Internet-On-The-Road

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If you need to do everything there is to do on the internet, and/or if you need continuous reliable access, and you're not staying at one site for an extended period, and you can afford it, satellite is the way to go. Satellite used to be very expensive, both the initial cost and the monthly cost, but the prices continue to drop. As of 2005, you can get satellite service for $1,300 plus $59.95 a month -- no per-minute charge! That's great news! For details, check out 2waysatlink.com and/or MaxwellSatellite.com. AND, for a few extra dollars, you can actually get DirectTV combined in the same antenna with your internet access! Sounds like a great alternative for those who can't wait a couple of years for WI-FI to connect our world.

2006 Update : Speaking of satellite dishes, have you heard about the new Roaming HotSpots? For a couple thousand dollars, you can put a dish on your RV, hook up one of the WiFiRV gateways, and be ready to sell WiFi time to all your camping neighbors! Plus, you get unlimited, high-speed internet access anywhere that you can see the sky! For details, click here or on the Roaming HotSpots logo.

Satellite

On-Site Phone

Here's a fairly reasonably-priced way to get service that allows you to do everything on the internet, but it requires that you camp in one spot for an extended period of time. At many campgrounds, you can get phone service installed at your campsite for about $25-$45. It generally takes a couple of days to get it, so it probably isn't worthwhile unless you plan to stay put for several weeks and you don't want to attempt any of the other options -- or you really want to play games and spend time in chatrooms.

WiFi

If you're here looking for information on equipment (wireless cards, etc.), CLICK HERE TO SCROLL DOWN.

Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) is emerging as possibly the best access method for RV travellers. If you haven't heard about WiFi, you soon will. It's also known as 802.11b and Mac users call it AirPort. I've recently also noticed 802.11g and 802.11n -- more coming along every day. Whatever you call it, WiFi is basically a wireless radio-type connection to a high-speed internet service, such as DSL, satellite, or cable modem. It requires that you have an 802.11 card in your computer and be in range of a WiFi HotSpot. Most of the brief description above came from a competitor's website. You'll find a list of campgrounds that have WiFi Hotspots in several locations, but the most popular at the present time is Chuck Woodbury's website. Below, I've included a WiFi HotSpot Locator that works great online or offline.

2004 Update! WiFi is GREAT! Since writing the above description in mid-2003, I've come a long way with WiFi. I first tried it in November 2003 and loved it! Nothing beats sitting at the dinette in your RV using internet whenever you get the urge, which for me is often 2AM. I've been learning more about it every day and, in fact, have joined up with a company called WiFiRV -- check them out at WiFiRV.com. We install WiFi in RV resorts and I'm one of five Regional Sales Managers. To get some detail on what we do, check out my WiFiRVintro page.

$$ CHECK THIS! If you camp and want to make some easy money, you can be a Lead Generator or Sales Representative for WiFiRV. They pay $150-$500 for leads that result in new WiFi installations at your favorite campgrounds. Go to my Affiliate Webpage and learn more about it! Any questions, you can email me and I'll help you out.

WiFi Equipment : You can buy WiFi cards at Walmart, Circuit City, and a variety of other similar stores. You can also order them online from many of those same stores.

2005 Equipment Update : People seem confused about what they need to access WiFi, so I thought I'd put my recommendations here. If you've got a newer laptop, your WiFi antenna is included. I have a slightly older laptop, so I purchased a WiFi card. First one was a ZyXEL Wireless LAN USB Adapter from ZyAIR for $50. It was a separate "antenna" unit that plugged into my USB port. Bought it at a campground in Ft. Lauderdale and it worked fine with their system, but got spotty service elsewhere. So, I bought a Motorola card from Walmart for $42 (photo below). It worked better and more consistently than the ZyXEL. After joining up with WiFiRV, I decided to try one of the cards they recommended. Since then, I've tried several others, ranging from $50 to $100 - see more detail on that below. It's obviously up to you on how much you want to spend. What you need depends on where you'll be using your system. If you're always inside a Starbuck's, the cheapest will probably do fine. If you're in the outer reaches of a campground with WiFi, the antenna might be needed.

WiFi HotSpot Finders : As I said on the main page -- At many RV resorts, you'll find private individuals that have their broadband DSL or cable modem set up such that it can be accessed free with your WiFi card. You can find these by simply setting up your computer with the WiFi card, then opening your Browser to see if you have a connection. Another way to find them is using one of the WiFi HotSpot finders. There are many out there, but the free one that I use is NetStumbler. Click the NetStumbler image below to go to their site for a free download. Their website is also a good source of WiFi news, forum, and more elaborate software that you can purchase.

2007 Equipment Update : Well, there's always something new. In reading the WiFi forums, etc., I kept hearing people talking about the Hawking HWU8DD, so I checked around to see where it was cheapest. I found that ordering online from CircuitCity.com got it for $68.89, including shipping and sales tax. It has a directional antenna and an easily understandable utility program - that's the program you can open to select which signal you want to use, etc. It plugs into the USB port, so would work on a desktop as well as a laptop.

2007 Desktop Update : As mentioned above, that HWU8DD will work for a desktop since it has a USB connector. I've also just added a Walmart option below for desktop users. I've purchased a couple of those Belkin adapters and they work very well for desktops. You can also get a USB extension cord, if your computer is under your desk.

And Here's that WiFi HotSpot Locator!

Wow! Guess What? Feb 2004, I discovered that Jwire now has a FREE downloadable WiFi locator. Check it out at http://www.jiwire.com/. BEWARE! The download is 12MB, so you'd better be on a hi-speed connect when you do it. I've got a copy and it's working great. I imagine it'll not be free forever, so go now!