Cramalot
Arkansas
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Verizon, which phone? I talked to Verizon about a phone for tethering with Broadband Access Connect. The rep said they currently have no phones that will connect to an external antenna, but he said I shouldn't need one with the LG 8350. No external antenna, does that sound right?
Thanks
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MrWizard
Traveling
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where & why did external antenna come into this
an external ant is not needed for tethering,
yes a phone capable of utilizing and external ant, can be used with an antenna when there is weak signal in a troublesome area
but it is not a needed component of hooking the PC to the phone
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !
....
Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s
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Cramalot
Arkansas
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Thanks for the reply.
I know the ext ant is not normally needed, but thought it would be a good idea to have that option if we are in the rv in a weak signal area. One place we go we can make voice calls less than half the time with our Samsung because of no signal.
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chrisguld
Florida
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Joined: 08/07/2004
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I have Verizon, and I use my LG enV VX990 to connect using Broadband Access. I too was told that the phone didn't have a way to connect an external antenna, but it does. We uncovered every little hatch until we found it .. right under the camera lens, where it reads 2.0 megapixels. You need a straight pin to get the cover off. AND, make sure you get the correct antenna adapter for your phone - plugging it in with the wrong one can fry the phone.
Chris Guld
"Blessed are the Flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!"
Full time in our 37' Gulfstream Endura Super C
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Anthony21403
Arkansas
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chrisguld,
Good tip, I just dug around on the back of my motoq and found it right where you said it would be. Since Alltel is being bought out by Verizon, how much extra does it cost you to use your cell phone for a modem?
MSG Tony, USAF, 20+ years
Back from my 6 month "Summer in the Sand" Vacation
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chrisguld
Florida
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Tony,
I still havent' figured out how much it cost! LOL
I'm told that Broadband Access Connect for my phone (BBAC) is a monthly cost of $60. The customer service rep said as soon as I turn BBAC on, I will be charged $60 for one month. I can turn it off and not be charged for the next month.
I know people who have been using this feature for a long time (well 1 year is a long time in this industry!) and say that they turn it on and off all the time and are charged a prorated amount, about $2/day.
I've had the service since January and have only used it a few days in January and a few days in April. I can't find a charge of any kind on my bill!
It may have something to do with when your contract was made. We've been Verizon customers since 2003.
So ... worse case = $60 month by month. Best case = Free! Prorated to $2/day sounds good to me.
* This post was
edited 07/06/08 07:43am by chrisguld *
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folkie
Maine
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Remeber this?
MrWizard wrote:oregonrv2007 wrote:To folkie:
Actually, I priced out the kit, and it is all very fair...
Router is normally $250 to $300
Amp is normally $300
Antenna is at least $100
The kit also comes with both wall and auto chargers (if you get the pieces individually, they only come with wall chargers) so I figured that must be worth another $50
The kit also comes with extra cabling $20
And a 3-way mount $20
That figures to be $790...oh...now let's factor in shipping for each item separately...wich would be from $70 to $100...so again, having it all in one kit is nice.
So I figure when I added it all up, it seems pretty darn fair what they charged. Also, you can't beat the simplicity of the kit. They made it very easy for me (all the instructions you need are on the inside label of the box...no configuring required, just plug it in)...at the same time, they saved me a lot of $$$$ in time researching this, as they have done it all for me.
I will let you know how it goes!
absolutely correct on equipment costs
folkie was way under estimating the cost of amp & router
a pkg deal on the equiment and you use your own cell carrier and account, good deal
If the above is just a bit to expensive for you, as it was for me. you may want to check out the zBoost YX230 signal booster @ $260. This single package extends or repeats an 800Mhz & 1900Mhz Cell Zone for multiple users inside vehicles. The YX230 captures the signal outside of the vehicle and amplifies up to a 43dB gain inside for a better signal. There is nothing attached to the phone.
http://www.wi-ex.com/Page3431.aspx
I am also giving some thought to replacing the small antenna with the Wilson high gain 10-15dB truckers antenna @ $89.95 so I am looking at a complete package under $400.
http://www.yagiantenna.com/pcsantennahtml.html
Also some of you may want to check out Wilson's dash or window mount Antenna offering 10-15dB gain, they claim 300% improvement. oh yea the price........$99.95.
http://www.yagiantenna.com/homelink.html
Has anyone else noticed the Google banner ads, they are focused on the content of this thread? follow them for other affordable options.
* This post was
edited 07/06/08 05:41am by folkie *
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oregonrv2007
Oregon
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Joined: 05/19/2008
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folkie wrote:Remeber this?
MrWizard wrote:oregonrv2007 wrote:To folkie:
Actually, I priced out the kit, and it is all very fair...
Router is normally $250 to $300
Amp is normally $300
Antenna is at least $100
The kit also comes with both wall and auto chargers (if you get the pieces individually, they only come with wall chargers) so I figured that must be worth another $50
The kit also comes with extra cabling $20
And a 3-way mount $20
That figures to be $790...oh...now let's factor in shipping for each item separately...wich would be from $70 to $100...so again, having it all in one kit is nice.
So I figure when I added it all up, it seems pretty darn fair what they charged. Also, you can't beat the simplicity of the kit. They made it very easy for me (all the instructions you need are on the inside label of the box...no configuring required, just plug it in)...at the same time, they saved me a lot of $$$$ in time researching this, as they have done it all for me.
