Sep 24 2010
Wifi on the Go
As much as we try to stay disconnected when we’re on vacation–little to no TV, no DVD player in the car, and we don’t call home much–there are other aspects of traveling that make it very convenient to have good connections. When we’re on the go, it’s handy to be able to change hotel reservations, find restaurants, check weather forecasts, and do other tasks while on-the-fly. Campgrounds and hotels alike may provide wifi, but at a cost. What, then, are the options for a traveler who needs to stay connected while on the road?
- Smartphone. My husband has a BlackBerry and I have a Motorola smartphone, both with data packages. On our phones, we can navigate basic Internet tasks. My phone is better for traffic maps (using Bing) while his seems to be easier for navigating websites that are not mobile-phone friendly. Benefit of the smartphones: we’re not carrying around another piece of equipment.
- Tethering phone to netbook. My phone plan allows me to tether the phone to my netbook and use it as a modem. We’ve done this many times while on the go, and it’s been a way to have full functionality of the netbook without hunting down a wifi hotspot or paying for hotel wifi service. On the downside, it’s not very fast, so I have to be patient with it.
- MiFi. Verizon loaned me a MiFi unit on our recent Iowa vacation. It’s a roaming wifi hotspot for up to five devices, and used Verizon’s data network. I used it extensively with both my netbook, in the evenings, and with my iPod Touch during the day. It really brought good functionality to my iPod Touch, which has severe limitations if you’re not in a wifi area. The MiFi seemed faster than using my phone to tether the laptop, and we had excellent coverage, even in areas where we expected it to be spotty. The cons: It’s another device to carry (although it’s small and lightweight) and I wished its charge would have lasted longer. MiFi is available from Verizon with a contract, or as a prepaid item, although activation fees apply if you don’t use it often enough.
- iPhone. After using my iPod Touch with the MiFi, I considered whether an iPhone should be my next move. Currently, it’s a moot point because AT&T doesn’t have coverage in my area, but they’ll soon be buying out my current cellular company so an iPhone is a future possibility.
- iPad. An iPad with a data package is another route I considered, and one I haven’t yet ruled out. The data plans appear to be reasonably priced and somewhat flexible, and I’ve considered whether it would be good paired with a cheap basic phone. The biggest drawback for me is that it’s one more thing to lug around.
- Droid X. Jody at Family Rambling raved about the Droid X enough to get me into Verizon to take a look at it, and this may be the direction I take. It’s a phone, 8MP camera, video recorder that would outdo my Flip camera, has a growing number of apps available, and has a MiFi-like hotspot built in. It would eliminate the number of items I’d be carrying in my purse daily (phone, digital camera, video camera, iPod Touch) and provide good functionality for when we’re on vacation, as I could still use its connection with my netbook. Hmmm… a wifi iPad could also be used with it, couldn’t it? Time to make my Christmas wish list!
What do you used to keep you connected when you’re on the go, whether it’s running errands or traveling cross-country? Do you have devices that you love or hate? I’ll soon have choices to make when my cell service changes, so any insight or advice would be appreciated!
I’ve used the iPad in lieu of my regular laptop on short trips, accessing via free WiFi hotspots.
Recent trip to Michigan’s Thumb was a bit of a challenge, as our cottage had no access, and the closest free public hot spot was disabled due to a large construction project. Meant we cruised the highway ’til with the darn thing on ’til we found a hot spot in a local park when I had to do something more than check the weather or look for reviews on Yelp (which I could do on my Blackberry phone).
Last two-day trip, I took just the iPad with me and used our B&B’s free WiFi to get on and check museum hours, restaurant info, etc.
I’m not totally wild about accessing the ‘net via the cell phone, but it’s really handy for quick info a lot of times.
Tim will occasionally use the Blackberry to read the newspaper, but again, the iPad is much better for this.
We downloaded a Yelp app to our phones, which is great when you’re driving around and want to find a restaurant, coffee shop, etc.
I can use Twitter or Facebook with the Blackberry, but it’s pretty clunky to use…but it’s OK for a quick Tweet or to check your messages.
We’ve also used the Blackberry out on the geocaching trail. Tim had some software at one point that allowed him to download caches in a particular area before we went out on the road. It’s also a great way to check travel bugs while you’re at the cache (so you can decide if you should take them with you or not–if I can’t help a bug toward a particular goal, I’d rather leave it in the cache for someone else who might be able to to do).
