Tech

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Why I Pay For Mobile Internet Instead of Relying on Public Wifi

I’ve been using my own mobile internet connection in Canada for years now and am in my second bout of using it in the US. When I have access to a safe, reliable, and fast wifi connection (such as at a friend’s or family member’s), I’ll go with that since mobile internet can be slow and the bandwidth is limited. But when I’m traveling or staying in a campground, my own connection is preferable.

In no particular order, here are the reasons I pay the high prices for mobile internet instead of relying on public wif:

– I need access to do business. My mobile connection doesn’t always work, but I can pretty much rely on having internet access anywhere there is cell service. I don’t have to hope that I find a wifi hotspot with a good signal and I can do my own troubleshooting. It really sucks to be relying on someone’s wifi and have that person’s router fail and need a reboot when you don’t have access to the device.

– Using public wifi for anything more than checking email and doing very light surfing is stealing. I didn’t understand that when I hit the road. I thought that access to wifi meant access to unlimited bandwidth. That is not the case. If you start downloading massive files or go on a streaming marathon, you’re reducing usage availability for everyone else by slowing down the network. In some regions, you can even incur huge bandwidth overages for your hosts to pay.

– My connection is secure. I have no idea who is monitoring a public network.

– My cellular connection tends to be faster than most park wifi.

– I can go anywhere on the web with my connection. I was having trouble getting my computer to recognize the handset this morning so I used the the park wifi for a short while. I could not access several sites because the state of Louisiana has blocked them.

– It’s a tax deductible expense.

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Done With Telus

George at Telus probably thinks he hung up with the most unreasonable bitch on the planet tonight. Let’s just say I was a tad… short with him. I made sure to direct my words at Telus, not him specifically, but he got the message loud and clear that he better not get into this customer retention spiel.

Telus, like all Canadian telecom companies, sucks. I’ve parted ways in the same manner with Bell and Vidétron. I really don’t know what I’ll be doing for internet, mobile or otherwise, when I get back to Canada, but I’ve been sending Telus $40 a month for too long just to keep my account open. It was time to slam that door shut. They’ve provided great internet service, I’ll grant them that, but customer service has been vile and their prices usurious.

I sent an email several weeks ago asking to cancel my account and included my phone number. I got two emails from George claiming that he called me and asking for a number to reach me at. I guess the phone number in bold 72 point red font in the second email finally got his attention.

Verizon has spoiled me for life. If was wealthy, I’d pay their crazy Canadian data charges to never again have to deal with Canadian telecom companies. They are just so vile.

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Georgia Nostalgia

I am parked at the Walmart in Newnan Georgia, the state where the trajectory my old life was taking suddenly look a wild detour! Tomorrow, I get to start adding new states to my map! 🙂

The morning was a bit rough. I couldn’t get online (note to self, reboot the phone next time this happens) and with the laptop being nearly dead, I decided to drive to a rest area about an hour and a half away for breakfast. So I took off without even having coffee.

The GPS routed me at a diagonal through secondary roads back to I-85 just ahead of the rest area. This route was a little bit of work first thing in the morning, but nothing too difficult.

I got back on the interstate and drove through Gaffney, which boasts a big peach for a water tower:

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I cheered when I saw the sign announcing the rest area just after and went WTF???!!! that it was closed with no information about how far the next one was. I checked the DOT website last night and there was no mention of a closure!

I drove. Short of stopping in a busy town and looking for a place to stop, this was the only option. I did want to get through Atlanta sooner than later, so I decided to just get some mileage under me.

At Piedmont, I saw a sign for a Pilot Travel Centre, so I took a chance that there would be room to park. Nope, and I barely got out without having to unhook again. I am NEVER going to a Pilot again!!!

I got out of there, stopped at a red light, and saw the most beautiful sight ahead of me: a crumbling shell of a building with an unblocked U-shaped driveway.

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I managed to get online while the coffee was brewing, dealt with my most pressing matters, made a couple of calls (including that I could park here in Newnan), and got under way again.

I passed a rest area at Anderson, shortly after Piedmont (figures), then the Georgia Welcome Center, but I wasn’t ready to stop. Little did I know, there would be no more obvious stops available to me.

I didn't know that Tiger Direct has an actual physical store.

I didn’t know that Tiger Direct has an actual physical store.

Before long, Atlanta was upon me:

First glimpse of Atlanta.

First glimpse of Atlanta.

I’d done my research and knew that driving straight through in the middle lanes was the best course of action. The semis have to use the by-pass, so that means there are no vehicles bigger than an RV driving through downtown.

