Wi-fi Cards - Do we need them?

[MT Stringer]

I have had a Sprint air card for my laptop since we evacuated from Hurricane Ike. It has worked well for me...at $63/month.

It seems the only time I need it is if I stay at a hotel without internet access. So that got me to thinking. Are there enough places that offer free wi-fi that the air card is no longer needed?

Most of the places I have stayed at had wireless internet access and a few still used the DSL. And a few didn't have any internet access.

So, I am curious...

What are the names of some places that offer free internet access that you have encountered in your travels around Texas and beyond?

Thanks
Mike

[johnastovall]

I can't think of any place I've stay in the last year that didn't have free WiFi.

[Tom]

If you get a Sprint EVO4, you can tether your phone to your laptop for internet.

[andyz]

Having just spent a few days in Lajitas, (think Big Bend National Park) they even had free WiFi. I think most places do and finally some nicer, more expensive hotels are giving it free. (I always thought it weird that expensive places charge, cheap places don't. Guess they figured theirs was worth more, or you were expensing it and really didn't care.)

[Sentinel Chicken]

The Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio charges for 'Net access- we were there over thus past Memorial Day weekend. Many of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip charged as well, but we were last in Vegas 2 years ago.

[Dobick]

there is a gas station in Jackson, WY that had free wifi back in 2003.

Most of the hotels I have ever stayed at in the past 3 years have had it.

If you have ATT at home, you get free wifi at starbucks

Most towns I have been through in Texas have at least one open wifi signal/cafe with broadcast.

A few of the Truckstops along I-20 have it as well

[brewercm]

The Disney World hotels charge as well. Then again I was also having to sit in the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom to do some work so it came in handy there. Glad I don't do that job any more. I guess at least I was able to go as upposed to not being able to though.

[MT Stringer]

Good info. Thanks for the feedback. 'Course I will probably use it this weekend at the softball tournament. I am just trying to figure out if it is worth the expense or not. Sometimes I may go a month or two without plugging it in.

My Blackberry is AT&T. The air card is Sprint. Home stuff is Comcast internet and cable.

[brewercm]

I just switched over to the EVO tonight and as soon as my wife can change her phone over to one also I'm going to get rid of our 4g air card. I didn't bother setting up tethering on mine until that point. The price for both phones to allow tethering it will be the same cost as just the air card right now.

[epoh]

$63/month?? You can just tether your blackberry to your laptop and use the 3g. Slower, but also, much cheaper.

[hotshot38]

I've tethered my Sprint BB over a year ago. You should try installing the software for it and trying to connect.

If you're going to upgrade a phone, try to get something that will work as a mifi type device...I think the EVO4 mentioned earlier will do it, without tethering.

[brewercm]

It will up to 8 devices working as a MIFI style device. Not trying to sell anyone on aything but 10x faster than 3G is pretty decent if you really have to have it. It's only $29 a month more to add that option per phone, right now I'm paying $60 a month just for the card.

I haven't gotten the chance to use it yet that way with the phone but when my card connects 4g compared to 3g it's like night and day.

I would imagine it would also have to do with why you need to use it. At the time I was working as a DBA and needed the speed. Then again I could write off as a business expense also so worth it to me at that time.

[MT Stringer]

Originally Posted by epoh

$63/month?? You can just tether your blackberry to your laptop and use the 3g. Slower, but also, much cheaper.

Guess I need to check in to that. I don't know anything about tethering the two together.

[ronocnikral]

even the hotels in angola had free wifi.

if you landed at a hotel that charged, i would think you could keep your yearly hotel internet charges less than $750. unless you lived at a hotel, in which case i would think you could broker some type of free internet deal.

we're treating internet like it's a necessity of life.

[hotshot38]

Heck...since I got my iPhone I rarely take my laptop with me anymore. I suspect that'll be more true if I upgrade to an EVO4G or the iPhone4.

I forget exactly how I tethered my blackberry.....I THINK I just installed the software that came with it. BUT I might have had to d/l an extra piece of software from the Spring site. After that, you just hook your BB via USB cable and click the 'Connect' button on your desktop. Pretty simple once ya know how.