ULTIMATE IN MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
By Mel Chaney, chaney@concentric.net
RVers still continue to experience problems maintaining contact with family, friends, businesses and the Internet from the road in their RV. Cellular One-Rate-Plans may have solved our telephone contact problems, since cellular towers have been installed at such a rate there’s seldom an RV park without cellular access. But, to enter into most one-rate-plans, you must have a billing address located within one of the telephone company’s main coverage areas. Put your thinking cap on here. This hasn’t solved our FAX or Internet access problem for e-mail, online banking or maintaining our website.
To the rescue is a company named Ositech Communications. They make PCMCIA (credit card sized) laptop modems for FAX and Internet access, even products that do so via Ethernet LAN or PBX digital telephone systems. Of their many card options, we selected the totally wireless
King of Clubs.
Cellular modems have been available for many years. However, they were expensive, analog only, and were very slow. At 2,400 to 4,800 BPS, even sending or receiving text email was frustrating. And, browsing the net was out of the question. Plus, many potential full-time RVers couldn’t leave their stick and brick homes, because they’re tied to a standard phone line to manage their business.
Ositech has developed a technology called CellFlex™ that’s incorporated into their PCMCIA cellular modem cards and can access the Internet in both analog and digital modes. Everything is totally automatic, and it finds the fastest cellular connect service available. In digital mode, the connection speed is determined by the capability of the cellular phone you use; typically, this is either 9,600 or 14,000 BPS. In analog mode, most connect speeds are between 7,200 and 9,600 BPS, depending on the signal strength and clarity. However, on rare occasions, analog connectivity may be as low as 4,800 BPS.
Currently, our RV is in a marginal cellular area and signal levels are fairly low. Depending on the time of day, service switches back and forth between analog roaming and digital extended area every hour or two. Still, we connected to the Internet every time. CellFlex is really that good.
Analog cellular modems with an interconnect cable usually cost about $300. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the King of Clubs is $149 and includes the adapter cable. It is compatible with Nokia and Motorola cell phones, and most cellular serve providers (ISP). Check with your ISP and make sure they serve connectivity at speeds of 4,800 BPS or less; otherwise, you’ll need to change ISPs.
To determine if your cell phone and service plan are compatible, call your cellular service provider to find out if your cell phone is capable of making a wireless data connection. Also, check Ositech’s website for additional information. Definitely do so before entering into a new cellular service plan or purchasing a new cell phone.
If you’re considering AT&T’s One-Rate-Plan, get a cell phone capable of data access in dual mode (analog and digital) and dual band (high and low frequency), or some cell phone towers won’t be available to you.
When ordering the King of Clubs package, Ositech will include the proper cable to connect between your cell phone model and the cellular modem. They also include a CD-ROM with an installation program, designed to configure your system for use with your cell phone and laptop. Installation on our PC was easy; their CD-ROM is simply inserted, and the program walks you through the process.
Since we received our King of Clubs cellular modem, I’ve yet to carry my laptop to the campground office to use their countertop telephone line. For Internet browsing, we disabled graphics download in our browser software, and the speed really went up. As our cell phone freed us from payphones, this cellular modem has freed us from begging for a telephone line connection to get Internet access. In fact, this story was sent via e-mail from our PC on our RV dinette table.
This product could free-up RVers to remotely manage an Internet or server-based business from their RV, without needing an unavailable telephone line, if connecting a few times a day will suffice. And, with the proliferation of digital cameras and memory cards, PCMCIA adapters are now available for tower PCs; so, if there’s already a tower PC onboard your RV, this wireless solution could negate the need to purchase a laptop computer needed for easy transport to an available telephone line. Also, it may now be practical to keep your local ISP, rather than switch to a large one with an 800 number to dial. Calling long distance via roaming, cellular one-rate-plans costs the same time allocation as a toll free or local number.
The company’s website, www.ositech.com, does a good job of explaining their products. However, it’s probably impossible for them to keep up with each cell phone sold by every cellular service provider. If in doubt, call and talk to a human being (888-674-8324). Happy communicating!
Reprinted by kind permission of RV
Companion Magazine.
