I need unlimited Internet for work; what is best? - Montana Owners Club

Wannabe Full-timer · 08-28-2006, 03:36 PM

I have a newer laptop that has what is called an ExpressCard slot and Verizon has just started releasing the cards for them and Sprint will be next is my understanding. However, they haven't hit the cell phone stores in my area yet. Just wondering if anyone has one of these yet or heard anything about them - pros/cons.

I was looking into Verizon's "unlimited" pkg. for Internet with the ExpressCard (and that is the only slot I have for Internet on my laptop) but if you read the fine print, it truly is not unlimited! For my work I download voice files (doctor's dictation that I transcribe) and I have a fear that I could go over the maximum amount allowed to download (even in this unlimited pkg.) since it would be similar to downloading a lot of music/songs. I realize I won't know until I try it. Sprint's pkg. may be truly unlimited but I will have to wait and see what their pkg. says as well when they offer their pkg. (and read their fine print).

Anyway, having Internet access is a must for me for my work and I realize I could be limited by reception in the particular CG I am in and this is concerning to me. I have only been in one CG, a remote KOA, this year that offered WiFi and it was not a very good connection and was off/on all the time and very slow. The majority of CGs that we will be staying at do not offer WiFi at this time.

I only have unlimited dial-up available at my home as that is all that is available in my area. I have a very reliable ISP though and have had them for years and it works fine for my work.

I guess I am just wondering what my options might be if this ExpressCard doesn't work as I need something that will work at home and in a CG as well and eventually possibly just a CG. It needs to be truly unlimited and not too slow (I connect at 49.2 Kbps minimum and normally 54 with dial-up which I know is slow compared to the other forms of Internet connections). I need a company that offers the best coverage and reliability, which from what I have read, seems to be Verizon but I really don't know. If I find the ExpressCard does work for me, then I will be limited to Verizon or Sprint with the laptop I have.

I know nothing of how people connect to the Internet with cell phones so I guess I need an "Internet for Laptop Dummies" book. LOL

Any suggestions/recommendations you could give me would be appreciated.

I currently just use a TracFone for cell phone usage as I use it very little. We only camp weekends mainly at this time but we may be living locally full-time in an RV in a CG and then I will need to switch to a monthly cell phone plan and Internet service.

Thanks so much for any help/advice you may be able to offer me.

Sandi & John & 3 Shih Tzu from Michigan (2 adult sons, 1 DIL)
Considering selling stick house, purchasing a Montana, living in it full-time locally so we can continue to live near my elderly father. Continuing to work full-time. Dreaming of the day we can head south for winter!

boylanag · 08-28-2006, 03:44 PM

Verizon Air Card is $59.99/month for unlimited service and there are few areas in the country that can not be reached by this. In some cities, it even will be broadband. You do not need to go through your cell phone and use those minutes.

Carol and Jim Boylan
2006 2980RL

Wannabe Full-timer · 08-28-2006, 03:51 PM

Thank for you reply. How/where do these connect, with a USB cord, or ? Do you do need to have a regular monthly cell phone service and plug into the cell phone and the laptop with a cord or what ??? (See I told you I need an "Internet for Laptop Dummies" book)

TIA.

Sandi

Sandi & John & 3 Shih Tzu from Michigan (2 adult sons, 1 DIL)
Considering selling stick house, purchasing a Montana, living in it full-time locally so we can continue to live near my elderly father. Continuing to work full-time. Dreaming of the day we can head south for winter!

Parrothead · 08-28-2006, 04:56 PM

Sandi
First if you are going to be in the same CG for any length of time I would go with the DirecWay/Hughes set up. If you are moving around that is different. I have the Verizon mobile office set up for when I can't get WiFi. It plugs into the phone and USB and uses your minutes. It works but slowly. You must have a new Dell laptop, I do too and hadn't heard Verizon has the Express Card ready. I will have to check that out. We have the DirecWay but I don't think we will take it fulltiming, haven't made that decision yet. It takes a little while to set it up and you have to be in a spot without a lot of trees and I like trees.
Happy trails..........................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed

Okie Guy · 08-28-2006, 05:55 PM

cingular wireless has 2 smart cards. I plan ot test one of them out when my contract is up next month. Has anyone tested these?

