On The Road Internet

How do drivers usually use Internet while on the road? What is the usual cost? Thanks

Many truck stops have free wifi. Of course, if the lot is full, access may be slow at best.

Many grocery stores now have free wifi as do coffee shops, fast food restaurants, Home depot / Lowes etc etc. It is becoming more and more mainstream, but it just depends how many people are trying to gain access

You can also goto Sprint, and get anywhere access for you laptop. It costs something like $50/month

Finally there is Cellular service via a phone or iPad

Cost will probably vary greatly depending on the provider. I hear truck stops have internet access at pretty high prices. A smartphone with a data plan is a good start but if you're outof the network you're out of luck. Some cell services also have a device you can add to your account for internet. It looks a bit like a thumb drive. I'm not sure how reliable it is. It could be like using internet on your phone and is poor in certain areas. You can also make smartphones a wi-fi hotspot and use it to power your internet. Through a cell plan its another $50. If you root your phone you can do it for free.

I don't know the actual costs but my guess is its around $50 per month on average. I think most drivers probably use some kind of internet. I plan on just using my phone and sucking it up when I'm outside of the coverage area.

for the love of god DO NOT GO TO SPRINT!

This is something I have been researching as well. Verizon seems to have the best plan and is the most reliable, but it may be one of the more expensive options. The service uses what is called a Jetpack wireless hotspot. The Verizon website gives much better info than I can. Just click the link that says, "mobile hotspots" or "wireless internet devices". This is what I intend to get, along with Verizon phone service.

for the love of god DO NOT GO TO SPRINT!

I'm sensing some reticence here.. is there something we should know???

Roadkill, I have sprint now, in a major metropolitan and I'm lucky if I get a signal. If I go too the front of my yard I get zero bars, and if I go to my back yard I have full bars with 4g.... The only reason I switched from verizon to sprint was for the unlimited everything... My first mistake was leaving att I never had a problem with them other than the high prices for the data plans.

No truck stops have free wifi Most times its around $5 for 24 hour access. Not a bad price really. The real problem is your privacy. Your computer can be hacked through open wifi through the truck stops.

I will not tell what program but I will tell you there are programs out the on Warz (old school wannabe hacker sites)that help people find out your passwords. When someone first tries to enter your computer most are locked due to never having been setup for sharing on a network. But there are some that are not. But this only stops low level wannabe hackers. More skilled hackers can still get into your computer.

Routers are a joke. There are many programs out there that will scan routers for system names and passwords to get into the config of the routers. Very easy since most truck stops rarely are inventive with their router names and passwords. Takes no skill what so ever to hack the router itself and since most truck stop software is setup on computers in back room where most people don't go and there is no server admin watching for intrusions these networks are very unsecured.

I have Verizon. With a 4G phone, you can connect your laptop through your phone via a "hotspot". It does cost. I think about 20 dollars a month. Not real bad if you use the internet much. However. There is a catch. You are limited to 2gb a month (how much internet you can use).

Normally, 2gb is a lot. But if you are on it all the time. Mapping, navigating, emails, etc., 2gb can go by fast. And then it gets real expensive.

Also hooking to the wifi at truck stops and coffee shops. My son is a computer engineer. He told me that viruses were very bad with the "free" wifi spots. Joking, he told me if I got a virus, I was on my own.

If you have Verizon and a 4G device, there is another way. Well until Verizon blocks it that is. There is an app in the Play Store. FoxFi. You download that and download Pdanet. I don't know how they work. My son did mine. But they work together to get unlimited internet if I have a Verizon signal. And of course, the better the signal, the better the wifi. And you are the only one that is on it.

There are instructions online. But being a computer idiot, It was Greek to me. That is why my son fixed mine for me. The unlimited app costs $7.99. One time purchase.

But just my opinion. For me, I will stay away from the wifi at the truck stops or coffee shops unless I have to hook to them.

Keep it safe out there. Joe S.

I used to have Verizon, but I got tired of the 300$ bills. They have great service and great Internet but it costs a finger and a toe to pay for it each month.

I now have T Mobile. I have no complaints. I have unlimited Internet and roaming and text for two lines and pay 110$. The Internet isn't always very good. It's good only in cities and very good in big cities. But in a rest area in WY or NE you'll have nothing. But I don't need it 24/7 so it works out for me.