I will let you know how it goes!
absolutely correct on equipment costs
folkie was way under estimating the cost of amp & router
a pkg deal on the equiment and you use your own cell carrier and account, good deal
If the above is just a bit to expensive for you, as it was for me. you may want to check out the zBoost YX230 signal booster @ $260. This single package extends or repeats an 800Mhz & 1900Mhz Cell Zone for multiple users inside vehicles. The YX230 captures the signal outside of the vehicle and amplifies up to a 43dB gain inside for a better signal. There is nothing attached to the phone.
http://www.wi-ex.com/Page3431.aspx
I am also giving some thought to replacing the small antenna with the Wilson high gain 10-15dB truckers antenna @ $89.95 so I am looking at a complete package under $400.
http://www.yagiantenna.com/pcsantennahtml.html
Also some of you may want to check out Wilson's dash or window mount Antenna offering 10-15dB gain, they claim 300% improvement. oh yea the price........$99.95.
http://www.yagiantenna.com/homelink.html
Has anyone else noticed the Google banner ads, they are focused on the content of this thread? follow them for other affordable options.
Folkie...again, I appreciate the info! However, just to clarify, this kit that you are talking about is nothing like the kit I purchased. I just want to make sure this is an "apples to apples" comparison, for the sake of the company that I purchased through. The kit that you are talking about purchasing will only amplify and expand cellular voice and data card usage.
For our purposes, we have more than one laptop in our RV. We wanted to be able to have both laptops browsing the web at the same time. However, we didn't want to have to pay for two data cards through Sprint, Verizon, etc. So...we found WiFi In Motion, and it answered our prayers! The kit we have uses a high-gain antenna and an amplifier (just like this thing you found for $400)...however, for web browsing on multiple devices, the key piece of that equation is missing...the router...which comes with the WiFi In Motion kit. And again, the $400 kit doesn't come with any accessories, so if you want to move the kit from inside the RV to inside your home when no longer on the road...the WIM kit allows that.
I just wanted to clarify so the message doesn't get muddied. The kit you found for $400 only enhances your ability to use your cell phone or a single data card, or two, etc. While it seems more affordable, the antenna that comes with the $400 kit is far less effective (bben there done that), and you would end up wanting to replace the antenna after a couple of weeks any ways...which then takes your $400 kit to a $400 + kit to add an antenna. Oh...then if you want 100 and 12v power options...add in some more cash.
Please don't take this email as me throwing mud at ya...I simply want to make sure we don't confuse the message for tyhose that read this...bottom line...
Your $400 kit that you're looking at: enhances and expands cellular coverage.
The kit we purchased from WiFi In Motion: enhances and expands cellular coverage AND creates a secure wi-fi network (basically converts your RV into a big hotspot).
Please let me know if you have any questions...and hopefully this clears things up! Regards!
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folkie
Maine
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No offence taken, your not throwing mud at me, you have found something that meets your needs and you are very happy with it, congratulations. BTW thanks for sharing your excitement with us, you are the reason I started researching this technology to see if I could achieve similar results more avoidably.
I do like the sound of what you have there and the multi computer capability is ideal, but! It's just the price that is not palatable for my Scottish sensibility (or lack of.) You see (to give you the whole picture) we are newbies and still shopping around for our first Class A, our plan is to narrow our search down to that (ideal) used MH and make our purchase within the next couple of months. We also have to keep in mind that we will need a Car Dolly, Electric brake control installed, Insurance and probably tons of other things I am overlooking. Tightly controlling our budget is an absolute necessity, hence my needs are very different from yours.
I found the zBoost YX230 signal booster @ $260 answered our Cellular and Wireless needs as well as our budgetary needs, I do have to clarify the kit comes complete and ready to go with Antenna, amplifier wires and 12 volt lighter plug at that price. The zBoost also creates your own hot spot.
My $400 figure was achieved because I'm going to swap out the antenna for a HIGH gain Wilson truckers antenna @ $90. Plus shipping and so on.
There are probably dozens if not more ways folks can achieve the same results and the prices will be right accross the board all the way up to high end Satellite Internet connection. Not everyone has the same needs, expectation or means. Like you oregonrv2007 I did not intend to challenge, disagree or offend, My intent was to show the good folks who follow these forum threads that there are cheaper options available all the way down to a Wilson dash mount amplifier priced at $99.95.
I have no doubt that once we settle into our full time RV life I will be adding a MAC AIRPORT to the mix creating a multi computer capable network. with Broadband Aircard plugged into the Airport I look forward to the day that we also have the 2 laptop convenince you enjoy today oregonrv2007.
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TriumphGuy
Simpsonville, SC, USA
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Joined: 11/02/2004
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Just want to do a double check here - we've got LG (8300 I think) phones and have done the 1X backdoor from time to time. We have a family share america's choice plan.
Looked over the last few pages - in summary, it looks like Verizon is shutting off the backdoor?
I am considering a BB for myself and going to NW plan - but then it's $30/mo to tether, on top of the data plan I would be paying for to use the BB?
*sigh* I knew it was coming...
2011 Tiffin Allegro 35QBA (Mack); 2015 VW GTI (Lightning - toad); 2008 Acura MDX SH-AWD (Sally).
Any opinions are my own and not my employer's.
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