Laptop usage on the road???

[falcondriver]

I'm buying a laptop this week. What is the best "free" way to gain access to the internet??? I talked to my home provider and it was too costly.
Thanks
FD

 

[Chunk]

Netzero gives you free access if you use less than 10 hours a month. I think it's only 9.95/month for unlimited.

Chunk

 

[Draginass]

I tried a one of those "free" services one time. In short, it was crap. You get what you pay for.

 

[Aviator]

Check out www.access4free.com. 10 hours free per month with no banner ads. After that $1 per hour for a maximum of $10 per month for unlimited use. I used to use Netzero, but was very unhappy with their service. They may have improved since.

 

[328dude]

Good Luck trying to get online at some of the hotels you overnight in. I carry one with me, but continue to use my home ISP (Earthlink). I just set up a file with all the cities I ovenight in and the local access numbers in it. 24.95 a month, but after trying some of those free internet access sites, it's well worth it and no ads.

 

[Aviator]

I would suggest checking out the access numbers available for access4free and see if that meets your needs. http://www.access4free.com./access.htm I've tried all of the "free" service providers and have been very disapointed. This is the only one that works well. No annoying ads either. While Earthilink is the preferred ISP; I personally would rather save myself $300/yr. if access4free covers the areas I go to.

 

[generaltso]

Earthlink is running a deal $11/month for your first six months. You can't beat that... they have great service.

I forgot... if you buy a Dell laptop you can pick 6 months of free internet access from either AOL, Earthlink, or MSN. Sounds perfect for you.

 

[KC-10 Driver]

I use mybluelight.com, unlimited for about $8.95 per month (netzero is good too, but bluelight is about $1 cheaper). I have had no problems with connections domestically. I use bluelight solely to connect, and for nothing else.

Internationally, I have a bit more trouble. AOL would be best overseas, but the AOL software messes up a lot of other stuff on my computer. So AT&T or MSN are the next best for overseas, I think. However, their coverage overseas is very limited.

Does anyone have any good non-AOL options for internet connectivity while outside of the USA?

 

[flx757]

Falcondriver,

Don't know who your home provider is, but I have DSL at home through SBC. They gave me an 800 # to use on the road for unlimited free dial-up. (I'm on it now, as a matter of fact.)

It wasn't something they advertised, but when I inquired about dial-up, one of their tech reps gave me the 800 #. I've been using it for months, and it really has been free and unlimited. No additional charges have showed up on my bill at all.

 

[falcondriver]

I have ATT broad band. They say you get 2 hours free but have to pay for more. At least thats what the technical guy told me today...
Thanks for your help
falcondriver

 

[Eagleflip]

I too use Bluelight. Their access numbers are numerous, and the software allows for multiple locations so that you can log on easily from your normal overnight hotel.

I've only used this domestically, though.

 

[FlyToVegas]

look out!

You just be "wow'd" when you see what it costs to connect in most hotel rooms...fees can range from a flat fee of something like $5 to a buck a minute, which should quickly eat through what you saved shopping for a well-priced internet service. Some hotel chains (such as Holiday Inn) won't charge at most hotels, but be very careful.

That said, I gave up on taking the laptop for that very reason. It seems I got all the "benefits" of having it searched at "security" by those too stupid to know what they were looking at without the benefits of using it on the road (I recall one crewmember unwittingly racking up $200...that's right $200 of charges surfing in just one night.)

Now, time permitting, I hop back into the hotel van, have them take me back to the airport, but this time over to the GA FBOs. I have found that many Signature Flight Supports, Millioniars, and others have free internet access and as long as I am polite and don't hog the machine, it's no problem.

 

[falcondriver]

I'm buying the hp4220 laptop. I'm still having second thoughts about buying it. I need it to complete my degree. I have 3 classes left and I've always wanted a laptop but I'm concerned about the cost of getting online "while on the road".
Thanks for the help
FD

 

[prpjt]

I was just curious why many seem to be anti AOL. Is it just the high cost or is there something evil about it that I'm unaware of. KC 10 mentioned that it was corrupting other things on his computer. Not trying to be a wiseas s, just want to know. I've had good luck with it on the road since there are 2 zillion access numbers. Thanks.

 

[wanabe_fo]

from an ex- tech support guy

Very ANTI AOL!!!!!!

Aol works on the assumption that you will only want to ever connect to the AOL network and will never ever want to connect to another "network" or service provider ever in the future. They push software for their updates to your computer without you getting a vote in the matter.

When I worked at Johnson and Johnson, anytime one of my sales reps would install AOL, it would prevent them from dialing into the corporate net to get their corp. e-mail and sales quota stuff.

I tell people if you install it, you loose controll over what "software" is truelly on you computer and I refuse to work on it when it breaks untill you give me permission to format the disk!

Wanabe

 

[KingAirer]

Some of the hotels ive been stuck at have a flat rate of like .50 per call no matter how long the call is, so i will just leave my computer on for that whole time. Others are the 50Cents for first hour then .50 a minute afterwards and can get completly insane and expensive. I dont know what kind of hotels youll be staying in or what the company policys are, But if ya get lucky youll get a hotel with a network line. Then you need nothing but an ethernet card and and ethernet cable and no ISP, and on top of that its FAST. But from my experinces those are few and far between. I did the AOL trial thing, and then went to cancel and they begged for me not to and gave me 3 months free. After that was up I called to cancel and i got another 2 months for free...I still havent paid them a cent.

 

[Snoopy58]

satisfied (if not wildly happy) aol user

For prpjt,

I've kept AOL for a lotta years, and still use it on the road. I have highspeed access at home, where I use AOL for email & IE for surfing (both over the highspeed internet access). On the road, I connect with AOL & surf with IE. Works okay for me. AOL has plenty of access numbers, and I've never caught it installing spyware on my computers (tho I've found other things that do... Gator, Real Networks, etc). Of course, I don't have other dialup networks that I use; wanabe is correct that AOL doesn't coexist very well with such things. Only a factor if your laptop is setup to dial in to a corporate server of some sort.

Don't know about uninstalling AOL & how much trash it leaves behind, but a reasonably smart tech rep can fix your internet settings from the Control Panel. Reformat is unnecessary overkill (tho probably a more effective deterrent).

The AOL content & the AOL browser aren't all that exciting any more, but it is a reliable way to connect to the internet, and enough people use it that most internet software out there (thinking specifically of the SWA crew portal & our ability to access our scheduling system over the 'net) will generally explain how to set things up to run with AOL.

The other reason that I keep it is because everyone I know has my AOL email address (no, it isn't Snoopy58) & I don't feel like changing it.

Cheers!

 

[100LL... Again!]

AT&T sells internet cards that work just like calling cards. Buy 'em at the gas station. Be careful, I THINK that the retailer has to acivate them. Check out AT&T's website. Buy a CD with thwe software and a card, then just buy replacement cards.

 

[328dude]

Falcon, I use my laptop for the same reason you are going to. I had a HP, but it broke fairly easy with me carrying it around all over creation. I have since bought a Dell and the support is so much better then HP.

This is not a computer debate here. Just stating fact.


PM, if you have any other questions.

 

[Draginass]

The phone lines in many hotels are so poor that you only get 24kbps out of them. Some have high speed ethernet lines, but the last room I was in they wanted $12.95 for use of it.