We heeded his warning, but also have our own reluctance to travel on two lane roads with a lot of stop and go.  So, we decided to check the map on our Droid app phone.  It has a layer you can turn on for Traffic information.  Here’s what we saw:

You can click on the picture for a larger image.  The fat green line going vertical is I-95.  If traffic was moving slowly it would be colored yellow or even red.  This is real time traffic data.

We decided to take I-95 after all.  Yes, there was definitely construction going on, but it did not slow down traffic

The Droid continues to delight and amaze us.  If you have a Motorola Droid from Verizon, you can see this traffic feature by touching the ‘Map’ app icon (it comes with your phone, it’s Google Maps – all free.)  Once the map is displayed, then touch the menu button on the Droid -  

and you’ll see an option for ‘Layers.’  Traffic is one of the layers you can turn on.  Touch it, and you’ll see the green checkmark – and you’ll be back at the map with the traffic data showing up.

If you don’t have the Droid, do you use any other traffic data tool?

Related posts:

1. Internet by Droid
2. GPS Navigation with Netbooks and Droid
3. Tethered Cell Phones for Internet

Wi-Fi can be the best way to connect on the road:

1. All current laptop computers have the capability to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots
2. Wi-Fi hotspots are easy to find.  Lots of RV parks, cafes, truck stops, and libraries have Wi-Fi hotspots.
3. There’s no contract, it’s pay-as-you-go.  Many hotspots are even free.
4. Some Wi-Fi hotspots are extremely fast.

BUT …

“You never know what you’re gonna get.”

You may get a Great Wi-Fi Hotspot

One RV park may have multiple Access Points (the antennas/routers you connect to) and have a full T1 connection to the Internet (a high-capacity, high-speed, direct line thru the phone company.)  In this park, you could be just about anywhere and get a good connection.  When you do, it will be a nice fast web-browsing experience because of the T1.

You may get a Poor Wi-Fi Hotspot

Your next RV park may be using a residential size satellite dish for their Internet connection and only have one Access Point/Router.  A residential size satellite dish may be a good way for one person to connect to the Internet – but not for dozens of people to share.  And the one Access Point means you need to be close to it – it may only work in the clubhouse.

You may even get a Great Hotspot that Turns Bad

Lots of things can change or go wrong.

1. You may have a great connection – and then some large RV pulls in next to you and blocks your signal so you can’t connect to the hotspot.
2. Radio Frequency (RF) interference may unpredictably limit your connection to the hotspot.
3. The hotspot may get its Internet connection from a local cable company, and the cable company has an outage. This happened to us once when a construction crew mistakenly cut the cable.  In this case you’re still connected to the hotspot, but the ‘backhaul’ connection to the Internet is non-existent so you can’t browse.
4. You might even be at an RV park hotspot where your Internet usage is monitored and you exceed your limit so get cut off.

#4 is fairly rare, but it has happened to us.  We’d had a series of RV parks with poor or non-existent Wi-Fi.  We had to rely on our Verizon tethered phone connection and were approaching our monthly limit,  then we pulled into a park where the Internet was screaming fast.  We were so excited!  We downloaded all our updates, watched our favorite TV episodes and TED videos, and caught up on lots of work.

Then it died.

We were getting no better than dial-up speed.  Only then did we notice the fine print on the login screen, “This service is designed for email usage and web browsing; Downloading large files or excessive use of bandwidth will result in automatic limitation of Access”

Although it was aggravating to be on the receiving end – a hotspot that monitors bandwidth usage is actually a good thing.  We used to support Wi-Fi hotspots and know how one or two users can ruin it for everyone else.

If you really need the Internet …

The main lesson to be learned is that, if you really need the Internet, you need more than one way to connect as you travel.  Wi-Fi can be great, but when it’s not, you need cellular or satellite.  If you do use cellular or satellite, remember that Wi-Fi can be a good alternative when you’re in a bad cell area, or when there are too many trees for your satellite dish.

Lots more Information

There are many more articles here about this topic, just use the list of tags above and click on Wi-Fi.

Related posts:

1. Can I use the WiFi from a Nearby RV’s Satellite Dish?
2. There’s no Server in WiFi
3. Internet, Satellite Dishes, and Trees

I have had my new Verizon phone for a few weeks now, and I like it.  You don’t need to be a Geek to want one.  If you are one of the many folks who want a phone just to make calls, the Droid is way overkill.  For a phone, it is expensive at $200 with a 2 year contract.  It’s cheap for a computer, though.

Droid showing Sliding keyboard. Optional desk dock.

