Should I buy an Aircard or can I get more by tethering

[scheve1775]

We will soon be setting out to travel the country in a fifth wheel trailer. This is being done in conjunction with a new internet business that we will need to administrate from the road. We have service with AT&T, with one phone on the 3G network. The other phone will be replaced by a pda or smartphone. We are purchasing equipment from Wilson electronics so that we can boost our signal for our phones as well as our laptop both while traveling and while in campgrounds (they don't all have wifi) as it is essential that we be connected as best possible. We also plan to have a PC in the fifth wheel so that we can both work at the sme time via a VPN.

So thats the back ground. The question is; do I buy an aircard and pay $60 per month for unlimited data connection? Or can I buy a pda or smartphone that will give me the dual function of acting as a modem for my computer(s) and allowing me to stay connected to the internet when it is not practical to carry a laptop around without having to pay for a second data plan?

Do any of these pda's or smartphones provide full internet service?
As we are not familiar with these types of setups; what else do we need to know about or concider?

Thanks in advance for your any light you can shed on this important aspect our enormous and overwhelming undertaking.

[scheve1775]

So, after lots of views and no replies I will restate this and see if it will stir things up.

I need mobile internet connect for my Vio and I want to buy a Tilt. I figured that I could buy the $59.99 unlimited data plan (typically for an aircard) for the Tilt. Will that type of plan work for the Tilt and give me fully capable internet on the Vio?

[scheve1775]

I bought the Tilt on the 24th. The salesperson was great. After selling me a data plan for $69.99 he did some more research. He called me and told me that he got me a teathering plan for $39.99 that will do everything I need.

[sunni]

Thanks for the info.
Sunni

[sunni]

thanks for the info, but you didn't say what plan, company, pda, smart phone or what. Anymore info. Thanks

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by scheve1775

I bought the Tilt on the 24th. The salesperson was great. After selling me a data plan for $69.99 he did some more research. He called me and told me that he got me a teathering plan for $39.99 that will do everything I need.

I'm on the 39.99 unlimited PDA data plan with a Tilt, and my teathering works just fine. I set up the Tilt so it can act as a WiFi access point. No expensive teathering plan required. As soon as my rebate goes through I'm going back down to the $19.99 media net unlimited plan. The Tilt also comes with teathering software for USB or bluetooth preinstalled.

-Jay

[budney]

That $39.99 plan is when you have a voice plan with it, right?

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by budney

That $39.99 plan is when you have a voice plan with it, right?

Yes, that data plan is on the same line as my voice plan.

-Jay

[Bugwart]

The advantages of an aircard are:
1. That it is somewhat faster than tethering.
2. No one will interept you internet access by calling the tethered phone.

The downside is that it is more expensive.

HTC certainly makes the most advanced phones!!

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by Bugwart

The advantages of an aircard are:
1. That it is somewhat faster than tethering.
2. No one will interept you internet access by calling the tethered phone.

The downside is that it is more expensive.

HTC certainly makes the most advanced phones!!

If you have a 3G data connection your data will not be interrupted by a call. This is true on EDGE and GPRS though.

-Jay

[walkerfence]

i plan to buy a new laptop and aircard in the next 7-10 days. what is required of the laptop (mhz, etc...) to be compatable with the aircard. i have an older pentium III now that probably wont do the job, right? thanks for any and all help!

[clock3687]

Originally Posted by walkerfence

i plan to buy a new laptop and aircard in the next 7-10 days. what is required of the laptop (mhz, etc...) to be compatable with the aircard. i have an older pentium III now that probably wont do the job, right? thanks for any and all help!

Hey walker, welcome to WA! Any modern laptop will be able to handle an aircard. If you only plan to use your aircard with your laptop, then get make sure that the laptop has an expresscard slot (most do now & this is where your aircard will go). A laptop w/ at least 1gb of RAM and a dual core processor will make your aircard run smoothly. Whatever you do, stay away from notebooks with the Intel Celeron & AMD Sempron processors, they're very slow and don't have very great battery life. Good luck.

[walkerfence]

Originally Posted by clock3687

Hey walker, welcome to WA! Any modern laptop will be able to handle an aircard. If you only plan to use your aircard with your laptop, then get make sure that the laptop has an expresscard slot (most do now & this is where your aircard will go). A laptop w/ at least 1gb of RAM and a dual core processor will make your aircard run smoothly. Whatever you do, stay away from notebooks with the Intel Celeron & AMD Sempron processors, they're very slow and don't have very great battery life. Good luck.

thanks for the reply! would a compaq 1.4 pentium "m" with 1gb of memory, do the trick? thanks!