Thinking of retiring in a couple of years, at the first of 2007, I started looking into getting a new computer and internet service. I wanted both the computer and interenet service portable as travelling in our motorhome was one of the main things we planned to do. In order to manage our mundane household business that doesn't go away, portable internet service seemed like the way to go.
Satellite internet was considered; however, start up costs are prohibitive to say the least. Contrary to how it sounds, satellite service is not necessarily portable without a lot more outlay of cash. That was scratched right out of the chute.
DSL service I have not been that impressed with and it is not portable.
Cable service I had for years - liked it, but again, not portable.
Most of these services were available as dial-up, but that is slow, you might not be able to find a landline, etc., etc.
Now, what I have done is not going to give me service anywhere in the world I might be; however, it has been a good setup for me and I have service anywhere I can pick up a cellular tower signal.
I wound up retiring a couple of years early due to health problems in the family. I had already switched to EVDO broadband and purchased a fairly high end laptop; so when the exodus to hospitals began, I happened to have portable access ready to go. Took about a minute to shove everything into a backpack and was out the door. This enabled me to handle the necessary business of the household and maintain contact with friends and family; while not having to hang on the phone all of the time repeating the same information over and over to each individual. PLUS, I was able to research what the doctors were telling us.
Anyway, I have had several people asking me about my setup and have decided to post it here. It might not work for everyone, but it has been great for me so far. I need to point out that I have Verizon Wireless EVDO access and I have no clue what works or don't with any other provider.
What follows is what I have written for a couple of folks that asked. I am not endorsing any company, service, etc., this is simply what I have done:
"Verizon Wireless is what I have, so I know how it works and approximate costs to get going with it. If you changed your house internet over to it like I did, I don't think you'd even need to get a repeater, you have good reception. We have a metal roof on the house, so we have poor cell service inside the house. My friend lives out in the country and gets no cell service, but put in the same system I did and he now has cell/cellular broadband.
This same setup should work with other providers, but you'll have to check the frequencies, etc., with them. The providers won't tell you how to do this, you've got to research yourself, but thank goodness for the internet.
What I have is:
Verizon Wireless Broadband - plan is $59.95 a month for unlimited internet. Modem you should be able to get free from Verizon. (I have the USB720, but there are newer ones now.) You want a USB modem though, because as long as you have the modem in your pocket and the VZAccess software, you have internet from any computer with a USB port.
Link to modem information.
I also bought the zBOOST Cell Phone Signal Extender, model YX510-PCS-CEL. With Verizon you need the dual band 800/1900MHz because Verizon sends voice over the 800, but data over the 1900. It comes with external antenna, coax, and base unit. This is the most expensive part - cost me around $300. One link to this signal extender is
here.
A friend and I hooked this up (not too hard, antenna on roof, cable through attic, base unit on wall in foyer) and I had one computer on-line and all of the cell phones my friends have except Nextel work in my house just fine now. (Need to mention here that my friend did all of the hardest part, mounting antenna on roof and crawling in attic.) I would have kept the repeater even if I sent everything else back as it enabled me to cut Ma Bell down to minimal service and when I figure out how to do Direct TV without an analog phone connection, Ma Bell is history.
Now, I wasn't satisfied with just one computer online, so I also bought a
Cradlepoint CTR350 router, which gave me one Ethernet connection for one of our old computers and converted the cellular broadband to wireless.
I set up a secured wireless network in the house so folks with a laptop can connect to it as long as I give them the password. I can also take the router with me in the motor home. (With the router, you also don't HAVE to use the VZAccess software.)
For traveling I already had a magnetic mount antenna, which will connect to the USB card, phones, or the router (router's best cause it takes care of everything).
Anyway, the basic setup for me was about $370 and it goes with me where ever I go. Even worked from within the bowels of UAB hospital. So far, so good for me."
Yesterday was a very good day for a hike, so we decided that we would go to the land in Prospect, TN has been in my family (James) for several generations. This land borders on the Elk River (huge bluff from our land to the river though) and is a great place for deer and turkey hunting. Just ask my family of hunters, they will tell you so. The boundaries are marked really well, except for one portion that is particularly hilly, rocky, etc., so we decided to look for the old fence and mark as much as we could of that border, so we took off on our quest.
