Re: [VAL] On Road Computer/E-Maill

["Chris Koehn" <timberguides@xxxxxxxxx>]

We use Cingular for cell service. Their Nation wide plan has served us 
well, although service in rural areas is still somewhat spotty. The 
protocol is GSM.
We add on GPRS service (unlimited for $20 / month) to connect to the 
internet. The advantage to GPRS over dial- up is.. you don't need a 
land line phone. We can be driving down the freeway and the navigator 
can be surfing the web looking for the next camp site. Since it's a 
separate protocol from the cell phone, we can carry on a conversation 
on the phone while on-line. Service is fairly wide spread but by no 
means universal. Check their site for one of those hilarious coverage 
maps. Cities and inter-states have very good coverage. Speeds vary, as 
data is carried in bursts, but average ~ 17K.
We are considering upgrading to GPRS EDGE, which should be quite a bit 
faster. The EDGE technology was not available when we signed up a year 
or so ago.
Our phone uses Bluetooth to connect to the computer wirelessly, which 
is really slick.

I'd be interested to know if anyone uses satellite for connecting to 
the net. The hardware is quite expensive, and the monthly service rate 
is too, but service is very fast and reliable (or so says the 
brochure..)

Chris Koehn
Wisconsin for one more month, then back on the road..