I have no financial interest in Walking HotSpot (WHS), but it is a super product that we use and recommend.
We travel around to RV rallies as vendors, and reliable Internet access is critical. Our very first rally offered "free WiFi", and we found out just how unreliable that arrangement can be.
Walking HotSpot is a one-time software download application ($24.95, I think) that is downloaded to a mobile device (check their web site for compatible devices/phones). You also need to have an unlimited data/voice plan with your wireless carrier. Then, your device becomes your own hotspot with service anywhere your carrier covers. Up to 5 computers can use WHS.
We have two cell phone numbers on our plan, and for us, this arrangement is less expensive than having an account for the two phones plus an account for wireless access with a USB card.
I'm certainly no tech expert, and must give credit to Geeks on Tour for making me aware of this option. If you are dissatisfied with WiFi access on the road, you might want to consider WHS. I believe their web site is www.walkinghotspot.com.
Good Luck!
jagco said
06:05 AM Sep 24, 2009
Thanks for the info. Looks interesting.
Caseydee said
02:40 PM Sep 24, 2009
How does the WHS compare with the speed of a Verizon USB broadband connection? How about security? Is this a separate device or is it connected to your cell phone? Does it use up cell phone minutes? I went to their website and it didn't answer any of these questions. I'm not very technical, but I can learn if I have instructions.
UniquelyRV said
04:51 PM Sep 24, 2009
I don't know how to compare the speed of WHS and the Verizon broadband. I don't notice that it is slow, if that helps.
WHS is software that is downloaded to certain phones/mobile devices. It's not a separate device that connects to anything. I believe you need to have an unlimited voice/data plan to support it, so the number of minutes used doesn't make any difference.
Hope this helps.
WheelDweller said
09:20 AM Sep 28, 2009
I've seen the slow networking situation in my part-time job at a PC shop.
It's the same reason two newly-installed machines have been on the net for a short time, and one's slow, the other fast: the fragile operating system (Windows).
There's a great deal of money in the business of viruses; the last I heard there was a bounty of $0.06 per CPU for machines a virus writer can put under control of the guy paying the bounty. It's because he can then use it to send spam. Enough of these, and they can send unstoppable amounts of spam, more, and no password is safe: they can brute-force or decipher them.
The next level of the scam is that antivirus software. Well-known names you'd think were best, are so well known the virus writers put in code to turn them off. Lesser known types have a questionable value, including the far end of that spectrum that remove most viruses and install one of their own! These usually are advertised as "double speed" and "something-sweep".
Networking, which doesn't involve any one kind of OS, is pretty easily measured. There's a bandwidth available, and a latency. If you can get your networking to an ethernet cable, you'll be able to swap your slow machine to someone else's machine and run one of the many speed tests out there.
When you get tired of all the slowdowns, the virus circus, paying people $100 to clean out your computer, and most importantly fiddling with it, drop me a line and we'll talk about Linux: the sane alternative.
We travel around to RV rallies as vendors, and reliable Internet access is critical. Our very first rally offered "free WiFi", and we found out just how unreliable that arrangement can be.
Walking HotSpot is a one-time software download application ($24.95, I think) that is downloaded to a mobile device (check their web site for compatible devices/phones). You also need to have an unlimited data/voice plan with your wireless carrier. Then, your device becomes your own hotspot with service anywhere your carrier covers. Up to 5 computers can use WHS.
We have two cell phone numbers on our plan, and for us, this arrangement is less expensive than having an account for the two phones plus an account for wireless access with a USB card.
I'm certainly no tech expert, and must give credit to Geeks on Tour for making me aware of this option. If you are dissatisfied with WiFi access on the road, you might want to consider WHS. I believe their web site is www.walkinghotspot.com.
Good Luck!
WHS is software that is downloaded to certain phones/mobile devices. It's not a separate device that connects to anything. I believe you need to have an unlimited voice/data plan to support it, so the number of minutes used doesn't make any difference.
Hope this helps.
It's the same reason two newly-installed machines have been on the net for a short time, and one's slow, the other fast: the fragile operating system (Windows).
There's a great deal of money in the business of viruses; the last I heard there was a bounty of $0.06 per CPU for machines a virus writer can put under control of the guy paying the bounty. It's because he can then use it to send spam. Enough of these, and they can send unstoppable amounts of spam, more, and no password is safe: they can brute-force or decipher them.
The next level of the scam is that antivirus software. Well-known names you'd think were best, are so well known the virus writers put in code to turn them off. Lesser known types have a questionable value, including the far end of that spectrum that remove most viruses and install one of their own! These usually are advertised as "double speed" and "something-sweep".
Networking, which doesn't involve any one kind of OS, is pretty easily measured. There's a bandwidth available, and a latency. If you can get your networking to an ethernet cable, you'll be able to swap your slow machine to someone else's machine and run one of the many speed tests out there.
When you get tired of all the slowdowns, the virus circus, paying people $100 to clean out your computer, and most importantly fiddling with it, drop me a line and we'll talk about Linux: the sane alternative.