Laptop and wifi

[flood]

why buy used when new is so cheep dell http://tinyurl.com/2p6lyw or hp http://tinyurl.com/3aew5f

[lurchgs]

Just a quick note to point out that 802.11g is a superset of 802.11a and 802.11b - that is, if you get g, it will work on a and b networks. One thing to look for, now, is an 802.11n card. I believe they also include the a/b/g protocols, as well as the n - which is insanely fast.

Not a lot of places are going to have it available, yet, but you never know. Me, I intend to mount a number of wireless cameras on the tractor/trailer and use 802.11n to carry the signal back to the server in the cab.

[SlacTrac]

"..... the battery has died on it, but it's not an issue as the computer stays plugged into the power inverter/APC battery backup. I didn't see any reason to pay $150 for a battery when I've ran the computer off it's own battery for maybe 15 mins total since I bought it......"

Malaki86, Watch out with that dead battery, because the power supply inside the laptop will overheat trying to charge it up. That will cause a failure of the power supply charging system on the motherboard and the motherboard will have to be replaced to make your laptop work again. You will probably have to buy another laptop. Worse case, the battery will short out and have a meltdown, catch your rig on fire....... :shock: Best to remove the battery if it is not taking a charge. HTH
-Slac

[Malaki86]

Good advice - thank you

[VitoCorleone99]

...You may want to decide on the Laptop first, or you may find yourselves with an Aircard that does not play well with your laptop or VISTA. I choose an Aircard that goes into the USB port, since VISTA does not support the old type PCI slot cards.

I had the Pantech PCI card from Sprint on my XP-equipped laptop when I broke the computer one time too many. I bought a Vista system and the connection manager software wasn't compatible. Vista, however, does support the hardware. I just use the card as a modem and dial #777. Same speed and all that, just without the little Sprint application running at the bottom of the screen.

[Rockatansky]

Just blew $1400 on a 17" HP dv9830us laptop.
On top of the usual high zoot stuff it came with bluetooth, Blue-Ray DVD.
The real kicker is it also has a TV tuner / cable-VCR player / live TV recorder with rewind (!!! :shock: 8) )


Bad part other than the price is it came with Vista :x
Bought it yesterday and I already had to go back to the store today to get a patch loaded so the Sprint air card would work

[Zen Road Warrior]

Verizon wireless works great and pretty much everywhere. It didn't work once in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming. But that was the rare exception.

They give you, actually you have to purchase their air card. The rate is about 90 per month.

[flood]

Verizon wireless works great and pretty much everywhere. It didn't work once in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming. But that was the rare exception.

They give you, actually you have to purchase their air card. The rate is about 90 per month.

sounds like around wamsutter, wy.

[Rockatansky]

The problem with Verizon is that they no longer have unlimited downloads.
Not good when you are on the road 20+ days a month.

[rumbarrel]

Do you need to have a Sprint phone to purchase an aircard? Do I just go into a sprint store and buy and sign up for an aircard? Does this thing just slide into the laptop? My wife has only had laptops for work and i never really looked that close at them before til now. Thank you for the advice so far.

Get a Dell refurbished Inspiron or XPS......then get the OPTIONAL INTERNAL Sprint Broadband card ($150 w/$100 rebate thru Apr 12 i think).......this is self installed (took me 10 minutes!) Dont need a Sprint phone account....60/month. these laptops have internal antennas which are much better than the ones in the plugin cards!! i usually get 3.1 MBPS connections. OR buy new and they'll install the card for you.

[lurchgs]

As a ... retired... computer/communications professional, I suggest you get rid of Vista as soon as you can. "Downgrade" to XP.

Vista is an attempt by Microsoft to fix their security problems... and it fails utterly, on TOP of making your life miserable.

You would be better served with common sense (careful who you accept mail from, don't use Outlook, don't use Internet Explorer, use a good virus protection package) and XP.

Stay away from porn sites - these guys are atrocious about spam and virii

Be careful where you download files - find sites that virus check their files. Places such as versiontracker.com or cdnet downloads

Realize that commercial downloads are not guaranteed virus free just because you pay for them. ANY time you download and install something, check your system for viruses. If you can confirm that a virus arrived via commercial softload, immediately let the company know. They'll be glad (or BETTER be) to de-virus their site and download.

If you roll into a stop (anywhere at all) and they demand that you run their little software package for access, tell them to stuff it. Use an air card, or, if you can't, go without internet for one night

You get the idea here. Don't assume the operating system is going to save you. It won't, any more than the cab of the truck will in a wreck. You need the seatbelt.

Hmm.. that's not a bad analogy... liken the operating system to the cab. Vista is an armored car. XP is (Volvo/Pete/KW.. etc). They both work, but one is far more economical to operate.

and BOTH require seatbelts.

[BMiller]

I am using a Sprint wireless card right now, I can highly recommend it. Nothing like being able to get on the Internet pretty much wherever you are. Its $60 a month but worth it. WiFi at truckstops and hotspots is patchy and slow at best. Not to mention a highly insecure way of hooking up. I also have a Sprint cell phone which is $90 a month for the unlimited plan.

I've heard of free WiFi, but its extremely rare anywhere you can get close to in a rig. Some McDonalds and a few other places. Never heard of it being free in any truckstop. Unless you have minimal use for an internet connection I would recommend getting a Sprint card or something like it. You get what you pay for. I can send and receive pictures, video, emails with attachments. I can even send and receive faxes through my email with my $10 a month Rapidfax account. I carry an all in one HP 3310 printer, as well as a portable HP printer. I can do the same things that can be done with a cable internet hookup.

Between the cell phone and the internet card, I have no need for anything else whether I'm on the road or at home. Basically I pay $150 a month plus tax, and it takes care of all my communication needs wherever I am. And I have complete mobility. You get what you pay for.

[vinocat]

What about Verizon Wireless? They offer a similar service and I get great coverage with their phone service. I think it's $80/month. Anyone try them?

I use verizon wireless card. It cost $60 a month. When i got the card they gave a rebate so i only paid $50 for the card. Works great. Some areas its faster than others, but i've never without signal.

[Jumbo]

UPDATE,

I am talking to you all for my new laptop and Sprint wireless card and could not be happier. Wife recomended to get a Toshiba, which I like very much. When I bought the laptop I got the air card free on the spot.

[ChikinTrucka]

As a ... retired... computer/communications professional, I suggest you get rid of Vista as soon as you can. "Downgrade" to XP.

Vista is an attempt by Microsoft to fix their security problems... and it fails utterly, on TOP of making your life miserable.

I agree, I haven't herd anything good about Vista. So, if you buy a new system and it comes with Vista, what do you do???

[Evinrude]

For the most part I really like vista. I deleted the junk and updated to service pack 1 for vista and going great.

[Malaki86]

I run XP on my laptop and have Vista on my home pc. When I first got the home system, I didn't care much for Vista. I tried to locate XP drivers for the home system, but finally just gave up and went back to Vista on it. That computer runs 24/7. I think I restart it about once every month or so. It's not horrible, but I prefer XP.

[Rockatansky]

Word of advice, don't buy 64bit Vista.

MS street & trips doesn't work on it and M has no idea when they will get around to fixing it :evil: