internet service carriers and questions about skype

[jeremysgrl]

do you think that skype would be a good replacement for a cell phone? and what internet service providers are the best my fiance says that they mostly stop at Pilot locations and was thinking about buying their yearly internet plan.

 

[Scorp]

I use a broadband card from Sprint. You can the card free with a contract and the service is $59.99 a month, or if your a phone customer already they'll bundle it for an added $50 a month.

With some computer smarts you can tether some of the newer smart phones to a laptop for cheaper, but Sprint will get a little pissy about that if you use to much bandwidth!

As for skype replacing a cellphone...No way would I consider it a replacement, however it's a nice addition to do some video conferencing with home. But unless you figure out how to use skype to get ahold of dispatchers/customers/brokers/breakdown/ect...it's not gonna work as a replacement!

And Pilot's internet is shoddy at best! I used it for awhile before getting the broadband card. Often times it only works when your sitting inside the store and it's SLOW in the evenings and on the weekends when a lot of drivers are sitting around using it!

 

[Racer X 69]

I agree that there is no decent replacement for a dedicated internet connection. I.E. a wireless aircard. Since I have about a zillion bucks worth of Flying J frequent fueler points when I am somewhere that the aircard doesn't get service I will get 24 hours worth of access for a $5 frequent fueler coupon. It works in a pinch but you do have to be aware of finding a good location in the parking lot for a decent signal and hope that there isn't 300 other drivers leeching on at the same time.

 

[Racer X 69]

I feel the need to add on small warning. If you are using a wireless aircard to access the internet and you go into Canada, do not sign on while roaming up there.

It will cost you.

I didn't look into the fees first and recently went up to Sydney, BC. While I was there I logged on to check my e-mail. I was on for only about 20 minutes or so but the roaming air time cost me almost $300! They bill out roaming access at .015 cents per kb. That doesn't sound like much when you look at it. And these days with all the "feature rich experiences" that the web has you can add up data quick.

And to have international roaming is almost as expensive, so unless you go up there a lot it doesn't make sense to add it to the plan.

Next time I will wait until I am back home in the good ole USA again before I fire up the internet.

 

[bigyellowpete]

I feel for you on the data roaming charges. FYI, viryually every McDonalds has free wifi, so you can always walk in, check/send a couple emails, and get back to work without it costing you a fortune. Most new truck dealers seem to have wifi available for customers as well, so you can sometimes wheel into a lot pull up close to the service dept and rip off a couple fast emails as well.

 

[lonemountain12]

I have used these sites to find free Wifi. It shows restaurants, hotels, malls, and other places you can get wifi. I found that the JWire one is pretty good and shows both free and paid ones:

gWiFi: Using google maps to find free WiFi
JiWire. The Leading Mobile Audience Media Channel & Wi-Fi Advertising Network

 

[TruckersBabe]

scorp - hows the reception of sprints wireless?

 

[jjbroker]

do you think that skype would be a good replacement for a cell phone? and what internet service providers are the best my fiance says that they mostly stop at Pilot locations and was thinking about buying their yearly internet plan.

Skype sucks ass!

 

[SirDude]

When I was traveling for work, I use to pull into the Days Inn, and other hotels and leech off their Wi-Fi if it wasn't password protected.

Panera Bread also has free Wi-Fi that goes pretty far outside their buildings. I think most are on all night long, so even if they are closed it works.

As for Skype, I don't use it because I have heard that all the VOIP burn through the data plans on cell phones. Just like watching a lot of...um...YouTube / videos.

And also watch out for some dead areas in the US. I was stopped in Newton, IA and my cellphone wanted to charge me $29 / kb to roam on data service. That sounds like what happened to Racer x 69

 

[Nova]

I love Skype for a video conferences but it would not replace cell phone for me...

As far as Internet goes, free WiFi is nice, but not always available as opposed to one of the cell phone providers' nationwide internet plans. My husband used T-Mobile years ago and their coverage pretty much sucked, but they are the least expensive provider. He uses Sprint now and he signed contract with them back when they still offered unlimited internet. I believe now there is a download limit. Coverage is not bad at all in the south and north-east. Not sure about other parts of US.

 

[patriciajnsn]

My sprint modeum isn't working once again.Sprint sends me a replacement,I open the package and it is all messed up.It looks like someone took a screwdriver and gouged holes all over it.You can see the inside.The truckstop I stayed at last nite had free wify.Now im using my verizon pay as u go internet only for one day though.They charge 15.00 for 24 hrs plus over a dollar sales tax.Judy said I can go home tomorrow and get the new replacement but I dont know,it would be 135 miles out of the way with the next load.

