Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Technology Corner: CELL PHONE INTERNET ACCESS

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Topic: CELL PHONE INTERNET ACCESS

Posted By: JeffreyCentex on 05/09/06 08:17pm

Only if you get EVDO access. National Access only via card is still $59.99. Broadband Access is 79.99 sans plan and 59.99 with plan.

Posted By: ccchuck on 05/14/06 04:08pm

Dave from AK wrote:

We have been paying for unlimited data with Verizon for over three years now. I recently switched my phone to a PDA/phone. The advantage is that unlimited data is only $44.99/month on a PDA/phone. You might consider that when it comes time to upgrade your phone to an EVDO-capable model.

what type of voice/data plan is required? is data charged against minutes? this really interest me, would appreciate details :-)

RVing since '74..

Posted By: Dave From AK on 05/15/06 02:42pm

You should take a look at the Verizon site:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.html?my=off

On the "Personal" tab, select PDA/Smartphones, and follow the prompts from there. I could tell you what shows up when I go there today, but you may get a different result tomorrow or in a different geographical market.

For what it's worth, I have an old $39.99 America's Choice voice plan and the $44.99 unlimited Broadband/NationalAccess data plan. I don't know whether those are still available.

Hope that helps.

Dave Rudisill
2004 Beaver Monterey

Posted By: danbjr on 05/20/06 10:03am

Have used T-Mobile internet for three months last year on East coast, and since Jan 1st now coming from NJ to CA and wandering around West coast. We have cable to one cell phone. As long as we get one bar of connection, internet works. Yes, it is slow, but it works. All cell phone connections are slow. New EDGE connection is faster, but costs more. We have T-Mobile for talking, so adding internet using one ofour two phones costs $20 per month, unlimited. We can add unlimited hotspot usage for $10 per month. This would use the built in WIFI when we go to a T-Mobile hotspot, such as Starbucks or Borders Books.

Posted By: Jackjagt on 05/21/06 06:40pm

Communications on the road.
We solved our biggest frustration on-the-road, expensive ($3/min)cell phone plans, by going WiFi.
Our computer has built in WiFi, we signed up for Skype (the most advanced service) VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocal)telephone, with a cheap prepaid "Skypeout" card for calling regular land line telephones anywhere in the world. (Computer to computer calls are free).
We stop and camp only at locations that offer free WiFi access (more & more campgrounds are offering this because it's cheap for them and lots of RVers like us will ONLY go where open WiFi is available).
We still have a cell phone but use it less.

Life's a Trip!
Greyhead & a cute Brunette
07 Safari Cheetah 36PPD
02 red VW Jetta TDI toad
FMCA F226315,
Ontario OverLanders
Michigan Knights
Skype "merrieyacht'

Posted By: riverchick on 06/13/06 01:56pm

Great info. I was just about to ask about all this [emoticon]

Posted By: savitbound on 06/16/06 02:12pm

i have a motorola 325 Verizon nation access bought Motorola Phone Tools kit,It bshows the phone as a modem but it shows data #777 but cant open up a browser, Q Mobile Verizon ,says connected to internet but no browser sows verizon but N/G , I have tried everthing any ideas? does the phone have to show all the bars to work?
I guess i need cell phone for Dummies
Thanks Sal Avitabile

Sal and Diane
2005 chev34f Bounder
8.1 and Allison s speed
Saturn Vue toad

Posted By: bamaram2002 on 06/18/06 06:56am

Can't remember where I was in the discussion, so I came back here to post my results...

Let me preface this by saying my results are by using Cingular service on a Motorola GPRS-enabled phone. Other providers and manufacturers may (and will) vary.

I mentioned that I had read up on using the cheaper Cingular MEdia service to get internet access through the cell phone to the laptop rather than paying for one of their expensive data plan ($19.99/mo vs. $79.99/mo for unlimited downloads).

Now, Cingular designed the MEdia plans for browsing on the phone device only, which is why they are cheaper. In fact, Cingular will say that you can't use MEdia to hook the phone up to the laptop to provide internet service. And they try to enforce that saying that you have to use their Cingular Communications software to access the internet on the laptop along with their data plan. And in that software they don't let you change the settings necessary to communicate on the MEdia network. But you can get around that by knowing the correct settings and manually configuring the modem settings and using Motorola's Phone Tools to connect.

So yesterday, DW finally returned from her playing camp nurse on a youth mission trip, so I signed her phone up for the MEdia plan (for some reason, my phone quit responding to the Motorola Phone Tools). Turns out I could choose the cheapest one ($4.99/mo) which is only supposed to give me 1MB/mo of downloads, but the first month is unlimited downloads. We are really only looking for something to give us access while on the upcoming road trip when wifi isn't available. And since I already have the voice plan with them, the MEdia plan is month-to-month - no long term contract.

Anyway, I connected it up, configured the modem settings, and was online. Speed wasn't great - 33K - but faster than the dial-up option I was considering which would have been 1/2 that speed and still cost me $3.99/mo for Cingular to grant me permission to dial-up my own internet provider using my phone and my minutes.

Anyway, for anyone interested in making this work you can read up on it here and here.

And of course, you can PM me if you have questions.

Mike, Michele, Hannah (13) and Elijah (10)
2002 Dodge Ram 1500 QuadCab
2003 KZ Coyote 23CT
Family Travel Photo Album

Posted By: MrWizard on 06/18/06 10:58am

savit1 wrote:

i am not sure what you are saying

BUT vzw dialing software OR a manual connection setup , neither one is going to open the browser for you, with a branded home page like AOL or other home/landline ISP

once the connecton is made you have to click on the your 'browsers ICON' ( IE, Firefox, etc... )

and open it

open your bookmarks/favorites or homepage link

viola you are on the internet

all the moto-tools is going to do ; IS make the connection not open the browser

BTW your ID is your phone (all ten digits )

Example [email protected]

password is VZW

the phone number to dial is #777 not data#777

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

Posted By: gregbenner on 06/23/06 06:03pm

If I were in Ensenada, Mexico, and got a Mexico SIM card for my GSM phone, would I be able to have internet access at whatever the rate/minute is?

greg

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