Okie Cowboy Guy
1997 Chevy 3500 Truck with Prodigy Brake Control
2005 Montana Mountaineer 330-RKBS
http://i1.tinypic.com/23k9b4g.jpg

mobrownies · 08-28-2006, 06:48 PM

Before you buy anybody's card look at the coverage map and read the fine print. Then compare it to where you plan to travel and where you plan to camp. I think the only way you can get unlimited internet all the time is to stay home and plugged in to DSL or something like that.

I use the Verizon mobile office kit when I can't get WIFI, which is most of the time. Verizon told us that we could get on line any where we got a cell phone signal, but that is a load of bull. If we are on Verizons system it works great, but outside their network it is a crapshoot. We have been full-time for the last year and stayed in a lot of campgrounds, both public and private. We find that most do not offer WIFI, some that do it is priced too high.

I use the internet for business also. We have spent hours driving into towns to find a WIFI signal or an internet cafe' or a public library. Staying connected even once every day or two can be a real challenge in some areas.

2004 298RLS
2003 Chevy 2500HD LB Duramax/Allison

adelmoll · 08-29-2006, 03:04 AM

I must be very lucky because I use the Verizon card and can almost ALWAYS get online. Even when we were in Alaska it worked 75% of the time. Bill has the Cingular card. He will be the first to tell you that it stinks. When he does get on, it is slow, slow, slow. The funny thing is that with our cell phones, his Cingular is much better than my Verizon. I think it is the difference in the phone itself though. The older Nokia without all the fancy picture etc. works the best.

Helen

To follow our journey please click: Bill and Helen's Journey
2005 Montana 3475 pulled by our 2005 Ford 350 Power Stroke Diesel

toolmanroy · 08-29-2006, 04:44 AM

I am interested in how this works out for you. I also do medical transcription, and if I am ever able to get my doctors (local) to go digital this would be an option for me. I have not been successful so far, as they are perfectly content with old-fashioned tapes and they pay more than anyone online wants to pay me. I have one office halfway there using MyDocsOnline to transfer completed files. That is a fairly fast transfer and very low cost, and I highly recommend it.
Nancy

Roy and Nancy

2001 F250 CC 4x4 Lariat diesel
2005 Montana 2955RL

PowellsMonty · 08-29-2006, 07:03 AM

A great friend of mine full times, has the Verizon air card and absolutely loves it. Good service and fast. I travel all over the USA and never had a problem yet with Verizon. I also use Verizon Office through my cell phone when I have to, no problems, good for sending and receiving emails with no large attachments. It is as slow as I am but better than nothing.

Mike & Debbie
2003 3295RK,2002 F250 4x4 Supercab,7.3,

jrgwdenner · 08-29-2006, 08:58 AM

We just started using the Verizon Aircard and love it. We have Express cards slots in our computers so we bought the KR1 router which gives a wireless system that allows both of us to be on at the same time. I think Verizon has the best coverage of the major carriers. If you have an Express card slot, the 'old' aircards will not fit into them. From what I've read, the Express Card is even better than the aircard. Our speed varies according to our location but coverage is available about 90% of the time. If you can't get on, just drive a little further down the road and you'll find a connection. That said, we are in a campground with trees this week so we don't have a connection at our site. So I'm typing this as we drive between Walmart and Lowe's. It's great to be able to travel and be on the internet at the same time. Something you can't do with a satellite system, which is probably you're most dependable means of getting on the internet.

Judy
http://spaces.msn.com/bamatravelers/
http://bamatravelers.blogspot.com
Traveling with Glen and Greta in our 2004 Dodge dually and Montana 3380 RL

Glenn and Lorraine · 08-29-2006, 10:43 AM

Yeah! What Judy said.