Traffic was a little thick in spots, but Montreal traffic is never this easy. So I was really glad I didn’t get worked up over crossing Atlanta or lose any sleep over it!

Cruising through downtown Atlanta, the pace and traffic relaxed enough to enjoy the scenery.

Cruising through downtown Atlanta, the pace and traffic relaxed enough to enjoy the scenery.

It’s a bit early to be stopped for the day, but I am knackered! The lot is big and mostly empty, so I’m not taking up valuable parking space. I’ll take this time to clean up the rig a little (don’t ask me how, but my shredder flew across the office and the cats got into the shredded paper and there is now confetti EVERYWHERE), then I might go to Applebee’s for dinner (hey, I can’t remember the last time I went to Applebee’s, so I’m due!).

I also need to figure out where I’m stopping tomorrow. I was thinking of a Walmart in Mobile, but I wouldn’t mind finding a place where I could park for a couple of nights so that I could take a road trip into Florida. I have only most technically been to Florida, so I side trip to Pensacola might be in order.

Then, New Orleans, probably for a week! I’ll be staying at an inexpensive RV park so that I will have the option to take off with the truck to explore the environs and possibly even overnight. I really need a break from my cats. 🙂

The power situation is good so far today. It’s been too cloudy to get a full charge, but the sun has come out and there are a few hours left, so I will be fine tonight. The batteries are at 94% right now and we’re supposed to stay above freezing tonight! YAAAAAY.

My mood is much improved over yesterday. How could it not knowing that tomorrow I will finally see the Gulf of Mexico?

I continue to be amused by the comments I get that my blog is not about travel when, even with a year’s hiatus in Lethbridge, I have covered this much ground in just over four years:

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Just Call Me MacGyver!

I did some more research about Macbook Pros and voltage before shutting down my computer earlier this morning and found information that led me to believe that I could still charge under slightly lower than optimal voltage, it just wouldn’t be as efficient.

The motorhome engine battery puts out more than 14 volts when the engine is running. Could that be enough to charge my Macbook Pro while I was driving? Hmm…

All of my inverters are designed to be hard wired to a battery, so they do not have a 12V plug. I had a one of those left over from when I added my 12V outlet in the study, so I spliced it into my 300W inverter. I got into the cab, plugged in the inverter, turned on the engine, turned on the inverter, plugged in the computer and… voila! I got a solid hour of charging while getting to the next rest area, giving me 50% battery capacity.

By managing my computer use, I will be fine for computer power while I’m traveling, but this is obviously not going to work when I stop to boondock for an extended period of time. So I will be ordering the 12V charger to be sent general delivery to a post office in the New Orleans area.

I’m feeling much, much better now that I understand what has been going on and am now confident that my battery bank is working as it should be! It’s wonderful to be sitting here with the solar array monitor telling me the batteries are fully charged and that the battery monitor and the batteries themselves confirm it!

I called ahead to the Walmart just south of Charlotte that I was eyeing and they definitely allow overnight parking! They’re only a couple of hours away from this rest area, so I will spend several hours here and will leave around 2PM or so to avoid rush hour.

Tomorrow is the big day: Atlanta. I’ve done my research on the RVing forums and the consensus is to stick to the interstate’s centre lanes through the city rather than use the bypass and to go through at either midday or midnight.

At the rate I am going, I could be in New Orleans by Thursday or Friday, but I’m just playing it by ear. I’m really enjoying these short driving spurts coupled with long pauses at rest areas, even if the semis are noisy!

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Frigid Night in North Carolina

BRR!!!!!!!!! We went well below freezing last night in Henderson! It’s till unpleasantly cold out there. At least, the sun is out!

I treated myself to a new duvet before leaving Hampton Roads and it is divine. I didn’t even know how cold the rig was until I poked my nose out from under the blankets this morning!

I had left the furnace set to about 50F (thinking in degrees F? I’ve been in the US too long!) and it kicked on seconds before I reached the thermostat to crank it up. I went back to bed with the iPad since the Lowe’s had wifi (!!!!!!) until it was warm enough to get up.

Since there’s a rest area a few minutes down I-85 from Henderson, I decided to just dress and go there (here), where I could have breakfast, assess my electrical situation, and hang out for a bit. I’ll be shortly moving on to another rest area as there are 50 billion signs here saying no loitering, 2 hours max.

My laptop’s out of juice, so more later. Hopefully, I can find some power for it today. Gah.