[Daveg]

:rolleyes: Hi

Can anyone tell me if or how it is possible to get on internet with a laptop p/c on a caravan site.
Quite fancy buying one, but my wife needs a reason to justify the purchase !!!!

Thanks

Dave

[Oolagha]

Daveg, on Feb 5 2006, 12:11 AM, said:

:rolleyes: Hi 

Can anyone tell me if or how it is possible to get on internet with a laptop p/c on a caravan site.
Quite fancy buying one, but my wife needs a reason to justify the purchase !!!!

Thanks 

Dave

It is possible to get on to the internet from a laptop on a caravan site - I use it all the time that way - but I have to connect via my mobile phone which is expensive - but it does work !!

Margaret

[Moose]

with the laptop you will also be able to:

play DVDs
and watch telly
and listen to your entire music collection
and play Sudoku
and ... :P

BTW - have you considered giving your wife this laptop as a Valentines present :D :lol: :rolleyes:

ATB
Moose

[klyne]

Dave

There are several ways of connecting to the internet but as Margaret points out none of them are cheap. I use my Nokia 6100 (a bit old hat now!) which I connect to the laptop via a USB data cable. Depending on the phone you can use Infra Red/Bluetooth. Don't forget that using your phone as a modem the speeds can be very slow so OK for e-mail but very slow for web pages. If you can connect via GPRS speed should improve to a similar speed to a normal dial-up connection at home. One major difference between between the two types of connection is that GPRS charges by the amount of download where as using your phone a a modem you pay by the minute, particularly frightening abroad!!!

Two other connection methods. Firstly you can buy a G3/GPRS card modem that fits into the PCMCIA slot most laptops have. The advantage of G3 is that it gives you near Broadband speeds but coverage is patchy at the moment. When you can't get a G3 signal it reverts back to a GPRS card which although slower has better coverage. A second method which is getting wider use is WiFi. You do have to have a laptop with a wireless connection capability, this is either achieved by it being built in or by an add on. With WiFi you do have to have an access point near to your, OK in towns and cities but not a facility offered by many campsites yet.

There is a mass of info out there on the internet and specialist forums where you can get far more detailed advice.

David

[Gazhyde]

Just a general thought about this. I have considered this before, and asides from the overall cost involved in buying, setting up and maintaining it, I can only say WHY?

I guess it could just be me, but when I am on holiday, I dont want the distraction. I prefer to sit down with a glass of wine and a good book! (when not playing with the kids).

I think once people establish you are 'available' (as with mobiles) your holiday starts to become less of one. The mobile phone gets turned off as well.

Now, on the other hand, there are some really good uses whilst you are on site. Like finding out whats on in the area, shops, cinemas etc - so it can be useful.

In my case, I think it would intrude too much. But then I work on them all day, and then use one when I come home for a couple of hours. So I probably just need a break from them... :blink:

Gaz.

[klyne]

Quote

Just a general thought about this. I have considered this before, and asides from the overall cost involved in buying, setting up and maintaining it, I can only say WHY?

Gaz

You could have a point but the internet is the often the way people keep in touch with family and friends. Most years we spend at least three weeks abroad and I like to keep in touch with my internet banking which I would not be happy doing from a public terminal.

David

[Road Runner]

Quote

Now, on the other hand, there are some really good uses whilst you are on site. Like finding out whats on in the area, shops, cinemas etc - so it can be useful.

This would make it worthwhile for us as like to go as we pleased but to view the possible next site or even book it would be great ;) ;)

[Briarose]

Hi I won't go into whether you should or shouldn't as I think that is down to the individual, just like having TV ETC in the caravan is, as we tend to go more in Winter than Summer (due to work) I missed having my laptop with me on the dark nights etc.

I have a Vodaphone 3G card (I am in van and posting on it now) for £20 a Month you get 250MB which is quite a lot really, I have been amazed how far this goes, the card was free and it is a 12 Month contract, but if you don't use the MB they don't carry over.

The card simply plugs into the laptop and that is it very simple, speeds are about the same as dial up in most areas, but when we were in Blackpool it was zooming at BB speeds.

I got mine from the following link the people there are very helpful and it is a free phone number, I think the guy that helped me was called Adrian but you should find all the info you need if you are interested on that link.
http://www.airtimema...Data_Cards.aspx

HTH Briar

[mejo]

Just looked at the web site mentioned above. It really does look a good if you are on the move all the time. It would be useful for caravanners if the contract price per month could be reduced - perhaps with less than 250Mb data. On the other hand why don't the clubs set up a wi-fi system at their sites. Users could pay extra per night for access.

[Audiman]

Depends whether you are intending to go abroad......my parents stay in Spain for 6 months at a time. Their campsite (and many in the area) have dedicated in ternet connections for which you pay 1 euro a day to use.