 

[Nova]

patricia,
when my husband first signed up with Sprint they gave his a laptop broadband card (Novatel one). After some time it just stopped working. I called their customer services and after some tests they said that the card was bad and replacement insurance is no longer available. After that we actually purchased a new USB card on craigslist and have been using it over a year now, no problems.

 

[patriciajnsn]

Really??????????????????//How does a usb card work????????????????I mean how do u get online?????????????Do u have to purchase somekind of internet plan or what???????????????When it comes to computers I KNOW NOTHING,LOL.

patricia,
when my husband first signed up with Sprint they gave his a laptop broadband card (Novatel one). After some time it just stopped working. I called their customer services and after some tests they said that the card was bad and replacement insurance is no longer available. After that we actually purchased a new USB card on craigslist and have been using it over a year now, no problems.

 

[Sean McQuaid]

My sprint modeum isn't working once again.Sprint sends me a replacement,I open the package and it is all messed up.It looks like someone took a screwdriver and gouged holes all over it.You can see the inside.The truckstop I stayed at last nite had free wify.Now im using my verizon pay as u go internet only for one day though.They charge 15.00 for 24 hrs plus over a dollar sales tax.Judy said I can go home tomorrow and get the new replacement but I dont know,it would be 135 miles out of the way with the next load.

Really??????????????????//How does a usb card work????????????????I mean how do u get online?????????????Do u have to purchase somekind of internet plan or what???????????????When it comes to computers I KNOW NOTHING,LOL.

Hey Patty:

I am guessing you are off now, but from what you mention here and the same thing on your "20" thread, it seems like you should get a replacement. After all, you did not damage the unit.

I am guessing Nova is talking about an "air card", in which case, you have to pay for internet service from a provider - 50 odd bucks a month or whatever. Any new stuff or variations available, I am not aware of. I am sure there will be people posting here who may have the latest and/or the best.

 

[patriciajnsn]

Yes i'm getting a replacement.Its at home.Thank god its still under warranty.Thank you for explaining how the usb works.I figured youd have to pay for internet but thought id ask just to be sure.Many restareas have free wireless which is real nice and some of the truckstops do to.

Hey Patty:

I am guessing you are off now, but from what you mention here and the same thing on your "20" thread, it seems like you should get a replacement. After all, you did not damage the unit.

I am guessing Nova is talking about an "air card", in which case, you have to pay for internet service from a provider - 50 odd bucks a month or whatever. Any new stuff or variations available, I am not aware of. I am sure there will be people posting here who may have the latest and/or the best.

 

[Sean McQuaid]

Yes i'm getting a replacement.Its at home.Thank god its still under warranty.Thank you for explaining how the usb works.I figured youd have to pay for internet but thought id ask just to be sure.Many restareas have free wireless which is real nice and some of the truckstops do to.

Forgot to mention that the aircard can be sort of thought of like a cell phone in how it works. In other words, you don't have to be near a WiFi for your regular wireless to work. The air card works off the sat tower like a cell phone, and voila, you have internet. I never used one, but I am guessing the service is like cell phones - in other words, as long as you are close enough to a tower....... The other way it would work is like a sat phone (far more expensive cell phones), where it does not matter where you are on this planet - you're directly connected to the sat - no worries about having to be within range of the cell towers. Never having used an air card, I am not 100% sure exactally what principle they work on - limitations, etc.. Last I knew, the air card service was 50 some odd dollars a month for the service. The air card price varies depending on the service you buy, and if you buy the aircard in conjunction with air card service. If you find a used one, make sure it's good, and the one you buy will not be a problem for certain service providers.

 

[mjorgy]

If you have a smart phone (like I-phone or android) you can download an app called PDA net...then tether to your computer and you can have internet as long as you have cell service. It doesn't cost extra on your cell phone plan. If you have a smart phone you are probably already paying an extra "data charge". I have an android from Verizon and when I got the phone I had to add a $30 per month unlimited data usage plan to my contract. Its mandatory whether you want it or not.That covers my phone internet use and by using the PDA i just use it for my computer.

You do have to pay a one time fee of like $16 to PDA if you want access to secure websites but thats it. You will want to do this or else you won't have access to your email most likely and any other pages you need a password for.

It's like getting free internet anytime anywhere since I'm paying the data charge on my phone no matter what anyway, might as well use it instead of paying for more interenet.