Often found in the Brighthand.com forum are questions concerning the superiority of EV-DO, HSDPA or Wi-Fi. Adama D. Brown comes to the rescue with some discussion to shed light on the topic, including discussion of service providers and the different technologies.

A typical question asked in the Brighthand forums goes something like this:

I'm thinking about getting a smartphone, but I'm confused about the different network options. Who has the fastest 3G network? Or would I be better off with Wi-Fi?
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Get the Original RV Movie - Lucy & Desi's The Long, Long Trailer

Many HughesNet satellite broadband customers have been struggling to obtain even a small fraction of their advertised speed. To add insult to injury, a routine planned e-mail upgrade scheduled for last weekend has left many customers without e-mail.

From a network alert sent to HughesNet customers:

Unfortunately, the HughesNet email upgrade we have undertaken has not gone as well as anticipated. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We are working to correct the problems encountered with this upgrade and improvements will be seen within the next 12 to 24 hours. Email services may be available intermittently during this time. We will continue to improve the system until all current issues are resolved.
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RV Education 101 has added another informative e-book to their line-up: – RV AWNING USE, CARE AND ACCESSORIES The book also explains “How to Install a Window Awning in 6-easy steps”.
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As measured by overall ability to get things done, Starband's service has been in a slow decline for a long period of time. Want to watch a youtube video? -- you are better off going somewhere else as it will come in stops and starts. Want to listen to an audio stream? -- it might or might not work.

This is not a service that should be considered for anyone looking for new service. They want a two year commitment but I wonder if they will still be in business in two years. For existing customers, if their usage is minimal enough that they don't get "iced", it is probably not worth switching right now but those users would probably do just as well with dialin.
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Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies Learn how to get connected on the road. Covers WiFi, choosing equipment and services, protecting data, managing your business and personal affairs, enjoying online entertainment and more.

McDonald's now has approximately 10,300 domestic locations with Wi-Fi to go with your fries. That makes McDonald's Wireless Connectivity network the biggest network of hotspots available state-side.

Access at the Golden Arches is free with select devices, specifically the Sony Mylo Com 2 and the Zipit Wireless Messenger Z2. AT&T DSL customers can also get free access on laptops (but no free service for iPhone users, even though they're paying for AT&T's EDGE service.

If you've got an account with a roaming hotspot aggregator like Boingo or iPass, you can sign in at no extra charge. Other users will have to pay $2.95 for a couple hours of use.

There's still around 2,500 that do not have the service for various reasons.
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Les Doll's Used RV Buyer's Guide With this guide you will learn exactly what to look for and especially what to look out for when shopping for a used RV. The very best time to discover the faults of an RV is before you buy it!

Save yourself some money... Click Here!

AT&T DSL customers can soon head over to their nearest Starbucks and enjoy free Wi-Fi soon. Come May 1, AT&T will begin offering the service to DSL customers who take 1.5 megabits per second or faster service.

You'll just log on with your AT&T Yahoo DSL sign in and then you'll get free service at more than 7,000 Starbucks locations. The service is will be using the old T-Mobile equipment until AT&T gradually upgrades to new routers over the course of this year. Then branding will be completely AT&T.

AT&T is also planning on cutting the price of hotspot service for non-AT&T users. For two hours, users will pay $3.99. Monthly membership will be sold for $19.99, and will include access to AT&T's 70,000 hotspots around the world. Previously, T-Mobile was charging $6 per hour, $9.99 for a day pass, or $39.99 a month for unlimited access.

There may be other ways to get cheap Wi-Fi at Starbucks though its not clear when they will kick in. Starbucks customers who buy a prepaid Starbucks card will receive two hours of free service. The card, which can be purchased for $5 or more, must be activated and have a balance to receive free Wi-Fi service.
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A good friend of ours, Mike Saccomano, has been very helpful to us with website & webmaster advice. We get together a couple of times a year to discuss what's new in the world of the internet and he always has great advice for how I can improve RVbasics.com.

