Setting up camp close to a metropolitan area might mean reliable wireless access, just don't count on it. After cobbling together a solution and some troubleshooting, bMighty's "Tech On The Go" correspondent is back online.
Our "Tech On the Go" correspondent Scott Koegler will be filing his column from the road this summer as he crosses the country with his family over the next six weeks. Though there's bound to be some "vacationing" along the way, Scott will continue to operate his small business from the road. Throughout this adventure, he'll share tips, tricks, and insights about how to keep a business running smoothly when you're on the move while maintaining a virtual connection to his office network, server, desktop computer, and video surveillance system.
Scott and his wife, Donna Marie, are traveling in a Ford E-350 van, pulling a travel trailer, accompanied by their dogs Cody and Mac. They left their home in Wilkesboro, N.C., on June 16 bound for the Rocky Mountains. After crossing the Continental Divide, they'll stop off in Las Vegas, peek into the Grand Canyon, and visit family in New Mexico before heading for home along Route 66 (and more modern byways).
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Stonelick State Park, Pleasant Plain, Ohio -- The first leg of our trip has taken us from Wilkesboro, N.C., to just outside Cincinnati, Ohio. The drive took about 8 hours, which is longer than the 6 hours we plan to spend on the road during our driving days. In general, the trip from here to the Grand Tetons will have us stopping for one night, then for two nights. The longer stops will allow me to catch up on work, writing, e-mails, and other things that can't be handled in a couple hours each night. For this stop in Cincinnati, we are stopping for three nights because we are visiting family.
The park here is lovely. Ohio always has done a great job with its state park system. Regardless of the idyllic surroundings, however, I expected that our proximity to a major city would automatically mean good wireless connections. I was wrong ... but prepared, at least partially.
I have two cellular devices, each on different carriers, as a safeguard for this kind of situation. My Samsung BlackJack II uses AT&T, and my Novatel Ovation U727 USB modem uses Sprint's services. I have a couple of additional tricks that (should) help reception, but suffice it to say that we seem to be just outside Sprint's service range. Fortunately, my BlackJack II does connect to AT&T, but at the slower connection speed. Had the campground been about 5 miles closer to town, I would have had a 3G connection. Bottom line, I'm able to tether the BlackJack II via USB, and use it as a dial-up connection. The service is OK, but definitely not broadband.
To help things along, I have a Wi-EX cell signal booster that should be making it easier to get a good signal. I had problems getting a decent connection unless I held the phone against the camper's window, but after a quick call to the Wi-Ex support, it was determined that my exterior and interior antennae were too close to each other. The giveaway was that the unit's LED was red rather than green, indicating that ... I needed more separation between the antennae so their signals didn't cross. Once I moved the interior antenna to the end of its cable length, the LED turned green, and suddenly I have a decent connection. However, only on the AT&T service. The zBoost YX230 can't perform magic, producing a good signal from none at all, as is the case for Sprint service at this location.
I use the office version of the Wi-Ex cell phone booster in my basement office to successfully pull a signal from the top of my chimney to the office. The automotive version does the same on a 12-volt system. The YX230 can boost most signals, which makes it ideal for a situation like mine, where you want to have multiple carriers' products available because either (hopefully, not both) may be out of range at any particular moment.
Don't Miss: Mobile and Wireless for Smaller Business
Other, more mundane challenges took up part of my day today as well. One of the tires on the camper suffered "tread separation" and had to be replaced. Technology involved? Of course. I used Google Earth to find the closest tire stores, then used my TomTom GO 930 to direct me to the store. More about both Google and the TomTom later, but they combined to make the best of what could have been an all-day affair.
Our next stop will be in Illinois. I plan on using the Weather Channel as well as a phone call to check the route and the campground to find how it has fared after the flooding in that area. Rerouting may be in order. Another job for the GO 930 and DeLorme Street Atlas.
See you on the road!
See more "Tech on the Go" columns by Scott Koegler
