from 40 K up in the air. Bottom Line--the Alfa helps but the Antenna works miracles. Here is a url for the jump! http://www.legrandsaut.org/index.php?lang=eng
Why does someone feel they have to have wifi on the road? Cannot a person go one day without the internet????
QUOTE(Lee and Fran @ May 28 2008, 01:40 PM) [snapback]11607[/snapback] Why does someone feel they have to have wifi on the road? Cannot a person go one day without the internet???? Maybe in summer you don't need it as much, but some of us like to travel in winter. THEN, having Wifi on the road is excellent for checking mountain pass and road conditions. Washington, Oregon, and Texas are doing a pilot for having Wifi at rest stops. In Washington, you can get road, traffic, weather, and mountain pass conditions for free at the rest stops. Nothing to it, just connect. If you want to use the wireless for anything else, there is a charge. Last November, when I travelled to California, having wireless was excellent for accessing CalTrans. It helped me plan my travelling to avoid major Thanksgiving traffic jams. I sailed through on I-5 through the mountain pass just fine. That's the BEST reason I can think of for having WiFi on the road! JJ
NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! QUOTE(Lee and Fran @ May 28 2008, 04:40 PM) [snapback]11607[/snapback] Why does someone feel they have to have wifi on the road? Cannot a person go one day without the internet????
Hi Lee and Fran, I use the internet to keep in touch with my clients. Missing a day of contact is not a good thing for me. On my latest trip it allowed me to find out when to wake up to try to see the event. Without it I would have had no way to find out. It's also a great way to find campgrounds--such as the ones at http://freecampgrounds.com/ I also have a "magic jack" phone which allows me to make outgoing calls on the internet and get around the high cost of roaming in USA (my cell phone company charges outrageous rates for roaming--$10.00 per day if I sign up---or over a dollar a minute if I don't) I'd really rather *not* be without the net even for an hour let alone a day. QUOTE(Lee and Fran @ May 28 2008, 02:40 PM) [snapback]11607[/snapback] Why does someone feel they have to have wifi on the road? Cannot a person go one day without the internet????
We are very dependent on being able to access the internet everyday. We have been travelling the USA and Canada for the last 2 1/2 months and have accessed the Campround reviews on this website as well as Woodalls and other places to find suitable campsites, check the weather every moring and evening to plan our trip (staying away severe weather areas), do our banking and keep in touch with family and friends. We are fulltime RVers, have a portable internet dish but when only staying overnight on travel days do prefer not to set it up. If we were just weekend camping or doing a short vacation it would not be quite so important to us. The biggest problem we find with WiFi offered at campgrounds is poor connectivity. We both have a computer and many times only one computer will work, at other campgrounds the connection is so bad the computer will not work at all. Some campgrounds we have had to log in to their secured network everytime we changed webpages. When this occurs we usually set up our dish which is very reliable, just takes time to set up. We do look for campgrounds with free WiFi when we travel from point A to B.
Hi P G, You may find it worthwhile to invest in a wifi external adapter and a good Antenna. I purchased an Alfa 500 adapter and a 15 db omni directional antenna to go with it. It connects very well to weak wifi signals. Much quicker to set up than a dish. QUOTE(P G Winkel @ May 29 2008, 08:13 PM) [snapback]11619[/snapback] The biggest problem we find with WiFi offered at campgrounds is poor connectivity. We both have a computer and many times only one computer will work, at other campgrounds the connection is so bad the computer will not work at all. Some campgrounds we have had to log in to their secured network everytime we changed webpages. When this occurs we usually set up our dish which is very reliable, just takes time to set up. We do look for campgrounds with free WiFi when we travel from point A to B.
QUOTE(pianotuna @ May 29 2008, 10:55 PM) [snapback]11620[/snapback] Hi P G, You may find it worthwhile to invest in a wifi external adapter and a good Antenna. I purchased an Alfa 500 adapter and a 15 db omni directional antenna to go with it. It connects very well to weak wifi signals. Much quicker to set up than a dish. Thank you pianotuna, I have been reading the thread from the beginning, interesting how things have changed in such a short time. We certainly will look into purchasing the items you suggest. Happy travels!
The setup on my Wave RV antenna is just a fe seconds. Plug in the USB into a port and hang it in the window. I am going to work on a telescoping poll to attache to the grab handle of my coach with velcro to get it up over the coach. Probalby need an USB extention cable also, but they are found locally. I love it.
QUOTE(Lee and Fran @ May 28 2008, 02:40 PM) [snapback]11607[/snapback] Why does someone feel they have to have wifi on the road? Cannot a person go one day without the internet???? Absolutely not. Not everybody in a motorhome is retired or on vacation. Hubby and I live and work full-time on the road. We wouldn't be in business without our online communications. When we get to our work destination, he goes out in the field with clients and I stay home and run the business. I also keep in touch with friends online. And I do most of my shopping online. I love the internet!! I'm happy that I don't have to depend on WiFi since it's touch and go in a lot of places. I love my Verizon card. I suffered with satellite for a year before I changed over to it and have better more consistent connections.
Hi Lindsay, Any information yet on the range you can attain with the Wave? Will you use a powered usb extension cable? I have connected at 400 yards with the Alfa 500 unit using the 2 db antenna that comes with it. So far I've not tested the range *with* the 15 db antenna--but signal strength is a lot higher with it. QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Jun 2 2008, 05:32 PM) [snapback]11681[/snapback] The setup on my Wave RV antenna is just a fe seconds. Plug in the USB into a port and hang it in the window. I am going to work on a telescoping poll to attache to the grab handle of my coach with velcro to get it up over the coach. Probalby need an USB extention cable also, but they are found locally. I love it.
Any information yet on the range you can attain with the Wave? Will you use a powered usb extension cable? No, it arrived after we had left on our last camping trip and I didn’t get to test it. We store the RV couple of miles away and I went over and got my 400 watt portable inverter so I can run the computer in my truck without wearing down the batteries. I need to take my truck around and test out things with it. I can switch from my internal card to the wave real easy so, it should be easy to test. I also need to get an extension USB cable with a male and female ends. Saw them online petty cheap. I am going to bring it into the coach thru the window by the kitchen area and then I’ll have 20 feet to play with inside the coach. I already know fro what I have done already that it is worth it.
Hi Lindsay, Just did my first range test with the Alfa 500 and the 15 db omni directional antenna. This test is just stuffing the antenna out the drivers window of my car with the antenna hanging down almost touching the ground. The antenna has 25 feet of low loss coax--but the cable is as thick as my index finger--I may try to find something thinner locally. 200 yards internal card no signal 200 yards with Alfa and 2 db antenna signal strength 40% 200 yards with Alfa and 15 db antenna signal strength 80% 480 yards with Alfa and 15 db antenna signal strength 50% There is another reading for "quality of the link" and it appears that if it is much below 40% then acquiring an IP address for internet use seems to "not happen". I hope that will keep me in touch with wifi at any campground! I did notice another "effect" when I was showing the new antenna to the local pc users group. Sometimes *vertical* is not the best signal strength! I'm considering getting a mount of some kind that will allow me to tilt the antenna like the top of a camera tripod to take advantage of this--for I'm sure in most RV parks there will be lots of multipath signals bouncing around as they reflect and refract passing through other motorhomes.