I have a wireless network card, and very often you can pick up a local wireless connection, I am assuming it is from somebody else's computer.

Don't know if it is legal, but it works.....although more and more people are getting software to encrypt their model to stop this.

It took a few years for my parents to be convinced, but now they are hooked. Their campsite even has internet lessons once a week!!!

[klyne]

Quote

I have a wireless network card, and very often you can pick up a local wireless connection, I am assuming it is from somebody else's computer.

Don't know if it is legal, but it works.....although more and more people are getting software to encrypt their model to stop this.

Audiman

Have to say I am intrigued by your post. How do you get on for logging on or is it because you pick up the connection the other side of the log in? If you are logging in on the back of someones Broadband connection its not costing them anything extra is it!

David

[Briarose]

Hi I know this can be done as my Friend sat outside my house and did it in her motorhome from her laptop.............I am sure it was on TV a while ago that is is illegal to do this, I know some sites do offer wireless we were recently on one and it was £5 for your stay.

I am more than happy with this card, recently we were in Woodhall Spa and the site there is really really bad for a mobile signal, however this 3G card worked with the aerial you can get as an extra to boost power and costs about £20 to buy off the net.

I have a Seasonal Business so in the Summer it will be handy when I need to send or check orders via email etc too, I know it sounds a lot £20 a Month but I looked at it at a £5 a week no more than a decent bottle of wine B) or a couple of magazines these days.

I don't however think it would be cost effective abroad.

[navarac]

Definitely possible. See picture of camper on C&CC Winchcombe last year. In the middle of the pitches to get a good Mobile Phone signal to use with Laptop via Bluetooth.
 laptop_on_site.jpg (21.27K)
Number of downloads: 48

[Audiman]

klyne, on Feb 5 2006, 02:26 PM, said:

Audiman

Have to say I am intrigued by your post. How do you get on for logging on or is it because you pick up the connection the other side of the log in? If you are logging in on the back of someones Broadband connection its not costing them anything extra is it!

David

Yes, that is it because all broadband connections are on a per monthly basis. I found this out by accident, we were on holiday and out of curiosity, I clivked on the find connection setting with the wireless software and I suddenly found that I was connected!!!

Like I say though there are alot more people who encrypt ther connection now.

[Moose]

klyne, on Feb 5 2006, 02:26 PM, said:

Audiman

Have to say I am intrigued by your post. How do you get on for logging on or is it because you pick up the connection the other side of the log in? If you are logging in on the back of someones Broadband connection its not costing them anything extra is it!

David

it's considered to be theft and therefore a criminal offence . . . and don't get me started on the implications of the Misuse of Computers legislation :rolleyes: :o

ATB
Moose

P.S. this issue is an egg and I am the granny

[Moose]

iank, on Feb 5 2006, 01:49 PM, said:

I am using my laptop in the caravan and the area were we are located is bad for any signal never mind 3G.  We upgraded our phones to 6680s with orange and get 1 GB of download for £4 per month.  This allows me to surf the Internet and also receive emails and have left over megabytes.  When in a 3G area it is like broadband!

I have the paid for luxury of :

a 3g SIM card in my HP laptop
a 2g SIM card in my iPaq 6515
a 2g SIM card in my Sony Ericsson S700i mobile phone

all of which allow me to email and websurf, to varying degrees :rolleyes:

Generally I can conceal the phone and iPaq when we are away and the laptop is typically banned <_<

Of a weekend I can browse the forum in graphic or LowFi format from the iPaq quite effectively - just think back to what the internet was like before Pentium PCs and broadband ;)
and I just use the phone to check for incoming personal emails.

No matter what, I don't log in to work B) even tho' a bluetooth connection to my phone or the 3g card will both give my laptop a secure corporate connection to the company network.

ATB

Moose

[iansoady]

Audiman, on Feb 5 2006, 02:04 PM, said:

I have a wireless network card, and very often you can pick up a local wireless connection, I am assuming it is from somebody else's computer.

Don't know if it is legal, but it works.....although more and more people are getting software to encrypt their model to stop this.

It probably isn't strictly legal as Moose says but I've tried it and it does work - best places are around trading estates etc where there are lots of wireless networks many of which are unencrypted. Remember that you're not actually stealing anything from anyone....

There is also a netwoerk (small but growing) of legitimate free WiFi access points - look here for a useful site showing where they are.

[klyne]

Not really up on the subject of WiFi just know about its existence and that you are connected via wireless. My laptop does not have any built in facilities to connect via wireless but I assume it could be added in the form of a laptop card but what do I need in terms of hardware and software?

David

[Moose]

a wireless PC card or USB stick should work with most modern laptops without any additional software.

this is another opportunity to visit PC world <_<