The Droid is essentially a computer that can also make phone calls.  It is connected to the Internet through the Verizon cellular data network or a local WiFi network.  You can browse the Internet, send and receive emails, stream or download videos/music and so much more.  Texting or entering data is easy using one of the three keyboards.  Some people I know could use the Droid and never need a conventional laptop or desktop computer.

The Verizon data plan for the Droid is unlimited.  There is no 5GB limit as with cellular data cards or tethering my old phone using VZaccess Manager.  How about using the Droid’s Internet connection to connect my computer like I used to do?  Well, I can.  I just need PdaNet software for the Droid from June Fabrics.

Tethering is the term we use to describe the hardware and software needed to connect a computer  to the Internet using the cellular data connection from a smart phone.  It is usually a USB connection, but could be wireless using Bluetooth DUN (dial-up network) or WiFi.  A wired connection to the computer is simplest and most reliable.

There are two parts of the system.  A program that runs on your computer and stays in the system tray and an app on the Droid.  Installation is easy.  Follow the easy instructions.  Download the installation program from the website and run it on your computer.    Plug the Droid into an available USB port.  Let the program talk to the phone for a moment to establish communication, and you are ready.

First, start the PdaNet app on the Droid phone and Enable USB Tether.  Then, on your computer, click the PdaNet icon in the system tray and connect.

This is a broadband connection and speed is determined by the cellular network.  In a good Verizon area, the speeds are excellent.  You can easily stream video and not worry about going over your monthly data limit.

The Droid is not the only smart phone that allows tethering.  PdaNet has been available for PalmOS phones, BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile phones for a while.

If you want to use PdaNet for the iPhone, you need to “jailbreak” it, voiding the warranty.

The price of a single license is $23.95. It is a one time purchase for the Android version. One license covers one phone (you can reuse the license if you switch to a new Android phone). There is no limit on the computer side and your license gives you unlimited free upgrades.

So far, there is no support for connecting to our Cradlepoint router, but I expect that fairly soon.

We’ll show you how to network the connection in a future post.

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 = Wi-Fi Hotspot
2. Internet by Data Card for Travelers
3. Tethered Cell Phones for Internet

“…any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Arthur C. Clarke

Connecting a Single Computer

For the RV traveler, Internet connectivity is a lifeline.  Connecting even a single computer to the Internet can be a daunting experience.  Everything needs to be configured properly for it to work.

There are three ways for RV travelers to connect to Broadband Internet.  Satellite, Wi-Fi and Cellular (see Internet on the Road video for an overview.)  Each has its own good and bad points.  Nothing is perfect. 

Connecting your computer is getting easier with cellular data cards and tethering cell phones.  Plug it in and be browsing and emailing in no time.  Last week we wrote about using a Motorola Droid Cellphone from Verizon to tether your computer to the Internet.

Connecting Multiple Computers with a Hardware Router

How about if you want to connect two or more computers to the Internet?   You could buy a router and configure it to make your own hotspot.  This is the way many cellular and satellite users do it.  A router will not work to share public Wi-Fi hotspots.  The Droid is not yet supported on the popular cellular router – Cradlepoint.  But, there is a way if you have Windows 7.

Connecting Multiple Computers with a Software Router

Since the Droid could not connect to a router, I started researching other options and found Connectify.  Now you can turn a Windows 7 laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot for other laptops and mobile devices to share. 

Connectify is a free and easy to use software router for Windows 7 computers. With Connectify, you can wirelessly share any Internet connection: a satellite modem, a cellular card or tethered cell phone, even another Wi-Fi network. Other Wi-Fi enabled devices including laptops, smart phones, music players, and gaming systems can see and join your Connectify hotspot just like any other Wi-Fi access point and are kept safe and secure by password-protected WPA2 Encryption. 

Because Connectify is free to download and use, you can save money on multiple Wi-Fi connections while on the road and still get all your devices online.  You can join a Wi-Fi network and run the Connectify hotspot on the same Wi-Fi card.  Now you can easily get that wireless printer working!  You don’t need Windows 7 on your other laptops, just the one running Connectify.

Installation is quick and easy, and once complete, you can access Connectify from the icon in the Taskbar.

Connectify works with all Wi-Fi cards under Windows 7. Any card can do “Ad Hoc” mode, and Windows 7 certified cards can also do “Access Point” mode.

The main difference between the two modes is that Access Point mode allows you to share a Wi-Fi connection from the same Wi-Fi card that you are using to access the Wi-Fi network. Ad Hoc mode needs the Internet connection to come from another card (Ethernet, cellular or a second Wi-Fi card in your computer).

