What we ended up doing last year was to sign up for an unlimited Cingular (now AT&T again) data connection. This costs us $60 a month on a 2 year contract. What we got in hardware is a little card with an antenna that slips into the side of the laptop. It generally worked very well and we didn't have to worry about hotspots. We went around the US and the only spotty coverage was going through Montana and the Dakotas. Basically we could get reliable service anywhere we could get cell service and sometimes even where the voice service was spotty. The speed was OK everywhere (always faster than dialup) and near major built-up areas it gets much faster. In fact when we got home we disconnected our internet cable service and just use this. There are other ways to go also. I have seen cell phones connected to the laptop that do the same thing. They may also have cheaper plans for this. We downloaded updated software for the card and found that it improved the service. I have seen routers advertised which you can insert the card into and then you could use the Cingular service for all the computers in your house. But we haven't tried that yet. (Don)

We were extremely surprised at the Cingular (AT&T) report on wireless cards as we found our Cingular wireless card VERY slow and even in the Seattle area where we live it was almost a bad dial up! May be it is the area having travelled mostly up and down the west coast (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Arizona and Nevada), where it is very patchy for most Cingularwirless card and cellular connections. Our fellow RVers seem to mostly have Verizon which has a much faster wireless card, and cellular phones. When we returned home this spring we returned our wireless card, but unfortunately couldn't cancel our cellular wireless as we had upgraded our phone which added another 2 years to our plan! I would advise RVers to look around and even think about getting a enGenius EUB-362-EXT WiFi Adapter card with a 7DB Gain Antenna which gives 1000 mw of power. at a cost of $77.50. If anyone needs help on this they can call 1 509 280 8999 or www.netgate.com. We attended a Western Horizon RV Resort Seminar given by Randy Higgins, which was very enlightending to us and well worth attending and he recommended the above. (Rosemary )

I tried AT&T Wireless Card several years ago to no avail, and Verizon's last year in Montana and everytime I tried it my computer crashed. When I went to return it, the salesman noticed I had a Palm Treo phone and suggested that I tether the computer to the phone. Not only was it cheaper, it works all over and I haven't had a problem since. (Chuck)

I just wanted to say how pleased I am with my Verizon aircard. We go to south Texas for the winter and it works great there and here at home. In fact, we have gone wireless at home with no landline phone. I installed a PCI to PCMCIA controller card on my desk top at home to use the aircard. We do not have broadband yet but it is certainly faster than dial-up. I have never been anywhere that I couldn't get on-line with a Verizon signal. I have had my card about 15 months. (Janice)

(More Cingular Wifi comments)
Hi,
This is Don again. We are again doing a bit of traveling and using the Sierra Wireless card with the AT&T service. We live in the Seattle area and this is our primary way of getting on line. Anyway on this trip we have traveled to through eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and down to Salt Lake. Only once could we not get data service and this was stopping at a remote rest stop in the middle of Idaho. We spent several days in Las Vegas where we attended a seminar. In the hotel they had free wireless service. My wife used the Cingular and I used the hotel service. To me they were equally fast. On the return trip we spent a night in Tonopah, NV in the middle of the desert and here we got good AT &T service. We are now in South Tahoe and getting good service. It is definately slower when not in the larger population areas but still faster than dialup and so we are generally quite satisfied. It is my understanding that Verison has better coverage so we may look that direction when this contract is up but we have no real complaints. Thanks, (Don)

We have been using a Sprint wireless card for over a year now and have been very happy with it. Although we haven't done extensive traveling with it, we have found that it works very well wherever there is Sprint coverage. We have used it throughout Florida and up and down the east coast. It is much faster than dial-up; in fact, we have no complaints at all about the speed. It might be a little slower than DSL, but it's not noticeably slower. I think we paid about $50 for the card, and we pay about $60/month plus taxes for the service. I'm a medical transcriptionist. I work from home or on the road, and I have to have a reliable internet connection to do my work. I've never had a problem with our Sprint card. (Suzy, 8/11/07)

Just wanted to add a comment about my Verizon aircard. I was eligible to update to a newer, faster air card with the cutest portable antennae for my laptop. Since we live in Northwest Washington, right up near the Canadian border and out in the country to boot (pun intended), reception was very spotty. Some days, I had to go to dial up most of the time before I updated. Now, it is much better and much more reliable and still faster than dial up. (Bernie)

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