.-= Dominique´s last blog ..The Kalamazoo House- An urban B&B in southwest Michigan =-.
I’ve been reading your blog for a while since I’m a family of 5 living in Minnesota as well. It’s nice to find places and things to do outside our neighborhoods.
I made the switch from a blackberry to a HTC Incredible and love it. After the android 2.2 upgrade the phone has the mobile hotspot capability but it does (as well as all their other smartphones) come with an additional monthly charge from Verizon as does tethering. The android marketplace does have an application which allows you to tether your phone to your laptop/netbook, http sites are free, but https sites require the full application which has a one time fee. This worked perfect for our family on a recent trip to North Dakota and just the other weekend.
Also there are rumors that Verizon is supposed to be getting the iphone4 early next year.
Dominique, thanks for the insight on the iPad. The geocaching angle is interesting as well. Our current phones don’t have GPS in them (or at least turned on by the company) but I believe the Droid makes use of GPS.
Bobbi, thanks for providing more information on the Droid. The tether app you mentioned is very interesting. One thing the Verizon rep told me is that I’d be able to drop/add the tethering fee from month to month so I’d only pay for it when I’d be using it.
Thanks for reading–hope to hear from you again.
Linda
Linda-
We don’t have GPS capabilities with our phones, either. We use the phone to access the geocache listings and travel bug listings at the Geocaching site. The listings provide details about the cache or a travel bug’s history. That means we don’t have to lug paper cache descriptions with us…and I can put in a travel bug’s ID# and access its history out in the field (as long as I have cell phone reception).
We still use a conventional GPS to search for the little buggers
.-= Dominique´s last blog ..The Kalamazoo House- An urban B&B in southwest Michigan =-.
Call me old fashioned, but even at age 37, I just don’t feel the need to be that connected. lol Nor pay such a huge bill. I think it’s so easy to get used to “conveniences” and then feel like we “neeeed” them. But, I’m a SAHM, and we don’t travel all that often. So maybe that’s the difference. I have no real justifiable reason other than it’d be cool.
.-= Kelly B(elly)´s last blog ..Daily deposit =-.
Kelly, I don’t think you’re old-fashioned at all. I struggle with the cost, and the constant upgrading that technology requires. And I refuse to learn to text.
I want my kids to talk to me.
I’d say we could certainly live without our toys, and we have at times (cruise, some camping trips), but there are times when they’ve come in really handy, like watching the road reports and finding Iowa was completely closed due to ice so we diverted our route through Wisconsin instead.
It’s a hard line to find, and I don’t fault anyone for being any more or any less connected than we are. We each have to find our own way, don’t we?
Thanks for chiming in!
Linda
Minnemom – if you use the USB cable with the MiFi into your laptop, the laptop will keep the unit charged vs. connecting wirelessly to the signal.
Karen, if I use the USB cable to connect the MiFi to the laptop, can I get a wireless signal for the iPod Touch and other devices at the same time? I had understood that if you’re cabled via USB you can only use the connection for the laptop. I’d be happy to be wrong about it.
You are correct it only stays charged when using USB with laptop, with other devices you need wall charger or it uses batteries only.
I hear you on this one and have yet to find the best (which for us means most economical) solution. Since I only recently broke down and let my husband add texting to our phone service when we upgrade the phones, we don’t use them for data services as well. I couldn’t take the bill increase and know my hubby would just spend more time on Facebook while he sits in line at the elevator to unload grain. LOL.
For now, we rely on free WiFi. We own a mini-van and don’t have kids. When we travel we still tend to FILL the van with our stuff (it’s mostly me as I like to be prepared and would hate to have to go buy something that I simply forgot at home. Included in the ‘necessities’ are 2 laptops. Neither one of us is good at sharing when we do find a hot spot.
) It’s a pain to deal with and I told hubby when it’s time to upgrade his laptop, we’ll look at smaller options (he’s really just an internet user and would probably love an iPad or netbook). Until then, we’ve become eagle eyes at spotting Free WiFi signs and have been known to pull into the parking lot at McDonalds or a Super 8 to check our route. 
)
.-= Cathy Spicer´s last blog ..Not a Card – Can You Believe It =-.