We love our Verizon AirCard and the KR1 router.

Glenn
Montana Owners Home Page
RV Related Links

Glenn and Lorraine

M O C - 4 2 0
WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

Click on either of the above for a larger image
We are using a 2005 White GMC Sierra SLE 2500HD Extended Cab, Short Bed, 4X4
with the Duramax/Allison Combo and Firestone Ride-Rite air bags
to drag around our 2004 Montana 2955RL 32'
using a PullRite 16K SuperGlide Automatic Sliding Hitch

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us!"
You know you are retired when you wake up in the morning with
nothing to do and go to bed at night with it only half done.
BUT, Keep in mind, doing nothing can be a very
tiresome job because you can't stop to rest

Click on the Flags for the Forecast

Wannabe Full-timer · 08-29-2006, 11:12 AM

Oh boy, I may have a problem it sounds like. I don't want to have to drive somewhere and work out of my car for hours! LOL I have to be able to work out of any CG we stay in so I will have to check out first if I can get connected in a particular CG we may want to stay at. We plan to stay six months at a stretch perhaps and I have to stay connected to the Internet continuously for periods of several hours at a time to do my on-line job as I work "live" on a platform for one company I work for.

Nancy, it is great to know there is another MT on here! That is SO cool!

I, too, have docs that I have to pickup/deliver tapes/transcription and they are not interested in going digital either, even if I bought the recorders and paid for HIPAA-compliant, secure transmission of transcription.

So, we also have to stay in a CG that is close to my job and my husband's (if we full-time locally) as long as we are working full-time which we will be for quite a few years yet.

Parrothead, my laptop is a Compaq (HP now). (My PC is a Dell though

) Isn't satellite pretty expensive for Internet service??? I keep updated on the ExpressCards from a web site on-line. Here is the link (just scroll down the page a bit) for more info: http://www.evdoinfo.com/

Thanks everyone for your replies. I am really concerned I may have a problem working "live" unless the ExpressCard works well and I can get a good signal in a CG I want to stay in.

I guess I won't know until I can try it and that I do plan on doing.

Sandi & John & 3 Shih Tzu from Michigan (2 adult sons, 1 DIL)
Considering selling stick house, purchasing a Montana, living in it full-time locally so we can continue to live near my elderly father. Continuing to work full-time. Dreaming of the day we can head south for winter!

Parrothead · 08-29-2006, 12:09 PM

Sandi
If you are going to stay in a campground for 6 months at a time, I would recommend the DirecWay. Once it is set up it is very reliable.
Happy trails.........................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed

Wannabe Full-timer · 08-29-2006, 02:35 PM

I just checked out DirecWay and they do seem affordable as I would have to pay around $59/month for the ExpressCard if I also had a cell phone monthly service with the same carrier (which I don't currently but would if we were living in an RV). I see that DirecWay has pkgs. at $59-$79/month. Gee, I may look into this sooner rather than later!

Now, I have more questions regarding DirecWay:
1.) Can you use one of these at home AND take it with you and use it in your RV too?
2.) Can you have it where it will work on two computers, a regular PC and a laptop (not necessarily at the same time)?
3.) If you have an external fax (a 3 in 1 printer, copier, fax), can you fax using DirecWay?
4.) Does anyone know if they make an internal fax for a laptop that you can have installed???

Sorry for all the stupid questions but I don't have a clue obviously.

Sandi & John & 3 Shih Tzu from Michigan (2 adult sons, 1 DIL)
Considering selling stick house, purchasing a Montana, living in it full-time locally so we can continue to live near my elderly father. Continuing to work full-time. Dreaming of the day we can head south for winter!

