Air Card Internet

Typically, a wireless broadband card, like this one from Verizon, will insert into the PCMCIA slot of a laptop computer. Some software is installed on the computer to access the card, and the rest is easy.

There are many ways to access the internet while traveling. They run the list from satellite dishes that transmit and receive data, to simply using the RV park's available WiFi connection. And, they run a full array in terms of cost and reliability. The satellite connections tend to be the most expensive to buy, and the most complicated to use, but also tend to be the most reliable for a person traveling in an RV. Using the campground's WiFi tends to be the least expensive, ranging from free to modestly priced, but also tends to be extremely unreliable.

So, is there a middle ground? Can you have reliable internet at modest prices, and little or no technical investment? Truthfully, no, not really. But you do have options that fall in the middle, between complicated and expensive (and reliable), and uncomplicated and cheap (but barely usable).

Several of the major cell phone companies offer data interfaces for your computer that makes accessing the internet reasonably easy, and reasonably reliable. The major carriers are Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T in the US, and Telus in Canada. Verizon, Sprint, and Telus use the format known as CDMA, which is currently popular in north America, and AT&T uses the world wide format known as GSM.

This AT&T card uses AT&T's GSM network. While the Verizon CDMA netowrk is currently the most (by some estimations) extensive in the US, the GSM standard is considered to be the world standard, and it's growing rapidly in popularity among carriers in north America. AT&T might be a good option if you plan to travel abroad, but do your homework first.

All carriers offer data packages that are similar in features and cost. The US companies offer services that they call “unlimited” access from $60.00 to $80.00 per month, and Telus offers the same service for about $75.00, or $100.00 if you want coverage in the states too.

With a two year contract, most carriers offer their hardware basically for free. The costs start out at about $250.00 for the cards, and they usually offer a $100.00 rebate. Then, they discount down to free or nearly free depending on the carrier and the length of contract.

With the new 3G network, carriers boast theoretical speeds of up to 3 MB/s (Mega Bits per Second), which would be equivalent to a reasonably fast DSL line, but in practice they rarely seem to approach their theoretical potential. Of the reviews we read in preparing this report, most reviewers were seeing speeds of up to 1 MB/s. We stopped at two retail stores during our research, and saw 1.4 MB/s download and about 350 KB/s (Kilobits per second) upload, with about 250 ms (milliseconds) latency. We were using the speed test at www.speedtest.net.

While not the fastest option in internet service, these speeds are actually quite respectable. While they're slower than most DSL lines, and extremely slow compared to a typical cable modem, they are certainly plenty good for general surfing and email. You shouldn't try streaming video with these speeds, but most other activities will work just fine.

The problem with these systems seems to be that they are only usable where there is adequate coverage. We all know the continuous struggle we have with finding coverage using our cell phones, and since these data services use the exact same cell phone system, the exact same coverage problems will exist. For many of us, this is not a problem. We're never in an area where we don't have good cell phone coverage. For others, we spend considerable time in fringe areas, and the only way to have reliable internet coverage is to use a satellite system. It's all a matter of balancing your needs with your budget and technical abilities.

There are several kinds of cards available that can get you online with this new G3 technology. The most popular – probably because it's been available longest – is the card that plugs into the PCMCIA slot in your laptop. It's simply a matter of accessing the software that will be installed on your computer to make a connection, and you're on line! Lately, all of the cell phone companies have introduced cards that operate from an available USB port. Since all computers seem to have USB ports, this seems to be a reasonable way to go. Some laptops have the technology built into the machine. While this is probably the easiest to use, it has the potential for being less flexible if you want to change carriers or use the service on another computer in the future.