Wi-Fi on the Go

Our wireless world continues to expand with Wi-Fi hotspots easy to find most anywhere you travel, but there are still times when you are on the go—staying at an old hotel, in a park, camping or traveling in your car—and can find no Wi-Fi.  It can be frustrating not to stay connected and be able to do all those things you need do on the web. 

Just the other day I got a call from a relative who was going to be out of town on business and needed to access materials online using his iPad.  His iPad does not have 4G internet access (many don’t as this feature costs extra).  For him and you there are some options that you might consider.

If you have a smartphone, either iPhone or Android, you can often set up the phone to serve as a Wi-Fi wireless router.  It depends on the model of the phone and, more importantly, your carrier.  Most carriers have restrictions to prevent you from sharing your mobile data and require a monthly extra fee to do so.  Also, you need to be careful as it is very easy, when connected to the Wi-Fi, to use up your monthly data allowance, which will result in extra data fees.

Many carriers like Verizon, Sprint and AT&T also sell stand-alone devices that connect to the 4G network and provide Wi-Fi service to as many as 10 devices.  Many teachers use these devices when conducting class lectures in the field, since it allows a small group of students to all be connected.  Again, these devices have monthly data fees.  I have used the Clearwire version offered by Sprint and it works very well.  Depending on the network coverage, these devices can even be used in a moving car.  Once you are out of a metropolitan area, however, the coverage can be a bit sparse.

Finally, you may have seen commercials touting Chevrolet’s new in-car Wi-Fi.  The new offering provides up to 20 simultaneous internet connections to passengers.  Chevrolet has yet to offer a solution for how to fit 19 people in your back seat.

This new service does open the door for many internet based applications like Pandora, iTunes and other entertainment services.  Also, allowing passengers to use laptops and tablets might make a long trip seem shorter.

Chevy’s new service has an annual price of about $200 upfront and a monthly minimum data fee of about 30 bucks.  The coverage map is impressive, but it is still too early to get actual reports from users. 

For sure the Wi-Fi enabled car is going to be common with others joining Chevrolet’s lead. Ford, VW, BMV and many others already have internet-connected cars; internal Wi-Fi capability is a simple addition.

Two things to remember: When using Wi-Fi in the car, make sure it is the passenger doing the internet browsing.  When using any of these 4G devices, be careful not to rack up a bank-breaking data bill at the end of the month.  Otherwise, the YouTube cat video you viewed while driving over the river to grandma’s house may be the most expensive video you ever watched.

4G Wireless Might Be Fine For Some Users

A friend recently found herself in a situation that I thought I would share.  You or an acquaintance may find that you are in a similar predicament.  My friend recently took a new job and needed to move into an apartment in the Cincinnati area.  Living on a modest income, she wanted to find the least expensive way to have access to the internet in her new digs.   For the last several years she was living on a college campus where very robust internet service was provided either free or very inexpensively.

After shopping around, my friend found that she could get internet access from the local cable company, but the local telephone company was not offering service to her new address.  After considering all the rebates, specials, and other marketing hocus pocus, she found that if she opted for the cable internet service, her monthly bill would be about $50.  Not being a big TV buff, she didn’t want to sign up for one of the “bundles” that include TV.  While this would reduce the cost of the monthly internet access, it would also result in a higher total monthly bill, once the TV portion was added.  She wanted dearly to find a less expensive option.

In our conversation she mentioned that she was going to need a smartphone.  This opened up a new option.  Many smartphones can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspots.  The phone connects with the internet using wireless 4G or 5G networks and then using a mini Wi-Fi router built into the phone, it can connect to devices nearby enabling them to connect to the internet as well.  So a laptop, iPad or any other Wi-Fi-enabled tablet can access the internet through the phone.  In my friend’s case, there would be no need for another internet service in her apartment.

My friend was purchasing an iPhone 5.  This is one of several phones offered by Apple and many Android and Windows manufacturers which can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot.  She was required to get a 2 Gig. data plan that would support the increased data usage, but in the long run she was able to get both a new smartphone and internet access for both her phone and laptop in her apartment.  This package was less than the cost of buying a smartphone plan and home internet plan separately.

Caveat Emptor!  This option is not for everyone.  My friend is not an internet power user.  She has a robust internet connection at work and accesses the internet at home essentially for email and some Facebook browsing.  In other words she will not use much bandwidth.  If, on the other hand, she was going to watch movies, play online games and view endless YouTube videos at home, this option would be very expensive.  Unlike most internet plans offered by the cable and phone companies which have unlimited data usage, the 4G and 5G wireless data plans offered by the major mobile carriers, like Verizon and AT&T, do charge extra for using more bits and bytes than your monthly plan allows.  So shop carefully before opting for a wireless plan. 

It is interesting to note that my friend first thought that she could live without internet access in her home since she would have it at work and the library was not far.  After a short period she changed her mind.  We all have become so dependent on having information at our finger tips for somewhat mundane tasks like finding a friend’s street address, directions to the new mall, a phone number or the hours your local dry cleaner will be open.  Some would say we are spoiled.  Others would say it is progress.  I vote for the latter.  If you disagree, don’t forget to go down to the general store and get some oil for your lamps.  You don’t want to run out!