2 things TV shows on computer & WIFI ?'s

[Lynn Coleman]

Hi all,

The other night I went online to see if channel five in Boston was carrying the post-game win of the Red Soxs over the Indians. What I found was that you can now view this seasons shows on the ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX network webpages. I wouldn't recommend this on anything less than a broad band connection. I have cable and every so often it stopped for a moment then caught up. Overall, the picture and sound quality are great.

I'm wondering if WIFI connections at campgrounds are fast enough to view some shows?

I purchased WIFI back in Sept. when staying at a private campground, basically an RV Park. But I wasn't impressed with the speed, anyone have other experiences with WIFI at campgrounds? Is the card from your mobile phone company better? I will still need to do research while I'm camping (sometime next year after my knee recovers) and I'm still looking for the best option. I know libraries are free and more and more have wireless internet available.

Basically I'm cheap and want the most bang for my buck. But I generally need speed while on the net for research. Any input you all have is helpful.

[asianflava]

Generally speaking, WI-Fi is slower than a hardwired CAT5 connection. If you are on the fringes of the signal, your speed will be even slower.

[dovaka]

my experience with camp ground wifi is that it generally sucks
as im sure 20 other people and the office are using a connection that isnt all that amazing to begin with
generally when yo uwatch those types of things it sall a matter of buffering if you start the show hit pause then leave it for 10 minutes it generally would of been downloading that whole time and then you wont have a problem but that doesnt always work depending on how they have the video setup

[Bill P]

I use a Sprint Aircard exclusively. If you can get a Sprint Cellphone signal, you can connect to the Internet. I haven't found a spot where it doesn't work. Maybe out in the real boonies, but so far, all is good. Performance is on par with most WiFi. It's slower than a direct connection but still very efficient. I get 486 up and 1250 down. For my needs, I'm satisfied with the performance. If you transfer large files and graphics I'm guessing it would be sluggish.

It costs about $50 a month and, like a cell phone, if you take the "Free" aircard you need to sign a term agreement (2 years?).

I'm guessing Verizon's offer is similar.




Bill

[dovaka]

I'm guessing Verizon's offer is similar.




Bill

we havehte same thing threw verizon
the wife has a air card but i have a treo so i can just plug my laptop into my phone and it only costs an extra $10 a month instead of the $50 for the air card

[Bill P]

It's funny I've worked in the phone industry for almost 40 years and the only wizbang gadgets I own personally is my cellphone and this aircard. I thought of getting a Treo a last year but the keyboard was too tiny for my mitts. I'm also semi-technophobic. It's like being a candymaker; too much candy makes you sick of it. I see high-tech stuff all day long and, at the end-of-the-day, I just want to get away from it.

Although, as I write this, of course I'm using a computer. It's amazing how much a part of everyday life it has become. I no longer think of it as a luxury. It's become just another tool.



Bill