Connectify only works with Windows 7 Home and above, Starter Edition is not supported.

Some cellular wireless broadband providers’ hardware disallows the use of their device.

You can download the installation package here.  It is less than 1 Meg.

Find all the supported devices here.

www.GeeksOnTour.com

Computer Education for Travelers

Related posts:

1. Your side of a Wi-Fi hotspot
2. Wi-Fi is Like a Box of Chocolates
3. Internet by Data Card for Travelers

There are lots of choices, just look for ‘Wireless Network Adapter.’  It will also say 802.11 somewhere in the description.  802.11b is the oldest technology, then comes g, and the latest and greatest is n.

Turn off your Internal Wi-Fi

It’s important to understand that these do not ‘boost’ the Wi-Fi adapter built in to your computer. They ‘replace’ it. You should turn off the internal adapter in your computer in order to properly use an external adapter.  See the Geeks on Tour ‘Show-Me-How’ video ‘Turn Off your Internal Wi-Fi.’

Improving our Wi-Fi Experience

When we parked at our current RV park, and tried to connect to the Wi-Fi, it took a while to make the connection and browsing was very slow. So we took our new Hawking Wi-Fi adapter out of the box, used the included CD to install the drivers, plugged the adapter into a USB port and turned off the wireless switch on the computer.

This time the connection happened a little faster, but, more importantly, the browsing was faster. Still not as good as our DSL at our home park, but better nonetheless. Wi-Fi is 2-way radio. Low-powered, 2-way radio.  The radio and antenna built in to your laptop computer is often not good enough for the distances and obstructions in an RV park. Plugging in an external adapter (radio and antenna are both inside) with a wire to your USB port allows you to move the adapter over to a window, or even outside a window so as to get an unobstructed line-of-sight to the source of the Wi-Fi – the Access Point. Unobstructed line-of-sight is the most important factor in a good Wi-Fi connection.  Notice, in the photo of our adapter above, that I have it pointed out a window.  Notice also that I have the metal mini-blinds raised above the adapter.  Those metal mini-blinds can make a big difference in your connection!

For other, past articles/videos on this topic:

The #1 Best way to Improve your Wi-Fi Connection
WiFire Long Range Adapter
Get the right Wi-Fi Adapter
54Mbps is Not better than 11Mbps
Wi-Fi for Beginners

Other Geeks on Tour Show-Me-How videos on this topic.

Related posts:

1. WiFi Antennas: Getting Creative
2. The #1 Best Thing to Improve your Wi-Fi Internet connection
3. What is Wi-Fi? (part 2)

Because of all these factors, most of us who travel a lot take our own Internet connection with us, either with a satellite dish or a cellular data card.  The main problems with satellite and cellular is that there are usage limits.  We don’t want to go over our limits with Verizon – I’ve heard of people getting $500+ bills for overages!  So, we keep looking for those parks with the really good Wi-Fi. 

A few good parks

I can think of 3 places this summer where we had really good Wi-Fi.  Here they are:

1. The Woods RV Park: Montgomery Alabama
2. Oakwood RV Park: Clearlake, Iowa
3. The Villages RV Park: at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, NY

And, there are a couple of other parks that have such stand-out Wi-Fi that friends have exclaimed about them “That’s the best Wi-Fi we’ve ever had!”  And, these friends are other fulltimers who know what they’re talking about.  Those parks are:

1. Narrows Too: Bar Harbor, Maine
2. Santa Fe Skies: Santa Fe, New Mexico

What about you.  Where did you find the *best* Wi-Fi Internet connection in your travels?

Related posts:

1. We like RV Parks with Wi-Fi!
2. WiFi in RV parks: An attitude Survey
3. Wi-Fi is Like a Box of Chocolates

by Chris Guld, Geeks on Tour: We spent the past week in Essex Junction Vermont at the FMCA Northeast Area Rally (NEAR.)  To our surprise and delight, there was Wi-Fi available right at our parking spot.  We could tell it came from the fairgrounds since it was named, “CVFairmn1.”  We were at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds.  We like taking advantage of available Wi-Fi so as to avoid going over our bandwidth allotment on our Verizon contract. 

We connected right up and to our double surprise it was blazing fast.  And, I do mean blazing. 

Until all the coaches got parked!  The Wi-Fi slowed to a crawl and became unusable.  We had to go back to our Verizon connection.

Then, when we taught our Google Earth seminar, we tried the Wi-Fi again.  Google Earth has some pretty hefty bandwidth requirements.  There are some things we just can’t show if we’re using our tethered cellphone. 

