Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Wondering about a portable wifi.


I have had a Verizon USB air card for many, many years.  Got it a long time ago when I got my first laptop and wanted to travel with my travel trailer but still be able to get email and send and receive engineering drawings so that I could, if necessary, do some work while away.  It sure came in handy many times.  As you know, the last short trip I took, my blog didn’t get posted because I couldn’t get my air card to work with Windows 7.  Last week I went to the Verizon store and they told me to go to their web-site and download the latest programs, which I did.  That did not work either, because Windows 7 kept telling me that it could not find any device.  So, yesterday, I took both our laptops up to the Verizon store along with my air card to see if they could get it to work.  They said that they could but why not get one of their portable wifi units instead.  The big advantage was that you could run four or five units off the same little device that could fit in my shirt pocket.  Now, since both my wife and I have Toshiba tablets that we both prefer to use over a computer, that sounded like a good idea.  They were having a special on them and I purchased one along with some insurance that would replace it if it got damaged.  Last night my wife and I tried it out.  We turned our main wifi off and turned on this new little gadget, laid it on a table and we both used our tablets and computers.  Love it!!  It will work great while traveling and my wife can be on her tablet while we are going down the road.  Also makes a great back-up in case the DSL line goes out.
I guess you would like to see what I am talking about, so here are a couple of pictures:

I put a quarter next to it to give you a perspective of the size.  Here is another view showing that it is thin enough to fit in my shirt pocket:

Not sure how long the battery lasts, but it was only half charged when we purchased it and it ran a lot of hours last night and it still has lots of life in it.  For all you RVers out there, you may want to consider one of these.  Of course you all probably have one and I am just now discovering them.

I have to get ready to go to the dentist.  I may get some teeth pulled.  I don’t believe in root canals, since that leaves a dead object (a tooth) in you and the body will try to reject it causing all kinds of trouble.  We know from experience!!  You all have a great day now, you hear?

14 comments:

  1. I just may have to look into that Version thing, think there is an office in town.
    Hope the tooth doc visit goes well and you back to steak dinners soon.

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  2. Since you can carry it around in your shirt pocket, I can see where it could come in very handy in a lot situations, not only when traveling in an RV but a lot of other times and situations.

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  3. Do that gobberdoo come with an external power source....you know, like a 120 volt power adapter?

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    1. BB, yes it has a 120 volt charger that came with it.

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  4. This was a good post. I can relate to all the content.

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    1. Michael, Thank you, I hope to use it a lot. My usb plug in unit actually cost me more a month than this plan does. Hope you also do not have tooth problems. I got the the second one pulled today and the dentist says all the others are looking good. So, I made an appointment for next week to get them cleaned.

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    2. I had my first tooth since grade school pulled. It was all a new experience for me.

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  5. I never would have had a crown nor a root canal either. Sooo, i've had 2 pulled. One i regret because i think it could have been saved by taking another round of antibiotics, but,,,i didn't, just said pull it.

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  6. ooo yeah,, Glad you posted that about the Wifi thingy.

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  7. It sounds like the MiFi that I use. I don't run mine off the battery but keep it plugged in. Of course if I was traveling in an RV I might, although I could only use a computer when I stop for the day (not while driving). The picture of your device didn't come up on my computer (I miss tons of pictures on all the blogs for some reason).

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  8. Trouble, give that you agree with me about never having root canal done, most don't agree.

    Gypsy, the one I got is very small, you don't even feel it in your shirt pocket. I suppose yours is the same. BTW, is my site the only one that you can't see the pictures?

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    1. I also agree about crowns and root canals. They are just a place for infections to start, and you don't even know why you don't feel well. I was a dental nurse many years ago, and root canals are just a way for dentists to make big buck from those who have savings or insurance!
      Happy Tails, and Trails, Penny, TX

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  9. Looks like a good idea, that wi-fi device... I'll be interested in updates on its performance...

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  10. TFT, I have tried it out and it works very well. Like any cell phone, I am sure there are dead spots. This will be my connection to the world when I am traveling.

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