Help Getting my Father Wireless?

[Enderet]

Well my father travels a lot and he just got a laptop for chirstmas. The thing is, he wants to be able to connect to the internet...wirelessly. Unfortunately my knowledge in this matter is very limited and after looking at what AT&T, TMobile, and Sprint has to offer, I am somewhat confused as to what is best. All he wants to be able to do is check his mail (yahoo), send emails, and do some light surfing.
He recently saw an ad in a magazine for the Toughbook 29 (very impressive notebook by the way) and he brought it to me and told me "that is what I want" (he was referring to the "wireless anywhere" that the toughbook has. I am really new to this, so I wanted to know if anybody could tell me what the current situation is in the United States in regards to services (including personal experiences), and straight-forward advice as to what to do with my father's need. I hope this isnt too vague of a plea, but any help would be welcome.

[Mitchybums]

so far, depending on your location, wifi isnt everywhere yet.
if your dad is in a city area, there might be wifi access everywhere, but probably the best way to go is getting a cellphone with exelent coverage and use that one as a modem for the laptop.

if the modem has bluetooth, it might be handy to have bluetooth in the laptop or a bluetooth usb adapter so he doesnt have to hookup cables to connect, and he can even leave the phone in his pocket this way.

there are different speeds alsoavailiable for celphones, so look into that.

[David Prahl]

Almost every notebook manufacturrer these days is offering a wireless laptop, and most (include the Toughbook line) use Intel's Centrino chipset to get wireless.
http://www.panasonic.com/computer/toughbook/learn_more_tb29.asp


This wireless technology would not work in most places! 802.11b is similar to cordless phone technology - you need to be within a few hundred feet of a base station to get a signal. There is no monthy fee, because anyone can set up a network access point and offer web access. Although the number of wireless "hotspots" that are configured to offer free wireless to anyone walking by has increased exponentially over the past few years, but even in some metropolitan areas you can't connect.

Even though you may find a signal, it might be someone else's, and surfing on it (however easy) is thought to be wrong by some people.

SO:
If he needs to be able to check e-mail and surf from anywhere in the USA,
you should NOT count on 802.11b (or g or a). A wireless PCMCIA modem from a cellular provider seems to be your only choice. They can be expensive, and the monthly bill might get hefty. But if he needs Internet access everywhere (for visiting Pocket PC Thoughts, I assume) :D , he should get a PCMCIA modem. Sprint offers them, I believe. And no need to get a different laptop.

[yvilla]

I agree with David. True everywhere wireless access would require a contract with one of the cell phone companies. You should check out the advantages and disadvantages of the various ones, but T-Mobile also has a relatively inexpensive unlimited access plan (19.99 a month if an add-on to a voice plan, 39.99 if data only plan). CF card modems also exist for such GSM/GPRS service with T-Mobile, that can be used in any laptop with a cheap CF to PCMCIA adapter, and that you may be able to find cheaper than those already in the PCMCIA format. Eg, I bought a Convergent Tech CF card modem for use with T-Mobile on ebay for 100.00. Thus it works with both PPC and laptop.

Good luck with your search!

[Enderet]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I went ahead and showed my father the different plans from Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and it seems he has decided to go with Verizon. Despite the fact that the bill will be hefty (79.99 for the unlimited plan), he needs the internet and therefore feels the price is justified.

Just a little info for those that might be interested...my father travels around the U.S. very frequently. Every week he flies out to some state in the east (usualy Kansas and onward), and comes back that same week driving. Sometimes he will go to Maine, at others to Ohio, but for sure always Kansas (he is located in California).

Well thats that...and if anybody has any experience with Verizon and their internet service please dont hesitate to add an extra post to this thread.

[Janak Parekh]

Verizon's unlimited data is one of the best -- you can easily get 70-100kbps. It's expensive, but if you need that level of service it'll probably be worth it. :) My only criticism, apart from price, is that they don't have Bluetooth, but I'm assuming he'd get a PC card to go into his laptop or some such solution.

BTW, I'd also get a WiFi card for the times when I'm in range of an access point.

--janak