Being an Internet junkie I want to be connected so I can download e-mail, surf, pay bills online and update my websitess. Many campgrounds boast wifi connections but they all seem to contract with a third party to provide this service. My experience with these has been poor at best with connection speeds slower than the worst telephone landlines I have ever used. Would you believe less than 14 kbps! A couple of times I have been lucky enough to be near a hotel and use their wifi hotspot but finding these is a hit or miss proposition. And, they are all unsecure making the computer and private information available to those who have the know-how to gather that information.
I also have a cable to connect my cell phone to the computer. I have been using this on nights and weekends when I have free minutes. The connection is 14 kbps. Downloading e-mail is slow, slow, slow....but it is secure. This is not a convenient solution.
I have looked into getting a Internet satellite dish setup which would certainly cure all my connection woes. There are few a systems which RVers have been using. Some are expensive, around $4000 (too rich for my blood) but there are a couple of others that are more reasonable. They cost $1300-$1500 for the equipment and $49-$100 per month for the service. If I went this route I could also use the system when at home making it more attractive. The down side for RVing is the weight, storage room required, and time/effort to set it up at every different location. A contract is also required which is undesirable to me.
Another option is the broadband services offered by cell phone companies. Val and I both have Verizon cellphones. My assumption was that a 2 year contract was required but I decided to call Verison and verify this. Indeed this was the case for their broadband high speed service, however, the Verizon representative advised that since I already had a calling plan I could subscribe to their National Access plan for $59.99 per month for unlimited access. The speed is not as fast as broadband but is up to twice as fast as a good telephone modem and it works anywhere in the Verizon digital network ( their broadband high speed only works in large metro areas) which is just about everywhere we go! I also am able to add or delete the service at any time, another big plus and it will work with my existing cell phone and cable.
I subscribed and have been well satisfied. The speed is very adequate for my needs on the road, I have seen speeds up to 187 kbps. The connection is secure for paying bills online and I can now connect to the Internet (in the boonies!) anytime for as long as I want. We will see how it works out in the future as we continue our travels.