Parrothead · 08-29-2006, 02:49 PM

Sandi
If you go the DirecWay route, buy from one of the mobile outfits. I'm trying to think of the name of the guy HamRad got his from and I think it is Dusty Foot or something like that. If you go directly to DirecWay they will tell you that you can't take it with you but lots of people do. I don't believe you can fax with it because it is not a telephone. Yes you can run more than one computer. You can use it at home and take it with you if you buy from one of the mobile outfits. Window has fax internal but I'm not sure you can do it on satellite and it has been years and years since I used it. You might want to check that out or maybe someone on here can help.
Happy trails................................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed

Wannabe Full-timer · 08-29-2006, 03:27 PM

Thanks Sue for the heads-up on the DirecWay mobile and who/who not to purchase from! I would definitely be interested eventually in getting in touch with the person you mentioned if you might know who/how.

My Dell PC computer has an internal fax that came built right in with my computer (which shows in my drop down box where I can chose a printer) but my Compaq/HP laptop does not show that I have one unless I am not looking in the right place ??

Sandi & John & 3 Shih Tzu from Michigan (2 adult sons, 1 DIL)
Considering selling stick house, purchasing a Montana, living in it full-time locally so we can continue to live near my elderly father. Continuing to work full-time. Dreaming of the day we can head south for winter!

toolmanroy · 08-29-2006, 04:47 PM

Sandi, there is another transcriptionist in the group, but she does legal transcription. We met at the spring rally last year at Mt. Shasta.

If you are considering going fully digital, do check out MyDocsOnline (www.mydocsonline.com). I like it because you can use any part of it or all of it, and it is HIPAA compliant and a secure site. It is a great way to transfer voice or text files. My one client can go on the site and has access just to their own files with their own password. They give you 2 weeks free to try it. You can fax from their site, which would eliminate a separate fax program. I do not use that feature, but I have used the e-mail feature of sending files securely. It is much simpler for the office on the other end who have in the past been very confused by encryption programs.

Keep me posted on how you do with the internet situation. We are not far off from retirement and I want to keep at least one of my clients.

Nancy

Roy and Nancy

2001 F250 CC 4x4 Lariat diesel
2005 Montana 2955RL

Parrothead · 08-29-2006, 05:13 PM

Sandi
I'm going from a very poor memory of too long ago but I think it is a feature you install from windows. HP might be able to help you. My other laptop is a Compaq and it has it.
Happy trails........................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed

Wannabe Full-timer · 08-30-2006, 07:58 AM

Nancy, my own client does not wish to go digital unfortunately. About once a week they seem to need me to fax them a patient note that they have misplaced.

That is the major reason I need a fax. I have the free e-fax where I can receive faxes at no cost (since I only have dial-up and am connected most of the day tying my phone up - and I also have CallWave so that will take messages while I have my phone line tied up). I could pay to use e-fax for sending faxes but I would need to look into whether that was HIPAA compliant and I am not sure if it would go to my doc's office fax machine or just a computer as I have never looked into it as I never needed it. I need to be setup somehow if using satellite so I can still fax. My doc's office does not want anything to have to be sent to one of their computers - they have made that clear to me.

If I had an internal fax on my laptop, like I do on my regular PC, then no prob. I can fax MS Word notes right from there to my doc's fax. Works great!

Sue, I will have to check into that about faxing with my Compaq/HP laptop - by checking out Windows Help first. Perhaps there is an option on my installation disks that came with my laptop but needs to be installed separately.

Just not sure if faxing is even possible when using satellite for Internet but I sure need to find out.

Sandi & John & 3 Shih Tzu from Michigan (2 adult sons, 1 DIL)
Considering selling stick house, purchasing a Montana, living in it full-time locally so we can continue to live near my elderly father. Continuing to work full-time. Dreaming of the day we can head south for winter!

richfaa · 08-30-2006, 09:05 AM

The site is www.dustyfoot.com and it is undergoing massive updating right now and not much good. We have researched till we are blue in the face and have decided on satellite for internet . IMO the phone cards/ etc still have a way to go to catch up. We need dependable internets service of reasoable speed nationwide and the cell phone does not do that yet.

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

F-350SD, Lariat, V-10,4:30 Diff, tow command Long bed, Crew Cab Dually, 06 3400RL
Mor-Ryde Pin Box

You may also like: