internet

[macox37]

this site is pretty cool,talking to the people who really do the work.hearing from the pros is great you guys have answered my questions with real answers unlike what the recruiters tell you. but where are you doing all this from , at home or in the truck on the road. if on the road what do you use for your laptop to hook up to the net? and what kind of money each month.thanks again mike

 

[highway star]

I'm at the TA in Florence,Ky. using an Alltel aircard. 61.26 a month. Some use Wi-Fi, it's cheaper and is getting easier to find for free. The aircard is supposed to be more secure and I like having it wherever I go.

 

[cheri1122]

In a cargo van, scouting free wifi was easy, but it's not so in a D unit - I too, use an aircard, from the comfort of the truck. Costs $60/month (Verizon) for high speed, and it is, long as I'm somewhere near a major city. Usually.
The major truckstops offer their own wifi, by the day, month, or year, too.

 

[piper1]

In a cargo van, scouting free wifi was easy, but it's not so in a D unit - I too, use an aircard, from the comfort of the truck. Costs $60/month (Verizon) for high speed, and it is, long as I'm somewhere near a major city. Usually.
The major truckstops offer their own wifi, by the day, month, or year, too.

How do you find Verizon away from the cities??

 

[cheri1122]

It's actually better than I thought it would be, given that the cellphones tend to have some dead zones. Long as I'm near a sizeable city, it works pretty well.
As much as I type here, you had to ask?
PS Patience is not my best quality - if it doesn't go fast, I don't stick with it.

 

[piper1]

I'm not touching that one with a 10 foot pole!!

 

[Turtle]

Maybe a few inches, tho.

I finally broke down and got a Verizon Aircard. They have Broadband Access, which is fast, and National Access, which is a little better than dialup. Broadband is in the major cities and along many Interstates. It just so happened that right after I got mine I ended up in a lot of place that didn't have Broadband, like Hattiesburg, Albert Lee. The Flying J in Franklin, KY doesn't have it, but a few clicks south you get it. They had it in the vast metropolis of Crossville, TN, though. Most of TN has it. Olice Branch it would come and go depending on which way I was breathing. And it's available in pretty much all of western Kentucky, which is all rural. The coverage maps on the Verizon Wireless site details it all. Some places you wouldn't expect it to be and it is, and then some places you figure it will be there and it isn't.

You can't count on Broadband access by how your cell phone gets a signal, as a cell phone signal and an Internet signal come from completely different towers, it's different infrastructure, which is they the coverage maps for each are so different.

Incidentally, didja know that the Fifth Wheel, at least the one in Milton (exit 320 off the 401) now has Internet access? And it's free, at that. A pleasant surprise, for sure.

 

[chefdennis]

I also use verizon / national access broadband aircard for $60 bucks a month. After working out a few bugs, it works great and i love it.

And Turtle, I too used my aircard in big Crossville TN last week!, as well as my Direct TV Satelite Dish from the walmart parking lot, watched the nascar race on sunday!

 

[layoutshooter]

In my truck on a Verison Air card. It works good enough at my house that I dropped my internet there. Layoutshooter

 

[chefdennis]

if it weren't fot my wife and daughter needing the internet at home, i also would drop my home provider and use strickly this verizon aircard.

 

[Planner]

Are the people using the aircard successfully using external antennas with the aircard?
Regards, Bill

 

[layoutshooter]

We use only the air card thing. It is the USB model. I might put an amplifier system on the truck some day for it but it is way down the "list". The card is great most of the time. Layoutshooter

 

[Planner]

We use only the air card thing. It is the USB model. I might put an amplifier system on the truck some day for it but it is way down the "list". The card is great most of the time. Layoutshooter

Thanks Layshooter: I have been researching the alternative providers and while I know it sounds as if $60 or so a month is chump change, I am really careful to research anything that will add to monthly costs by contract. To hit the monthly "nut" I can always change the eating habits, etc. but I am really trying to be careful about long term $$$ commitment, particularly if they subtract from the bottom line rather than add to it.
Regards, Bill

 

[chefdennis]

i use the supplied antenna that sits on the dash and plugs into a usb port and have no problems at all.

now if anyone has a good recommendation of a gps antenna that plugs into a usb port on a laptop and can be mounted outside of the truck, i am all ears.........

 

[Turtle]

US Globalsat BU 353 USB GPS receiver at The GPS Store, Inc.

I've used this, works great with Street and Trips and DeLorme. Good e-tailer, fast shipping.

 

[davebeckym]

Planner, I don't know if the Verizon air card is a drain on the bottom line or not. I use it to save $$$ on fuel, motels and groceries. I use it to find Walmarts in areas that don't have truck stops or other places to park.

I've used it to avoid a bad ice storm in Mo. & Ok on my way to El Paso. I've used online routing to find shorter routs and to find an address when My GPS couldn't.

I used to buy the USA today, now I get most of my news online.

And this is a quality of life use, but I use it to find YMCAs and parks so I can stretch my legs and find other things to do. If I run out of free showers at the J, I can shower at the Y. A lot of Y's have computer rooms or places where you can plug in your computer. Many libraries do, also.

 

[chefdennis]

Speaking of the "Y", my new Max membership card came last week and while it was at home, the lady in memphis let me use the gym and shower when i told her that i was from out of town and my wife had signed me up earlier that week. It was a good change from the "J" !!