As well as being an avid RVer & camper he also runs a successful website called AwesomeTools.com. I think its a great site with some interesting products you won't necessarily find at Home Depot.

Mike has a webpage on AwesomeTools.com with products he feels may be of interest to campers and RVers so we said we'd help spread the word. Its the least we can do for all the help he has given me.

I think the Grizzly Spit Portable Campfire Rotisserie System is kinda neat. And, if you use 5# propane cylinders check out the Grill Gauge.

Mike says he uses one on his camping trips and it really works. So, if you have a few minutes and an internet connection, please check out Mike's Awesome Tools website.

"WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--Xirrus, Inc., the only Wi-Fi "Power-Play" that can replace Ethernet workgroup switches with Wi-Fi as the primary network connection, announced today the release of its popular Wi-Fi Monitor utility as a Yahoo! Widget for Apple Mac OS X.

Widgets are simple, mini-applications that run on a user's computer desktop and provide quick access to useful information and functions.

Also available for Windows Vista and Windows XP, the Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor is a powerful tool for both end users and IT managers to monitor, secure, and troubleshoot their Wi-Fi networks. It provides much greater visibility into the Wi-Fi operation of a user’s laptop and the surrounding environment than what is available by default from the operating system.

The Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor provides an at-a-glance view of available Wi-Fi networks and their relative distance using a radar-like display. Additional details about Wi-Fi networks, connections, and adapters are shown on the widget face and a flyout window.

The Wi-Fi Monitor widget can be used for a number of practical applications, including:

Searching for Wi-Fi networks
Verifying Wi-Fi coverage
Displaying laptop Wi-Fi settings
Detecting rogue APs
Aiming Wi-Fi antennas

Since its initial introduction in November 2007 as a Windows Vista gadget, the Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor has quickly become one of the most popular Wi-Fi tools of its kind approaching 200,000 user downloads. The Yahoo! Widget extends the same functionality to Apple Mac OS users. A Linux version will be made available soon.

The Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor widget is available as a free download from the Xirrus website and will be posted soon on the Yahoo!, search for "Xirrus".
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Get the Original RV Movie - Lucy & Desi's The Long, Long Trailer

The Hi-Gain USB Wireless-300N Dish Adapter from Hawking Technologies will boost weak WiFi signals in areas where a signal isn’t very strong to begin with.

With a range of nearly 4,000 feet, this 802.11n capable antenna can extend a wireless network up to six times its range and claims a data throughput 12 times the average for transfer speeds in excess of 300Mbps.

The 300-N is plug and play by USB and is portable. Simply plug the 300N into your laptop, install the included software, and direct the HWDN1 towards a WiFi source. The result will be blazing speeds when you're park in a distant campsite.
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Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies Learn how to get connected on the road. Covers WiFi, choosing equipment and services, protecting data, managing your business and personal affairs, enjoying online entertainment and more.

SUNRISE, Fla.-- Digital Antenna Inc., leading manufacturer of antenna and cellular communication products announced Butler Sales & Service has signed a distributor agreement to sell the company’s award-winning PowerMaxTM cellular boosters. Conveniently located in Northern Indiana, Butler is a premier distributor of RV products specializing in the categories of electronics and accessories. “With nearly eighty percent of all RV manufacturers based in Indiana, Butler is a natural fit to distribute Digital Antenna products,” quotes Joanne Johnson, Vice President of Operations. “We are excited about the new partnership and anticipate Butler’s expertise in the RV industry will be key to increased sales of our award-winning cellular repeaters,” Johnson adds. Working directly with engineering departments at several highly regarded RV manufacturers, Butler has implemented a program for select coaches to be pre-wired for Digital Antenna’s PowerMaxTM cellular boosters, creating a seamless installation for the end user.