The Wi-Fi worked great!  We zoomed around Google Earth, turned on several layers, and still could dive into a Street View without a hiccup.  This was on the same CVFair network, so we tried it again when we got back home.  No good.  It was so bad that it refused to display a web page.  The connection showed as 5 bars, and the connection speed (as opposed to the throughput speed) was fine – it wasn’t a signal issue.

We waited a couple hours and tried it again … we were back to high speed.  Thrilling high speed!  For those of you who like numbers,  I did a download speed test with TestMy.net and got 4.2 Mbps on the Wi-Fi as opposed to .5 Mbps on Verizon.

So … what was going on?  Well, there’s no way of really knowing without talking to the network administrator and using some diagnostic tools.  But Jim and I have our suspicions from having seen symptoms like this before – when he was the network administrator and did have the diagnostic tools. 

We think it was an individual connecting to the network, and their computer had the kind of virus that turns it into a ‘zombie.’  These ‘zombies’ are being controlled by some spammer and are programmed to send out thousands of spam messages.  When an infected computer connects to a Wi-Fi hotspot, it starts sending these spam messages and simply takes over all the available bandwidth – leaving none for the rest of us.  The owner of the computer is usually completely unaware, cursing the slow Wi-Fi along with everyone else. 

As soon as the zombie disconnects from the network – all is well.

What can you do about this?  Not much. But I think it’s still good for you to know.  If you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot where there is a support phone number to call – that often means there is a system administrator who can monitor the activity and kick off an offending user.  It’s certainly worth a call. 

By coincidence, we also heard this week from a friend staying in a park that uses a satellite dish as the Internet source to their Wi-Fi hotspot.  One person connected to the network, downloading full length movies, pushed the network over the FAP (Fair Access Policy) limits.  This essentially eliminates Internet service for the whole network for 24 hours. To understand more, you can watch this video on FAP. 

Chris and Jim Guld

www.GeeksOnTour.com

Related posts:

1. Can I use the WiFi from a Nearby RV’s Satellite Dish?
2. Internet by Data Card for Travelers
3. Wi-Fi is Like a Box of Chocolates

If your computer is not up to date, it could easily be infected and being used by cyber-criminals as part of a “botnet” of zombie computers.

Worried?  You should be.  The remedy is easy, though.  Get up to date with your Operating System, Virus definitions and Spyware definitions.  Scan your computer for Malware and fix any vulnerabilities the scanner finds.

Practice BUCS as outlined in our articles.

Backup – Update – Cleanup – Scan

You will save some bucks if you use our BUCS system.  It is free and easy.

Related posts:

1. WiFi Security
2. BUCS
3. Save some buck$ by practicing BUCS

Last month was the first month that we used our Verizon service exclusively for all Internet access.  Although we were very happy to see that we could comfortably stay under our 5GB bandwidth allotment, it wasn’t particularly fun.  We had to constantly be aware of our bandwidth usage.  We like watching Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show on his website.  We didn’t dare do that more than a few times because of Verizon’s limit of 5GB/month.  And, downloading a movie was definitely out of the question – most of them are close to 2GB.

We also turned off the automatic updates on our Windows Vista systems.  One update (SP2) was 350MB!  If both Jim and I had downloaded that using our Verizon connection, that would have been 15% of our monthly allotment right there!  So, we held off on that. 

Finally, last week, we were in a campground with good Wi-Fi.  Yeah!!  No limits here.  We downloaded our updates and had a Jon Stewart marathon! (we don’t have a TiVo – or even a TV for that matter!)

Our bottom line, as always … If you need the Internet wherever you travel, you need to use all three ways: Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Satellite.  I’m looking forward to having our Satellite service back operational … Jim’s working on that right now!

Now, if I could just find a park with a working Hot Tub!

Chris Guld
www.GeeksOnTour.com

p.s. If you happen to be at the FMCA Convention in Bowling Green, Ohio this week, we will be giving our High Speed Internet on the Road seminar on Monday, 7/20/09 at 11:45 in Seminar room #12.

Related posts:

1. How much is 5 Gigabytes?
2. The Best Wi-Fi in RV Parks
3. Wi-Fi is Like a Box of Chocolates

1. Satellite
2. Cellular
3. Wi-Fi

www.GeeksOnTour.com
Computer Education for Travelers

Related posts:

1. Connecting to the Internet on the Road: 3 ways
2. Internet by Data Card for Travelers
3. I Love my Satellite Internet