CHAPTER SEVEN

Communications

Satellite TV, satellite Internet, cell phones that deliver e-mail and photographs, snail mail, and coming to a camp near you: the new WI-FI technology.  Many of us who live the RV life also have to make a living.  A computer connection to the Internet can make keeping the money flowing a lot easier.  There are literally thousands of ways to work from your RV.  Whether it is selling on Ebay or using the internet to do research.

Getting Connected:

The simplest and cheapest way to connect to the Internet on the road is using your cell phone.  Many cell phones have a data connection and, with the addition of some software and a phone cable to your computer, you can be on-line.  You may not even need an Internet Service Provider (ISP) since many phone companies offer the service as part of your phone service package.

Wi-Fi.  This is a technology that is going to change everything for the RVing computer user.  This is going to allow you to drive into a campsite and you can power up your wireless laptop computer and be connected to the Internet at speeds of 11 megabits per second or better.  That means being able to watch movies, almost instant page loading and fast downloads.  Currently these Wi-Fi networks are set up at some KOA Campgrounds, Starbucks coffee stores, Borders Books, and soon you will be able to walk into MacDonald’s, order a Big Mac and they will let you connect to their wireless network for a while.  KOA expects to have nearly 100 of its 500 locations on the HOTSPOTZZ network by the end of 2003.  It will not be long before a campground will need to have Wi-Fi as a basic service for their tenants.

Laptops are getting fast and good with their built in wireless modems.  Check out Intel’s  page and learn about Intel® Centrino™ technology one of the ways Wi-Fi is being implemented.  Centrino computers have built in wireless and a technology that provides long battery life.  Check out Centrino on the On-Line Page.

Telecommuting:
Telecommuting is now a major method of going to work in the morning.  Telecommuting is just doing your job using your computer.  It lets you stay home to take care of the kids.  It reduces pollution and traffic because you’re not out driving to work.  If you have to work it’s not a bad way to keep the dollars coming in.  Making a living using the Internet is a popular way to make income.  There are millions of opportunities for the entrepreneur.  But be careful, there is a lot of scum out there and sometimes it’s hard to see the difference.

Cell phones:
Cell phones may or may not work where you are.  This depends upon the location of their transmission towers. If you absolutely have to be reachable then one of the satellite telephone services is the only guaranteed method to use. All others have out-of-service areas and even your service provider can’t be sure where all the holes are.

Mobile computing: 
Mobile computing involves choosing the right hardware, knowing what the computer can do for you, and having a connection method to the Internet.  If you were buying all new equipment you need to look at what the options are for the type of computing you want to do.

So what is the right equipment? 
First you should strongly consider a laptop with a built in CD-RW (CD writer) drive.  Especially if you take digital pictures, you need somewhere to keep them off of your computer.  The simple fact of life is laptops, like RVs, break.  If all your pictures are on it at the time and you haven’t written them off to a CD, they are gone.

You can put an unlimited number of your digital pictures, maps, or letters on CD and they store in a small place.  Most laptops will have a way to send and receive faxes.  You can also buy tiny printers that can store easily.

The laptop should be equipped with built-in wireless networking that is compatible to Intel’s.  A high speed USB 2.0 or Fire wire connection will allow you to add on external devices like the 120gigabyte disk box, video capture devices, or digital cameras.

Instead of a laptop there are other options.  Our preference is what is called a desktop replacement system.  It is basically a notebook with a 16 or 17 inch screen.  They tend to be heavier than most laptops (about 8 pounds) but they are still small enough to stash away easily when not in use.

Other toys, or rather, other things we need:
You will probably want to get a Global Positioning System (GPS) and the associated mapping software.  Software like Delorme Streets and Trips is very useful for figuring out where you want to go and with the GPS you can figure where you are.  The laptop will even speak to you to tell you to take a left or to tell you how many miles to the next turn.

An internet connection:
Then of course you have to have an Internet connection.  A laptop, a cell phone, a data cable and some special software can get you on the Internet.  It is still a little slow but if you compose your email off-line and just get on to upload/download your mail it can work quite well.  Browsing web sites is a little slow at the moment but there are some new and exciting technologies just around the corner that will change everything.

When you purchase a phone for an internet connection check the connection speed.  A 14.4 modem speed will be a little tedious with slow screen paints.  The newer cell phones can connect at about twice the speed of a 56kb modem which is reasonable for viewing the web but still a little slow for downloading large data files.

Radio communications:
CBs: Citizen band radios can be useful or useless.  In our experience they have been both.  If you decide to buy one then make sure that you read the reviews, not what they claim to do.  There are good ones and bad ones.  Chat with a few CB sales specialists and get their opinions.

There are a few channels that are used for special purposes.  Channel 9 and 11 for emergencies, Channel 12 for RVers, Channel 14 for general use.

Little walkie-talkies available now work very well for RV to RV communications with a buddy.  They are especially useful when trying to maneuver your rig into a camp spot or trying to find your spouse at a Rally or Super Wal-mart!