“The choice to carry Digital Antenna cellular repeaters is a sound business decision,” says Mary Butler, founder and president of Butler. “We identified the products as an innovative solution for improved cellular communications and expect a tremendous response from recreational customers,” she adds. Cellular boosters are a desired product among today’s RV enthusiasts. PowerMaxTM cellular repeaters offer customers the ability to travel outside normal cellular service areas, staying connected to friends, family and business contacts via cellular phone or internet. By enhancing voice and data transmissions, cellular boosters deliver peace of mind to consumers who depend on cellular devices for safety including medical and roadside emergency service.

The company’s PowerMaxTM cellular repeaters improve receive and transmit signals with up to 3 watts of power, increase cell phone range up to 50 miles, reduce dropped calls and extend the life of cell phone batteries. PowerMaxTM systems are designed for specific use in automobiles, RVs, homes, offices, and boats. All units are dual band operating on 800 and 1900 MHz and are FCC approved to operate with all U.S. and Canadian carriers including Cingular, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Alltel and T-Mobile. Exclusive dynamic variable gain control regulates the amplifier's output to any cell carrier's tower providing clear connections. The company’s cellular amplifiers and repeaters have received multiple industry awards for innovation from CES (Consumer Electronic Show), NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association) and NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association).
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RV Education 101 has bundled it's instructional DVDs into cost saving Value Packs. Each of the three packs includes four training DDVDs (3 hours of information) that help RVers understand how an RV works, and how to maintain and use their RV. There are DVD sets for motorized or towable units.

Posted Apr 23rd 2008 5:55PM by Gary E. Sattler
Would you like a couple of failed Internet page loads? I have a bucketful of them for you. Would you like your e-mail tied in knots? I can help you out there also. It's all compliments of my new HughesNet DSL connection. If it was a new car, I'd take it back to the dealer. If it was a dish rag, I'd have thrown it out by now.

And it appears that I'm not alone in my assessment of this consumer internet service from Hughes Communications Inc. I blogged about it previously on one of our sister blogs. I've received feedback there from other Hughes customers who are as unhappy as I am with the Hughes service. Yet not one comment came to their defense. No, not one good thing have I heard.
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RV Education 101 has bundled it's instructional DVDs into cost saving Value Packs. Each of the three packs includes four training DDVDs (3 hours of information) that help RVers understand how an RV works, and how to maintain and use their RV. There are DVD sets for motorized or towable units.

Some things are inevitable, including the evolution of Wi-Fi technology. We’re a far cry from the 802.11b days, when installation was a nightmare and you were lucky to get decent coverage past your office door. There’s still plenty of room for improvements in range and ease of use, but some of the latest innovations in Wi-Fi are bringing some worthwhile features to the technology. These aren’t earth-shattering upgrades, but it sweetens the deal if you’re out shopping for a router or need to replace your old 802.11b or 802.11g system.
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Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies Learn how to get connected on the road. Covers WiFi, choosing equipment and services, protecting data, managing your business and personal affairs, enjoying online entertainment and more.

RovAir is an aircard rental service. Instead of signing yourself up for a two-year cellular broadband account, you can simply rent the cards from RovAir. Sounds great for RVers who need internet access while on vacation. Especially when the company's service is as little as $6 a day.

But to get a card for $6 a day, you have to rent it for 30 days. That's $180! Shorter terms are a pricey $15 a day.

Of course, mobile access has the benefit of working not just at your campsite or in restaurants and coffee shops that offer WiFi. And to get the same service from your cellular provider costs around $60 per month and a two-year contract. Even if you can get the AirCard for free it's still a lot of money. If you only need the service for a few weeks then its hard to justify.

RovAir's service may be justifiable if you absolutely have to have internet access for a few weeks while on the road.

Still, if you'll be spending most of your time at the campsite, all of a sudden that small per-day charge for WiFi doesn't look so bad. Abd of course many RV parks and Campground offer free Wifi.
RovAir's website
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RV Education 101 has bundled it's instructional DVDs into cost saving Value Packs. Each of the three packs includes four training DDVDs (3 hours of information) that help RVers understand how an RV works, and how to maintain and use their RV. There are DVD sets for motorized or towable units.

