Toads

[Pete Masterson]

I, too, need to work on the road with good Internet access.
Essentially, the three ways to get online are (1) WiFi, (2) Aircard
(EVDO is the better system, used by Verizon and Sprint), (3) Satellite.

WiFi is "iffy" ... it's far from universally available, often as not,
it's got a service charge to get online, and there are some questions
about security when using pubic WiFi hot spots. The last would not be
a comfort for your tax preparation clients.

I elected to get an EVDO aircard USB modem from Verizon. It's about
$60/month if you have a Verizon cell account. The modem was $100 or
so... the "free" one doesn't have the features you'll need for use in
an RV (but they're fine for the airport travel crowd). Mine connects
to an external antenna -- a help. I almost always can get online,
though sometimes the connection speed is a bit slow ("national
access" they call it). In most larger cities, you get a true
broadband connection, but in more remote places you only get the
slower national access. I discovered that in Texas there's a fair
number of Verizon dead spots. I'm leaning toward getting a signal
booster amplifier and a larger external antenna. (The claim is these
will connect to a tower as far as 50 miles away.) You can access the
Internet even while in motion so long as you're in range of cell
towers -- great for maps, etc.

The third choice is satellite. The speeds are about the same as the
broadband access EVDO -- and the service is available so long as you
have a view of the southern sky so you can acquire the satellite.
Monthly cost is also about the same as the EVDO card/modem. Unless
you spend lots of $$, you must aim the dish manually -- and aiming
can be twitchy -- but most manage to get the set up down to 10 or 15
minutes. No in-motion service. The 'send' antenna must be aimed quite
precisely, and it doesn't work in motion.

I decided to go with the EVDO due to the much lower equipment cost
with the thought that I'd move to satellite if the EVDO didn't
satisfy me. So far, I'm relatively satisfied with the EVDO.

Neither EVDO nor Satellite have the security issues inherent with
public WiFi connections. Of course, all radio-based Internet
connections are inherently less secure than wired systems and
adequate security for your clients must be maintained.

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
El Sobrante CA
aeonix1@...



On Aug 27, 2007, at 4:44 PM, Don Bradner wrote:
<snip>
>
> As far as working on the road via the internet, that is being done
> by a lot of people these days. Probably more using WiFi and
> AirCards, and staying where those work, than those that use
> satellite, but when you want to go everywhere and still be
> connected it is hard to do without a dish. These days a lot of
> people I know use all three interchangeably, whichever is best
> where they are.
> <snip>
>
> On 8/27/2007 at 6:13 PM Leroy Eckert wrote:
>
>> <snip> This week I completed my continuing
>> education requirments to reactivate my CA CPA certificate which
>> has been
>> on ice since 1992. My idea is to perform tax return preparation,
>> build a
>> client base and perhaps use something like data storm to perform the
>> preparation if on the road.<snip>


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