WiFi on the road

I've been on the road constantly for the past three weeks, with another 5 days ahead of me. It came as no surprise that finding good WiFi access has often been my biggest challenge.

For the past week I have been staying in an old factory town in northwest NJ and it is WiFi challenged. The only hotel in a town of close to 20k people has "free WiFi" and it works...... mostly. But I'm only there to sleep so it's of limited use.

The building I'm in most of the time was built in the 50's and I swear it's built out of a material that absorbs radio waves!! Cell phone coverage is very poor and WiFi  nonexistent. It's a real problem when we have all come to depend on cell phones and the internet to communicate.

Fortunately I found two solutions that have been able to keep me sane. The first is the wonderful Verizon PC770 Expresscard modem. As long as I use it near an east facing window I can get a usable signal and I can get online.

The second solution is even more elegant. I've been testing the new Verizon LG VS910 4G smartphone and it's a lifesaver. It has a 4G Mobile Hotspot app that works remarkably well. Because the Hotspot capability is a real power drainer, I plug the charger in, put the phone on a window sill and have the capability of connecting four devices to it. I have a secure, ultra-compact WiFi server working that allows me to have excellent connections with all of my WiFi devices.

My suggestion to all traveling geeks is to make sure your next smartphone has Hotspot capability!