AT&T has launched its new Wi-Fi Starbucks service at a coffee shop near the AT&T headquarters in San Antonio.

Blogger Alan Weinkrantz saw the AT&T trucks at the Starbucks Tuesday, rushed to his office to pick up his laptop, and successfully logged on, becoming the first customer for the Wi-Fi service, which is planned to be offered in 7,000 Starbucks locations before the end of the year.

"I was told I was the first (Starbucks customer) to get the service in the U.S.," said Weinkrantz in an interview. "In the past I paid for it as a T-Mobile customer." Weinkrantz said the service worked perfectly. Later, he used his iPhone at the San Antonio store and, once again, the iPhone's Wi-Fi operated without a hitch. AT&T is the exclusive provider of Apple iPhones in the U.S.
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Protect your RV and your family while on the road: Join Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service Today and save!

Rapid City Journal - Rapid City,SD,USA
The four state-owned resorts in Custer State Parks will soon have wireless Internet, and parks officials are hoping to extend the increasingly popular Wi-Fi service to public campgrounds nearby.

Other state parks are likely to follow in coming years, as officials add Wi-Fi to the more traditional campground amenities.

Custer State Park Superintendent Richard Miller said Tuesday that the State Game Lodge, Sylvan Lake Lodge, Legion Lake Lodge and Bluebell Lodge will have the service, often referred to as Wi-Fi, when they open next month. Miller is working with Regency CSP Ventures Limited Partnership, the concessionaire at the resorts, to determine which state campgrounds might be reached by the Wi-Fi service at the resorts.
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Protect your RV and your family while on the road: Join Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service Today and save!

Web workers continue to make frequent use of public hotspots, and the number of places where you can get free Wi-Fi in public continues to grow. In fact, business use of hotspots is growing at a seismic rate.

In this post, I’ll detail the four most important steps you can take to keep your public Wi-Fi sessions secure, and make some recommendations for free tools you can use, as well as ways you can approach your commonly used applications for optimized security.
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RV Education 101 has bundled it's instructional DVDs into cost saving Value Packs. Each of the three packs includes four training DDVDs (3 hours of information) that help RVers understand how an RV works, and how to maintain and use their RV. There are DVD packs for motorized or towable units.

Wi-Fi security is a popular topic these days, and the “best approach” is being vigorously debated on many forums, including TechRepublic’s. One fact I discerned from reading the various forum posts is that there are many opinions as to what’s required to securely associate with unknown and possibly hostile Wi-Fi networks.

With this in mind, I’d like to look at Wi-Fi security concerns from the viewpoint of the road warrior. Since road warriors deal with unknown and usually wide-open Wi-Fi environments, a solution that works for them will offer some benefit to everyone. Here are 10 security tips that should allow the road warrior to have a secure encounter — of the best kind — with unknown Wi-Fi networks.
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Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd Edition gives you tips, tools and resources to live where you want, when you want. With key points on topics like writing an RV resume, networking, and how to negotiate for better compensation, it is the ultimate handbook for those who are thinking about working or volunteering as they travel in their RV.

RVers often depend on internet connectivity. In the olden days this used to mean finding a modem hookup at an RV park but fortunately, we’ve advanced since then. Now we can get the bulk of our connectivity over the air using a variety of technologies.

While there are plenty of devices using things like EDGE and EVDO to tap in through the phone network, in most cases finding wireless connectivity means just one thing: finding an open Wi-Fi hotspot and hooking up to it. But how do you find those hotspots? There are more ways than you might be aware of; here are 14 of them.
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Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies Learn how to get connected on the road. Covers WiFi, choosing equipment and services, protecting data, managing your business and personal affairs, enjoying online entertainment and more.