Cellphone WiFi hotspot - alternative to Disney $10/day Internet access

[wdwbound]

Seabee...thanks for the info...right now we are getting as much feedback as possible on what everyone uses and what would work for us. Glad to have a fellow Mainer give me info so that I know it will work up here. Looking into giving up our Fairpoint landline hopefully this summer. I have a friend's son who works for Verizon and I believe he would be willing to give me lots of help on this too.

Nancy

 

[mom24diskidz]

Agreed , I also just got the Pre and I am loving it more and more. Traded up from a dumb phone as well. Love knowing I have access at the Fort .

 

[LMC]

SCIMACER:
Where did you get the software? DH has the droid and I need access for 8 days while there for school. I anticipate only needed to read assignments and not having to do any major downloads or assignment uploads so it sounds like this would work for me. I just bought the Virgin wireless device at walmart but can return it. It was $99 but the airtime starts at $10 and I only have to buy it when I needed it no contracts. And does the droid then operate wireless or do I need to buy a special cable to tether it to my laptop?
THNX!

I have the new Droid, from Verizon.. Found some software (ten bucks) that will allow me to tether my laptop from the phone and use the phones internet.. No additional charge, the 30 bucks a month for my data plan on my phone is all I need.

I had an air card, what a rip off.

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

LMC,

Download "pdanet" from the Android market. There is a free version and a paid version. I use the free version without any trouble on my Hero. You will need to also download some additional software from pdanet to your laptop. Then you will need to enable "debug mode" in your settings on the Droid (settings -> applications -> development -> check usb debugging). You tether the phone to the laptop via a mini usb.

Hope that helps.

Link
http://www.junefabrics.com/android/index.php

 

[LMC]

OK, thanks! I'll have to see if my husband got the cable with the phone.

 

[des1954]

Update to my previous post. My DH works in sales and his company has a sales lead management system that the sales people need to constantly check for new leads. They are required to respond to all inquiries within 8 hours - hence the Palm Pre'. My DH is also 57 with the eyesight that goes along with being 57 . For an afternoon, the Palm Pre' is adequate - but for a weekend - it's too little to be constantly using. So..... we ended up going to Verizon and getting a Gateway Netbook. They have a special running thru the end of May for $129 less a $100 rebate. The service is $39.95/mo for 250Mb of usage. If you are not doing updates or downloading big files, this is way more than adequate for our needs. It was remarkably fast. I spent most of Saturday afternoon at the Fort keeping in touch on FB & here on the Dis. I was also able to keep up on my e-mail's, and my DH could answer sales inquiries & attach his PDF files to his responses. (He can't do that on the Pre').

The manager at the Verizon Wireless store said that monthly pricing was being re-evaluated because they are losing too many customers over pricing issues. We have 10 months left on our Sprint contract and will check back with Verizon upon expiration of contract. In our area, Verizon's network is much more reliable than Sprint's.

 

[kimber23ks]

Hey Parrottheader:

is this link something that can be used to "tether" my Verizon smartphone to my laptop for internet?

I currently have Internet on my phone by paying the $30/month for the data plan and will need to get on my laptop to check in for work, emails, etc while at the Fort in October.

Verizon told me I could tether phone to laptop, but would have to get the Mobile Broadband service which is an additional $30/month?