5/12/2010

Shout out for some advice!

I figure that a few of you smart Ladies (and Men!) can help with some ideas!

My Mother is taking a trip to Iowa to do some genealogy. She is trying to figure out a way to stay connected to the internet without spending an arm and a leg. After a little research the list below is what she has come up with for prices.

Skype:
$.19 per minute (and you have to be in a hot spot wi-fi area for it to work)
$11.40 per hour
$57.00 per 5 hours.

Verizon offers several plans.
1. $59.99 per month for 24mo = $1439.76 plus taxes and all that stuff for 5 GB download

2. $39.99 per month for 12mo = $479.88 plus taxes and all that stuff for 250 MB download

3. $50.00 prepaid Mobile Broadband for one month or 500MB download
plus $120 for the device
plus $25 activation fee

Does anyone have any other ideas for REASONABLE internet just for a month or so. Wi-fi at restaurants is not really an option, she will be in some area that don't have it at all and many of the people she is visiting are elderly and don't have internet.

Thanks in advance for any help!
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8 comments:

Anna said...

Um... bring a McDonald's with you...

Isn't there some device you can plug into your phone (if it has internet) and then it can signal your computer? Some computer geek was telling me that its a nice way around extra fees

Lake said...

Cricket broadband is as low as $40/month with no contract. It is nationwide so it might be worth checking into.

kari said...

From our experience with Cricket, it has limited signals and most definately does not get service in rural areas. While we could get a signal around The Woodlands, we couldn't get one in our home, which is a mile from Panther Creek Shopping Center. They said it was just an issue of our neighborhood being in a "pocket" that service didn't reach.

Anonymous said...

most libraries now have hotspots or at least free computers to use. many times you can connect to a hotel's wifi just by sitting in the parking lot.

Tanya said...

I would also check Cricket, they are offering a free modem right now, and your first month is free, so she will actually have it for 2 m0nths for $40, You can also see if there is a CLEAR in the area, it's a new 4G network, but I'm not sure if you have to commit to a contract.
Good luck and have a safe trip mama.

Suzanne said...

This is the article talking about rest stops and welcome centers offering free wifi throughout Iowa. Might be worth a read.

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/dashboarding/Wi-Fi-On-The-Highway.htm

Jenny said...

We moved to Vegas temporarily a few summers ago and rather than find an internet provider locally for the 3 months we were there, we used my Sprint cell phone as a modem. We were able to pay Sprint a $30/month to do a data add-on to our regular cell phone plan. Then all I had to do was hook my cell phone up to my laptop with a data cord and then I had internet! It was a little slow sometimes and did get interrupted occasionally when someone tried to call in. But most the time worked great and was the perfect solution for us!! I don't remember there being a limit to download/usage amount, at least if there was we either never maxed it out (and I was on the internet a fair amount each day) or it just wasn't an issue for how much we used it.

then when we moved back home we were able to cancel that data add-on (but we did still keep the Sprint phones/plan in general).

good luck!

Teresa said...

Wow, thanks for all your comments. Yesterday I checked out Cricket and where I'm going on my trip...no coverage. Clear Channel...no coverage, so went back to Verizon. Finally decided the cheapest way was to buy a device at $130, activation $25 and $60 for 750MB of data or something close to that. Decided not to do it, still too much money for me to spend. Tonight was talking to DH and he said he'd go back to Verizon with me. Found out that HIS phone has modem capability SOOOOO by loaning me his phone we ADDED a feature, $50 for 5G of data for one month, no contract and went I get back I cancel the service.

One catch. It has to be for the whole month otherwise they probate the service and the data I've downloaded. Example: I download 3G the first week. I cancel at two weeks. For anything over 2.5 G is overage and I pay 10cents a MB over.

Still, it's the cheapest way to go so far.

Thanks!