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We will be teaching some smartphone/tablet classes here at the FMCA convention in Perry this week. We have had Droid RAZRs for many years and loved them. But technology just keeps marching on. The most popular make/model these days (by a raise of hands in our seminars) is Samsung. Jim, my husband, just got the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. It's big. It's beautiful. He won't be using his Nexus tablet as much now because the phone is so big. aka a Phablet. We also have an iPad mini and love it as well. We watch movies by bringing them up on the iPad's Amazon Instant Movie app, then sending them to the TV using AppleTV. I think the smartphones are worth it just for the Google Maps navigation. And if you want to knock your socks off with what's in store for us with this technology watch this: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/vp/50582822#50582822 and see how your smartphone can prevent your heart attack.

Congratulations on your Galaxy. We agree the Android devices on Verizon's network are the better choice for RV travelers, though we will probably get an iPhone on AT&T as a fall-back device. We teach this stuff at the RV rallies. Check our calendar for dates and times.

Thank you for posting. We have used the (older version 3G) Sleek with very good results.

Welcome Jaimie. I was your same age when we decided to go full-time 10 years ago. It was a great decision, and we still love the lifestyle. Attitude is everything. You'll meet some exceptional people and have experiences that will knock your socks off. I agree with Brett, come to Perry in the spring. Hope to see you there.

Our friends at Technomadia have written the definitive book on the subject, "The Mobile Internet Handbook." They are full-time RVers with a great knowledge of technology and the ability to explain it. Order it on their website

If you're in Gillette for the Rally and are interested in learning the latest in computers, smartphones etc. for RVers, we are teaching 7 free seminars and one $30 hands-on Smartphone class. If you can only attend one, we recommend the one on Wednesday at 11:45 in Seminar 7. It's titled simply Technology for Travelers Subtitled: How Geeks on Tour use Technology to Plan, Preserve and Share their Travels. It's an overview of all our topics - Staying Connected, Making a Blog, Using Picasa for managing pictures, and how the Smartphone is the best device ever invented for travelers! Here are all the seminars we'll be teaching this week. If you can't make it, you can download the seminar handouts here. Technology For Travelers Wednesday, June 19, 2013 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Seminar 7, Energy Hall Movie Maker Wednesday, June 19, 2013 3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Seminar 6, Energy Hall Every RVer Needs A Blog Thursday, June 20, 2013 9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Seminar 6, Energy Hall Smartphone Overview Thursday, June 20, 2013 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Seminar 8, Wyoming Center Smartphone Photography Workshop, hands-on, bring your smartphone or tablet, limit 20 attendees (pre-registration and $30 required - go to Info Center at Wyoming Center Wednesday 7am to register) Thursday, June 20, 2013 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Seminar 8, Wyoming Center Picasa & Picasa Web Albums, all need to manage your digital photos - all Free Friday, June 21, 2013 9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Seminar 1, Central Pavilion Google Maps Friday, June 21, 2013 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Seminar 1, Central Pavilion RV Destinations And Idea Exchange Friday, June 21, 2013 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Seminar 2, Central Pavilion

BSanders ... COOL tip on Daily Roads Voyager! We're going to try that. We always have an Android phone sitting in a dashboard mount when we're traveling. This should work great. Then ... using the video tools and picture editing tools in Picasa, I'll be we can get some nice pictures. btw - if you're in Gillette for the FMCA convention and want to see what I'm talking about with Picasa, we're teaching a seminar called Picasa and Picasa Web Albums on Friday at 9:45 in Seminar 1. I'll be sure to show how to capture an image from a video and then make it look good.

We were just there (11-17-2012) and we were surprised that there was no Wi-Fi at the campsites. It was available at certain facilities in Fort Wilderness (as mentioned by PeterSharon above.) Verizon worked just fine so we used FoxFi on our Droid phones - that makes a hotspot that our computers connect to - just like we did all summer long.

For smartphone users, there is a relatively new way to get an Internet connection. All summer long, as we traveled, we depended on our Verizon Motorola Razr phones using FoxFi to turn it into a hotspot. So, our computers connect to our phone's hotspot. We have the grandfathered unlimited data plan on our phones, so this is a way to get Internet to our computers for no extra charge. FoxFi is a free app for Android phones. Check it out at www.foxfi.com

We were beta testers for the Tripmaker 7710. Rand McNally is still improving the software based on input from users. That is one of the things we like about it. It is not without flaws, but nothing we have used is. Find our articles and the review HERE.

Every public hotspot is different in my experience. Tengo has been very good and sometimes unusable. When you connect to a public hotspot, you are not connecting directly to the Internet. You are connecting to an access point that is in turn connected to an Internet modem. Many factors affect your experience. Your proximity and orientation to the access point is important. The bandwidth backhaul (connection to the Internet) and loading (how many people are accessing) are the things you have no control over. The main advantage to using a public hotspot is no bandwidth limits. Great for getting those large system updates, etc.

Unlimited 4G - sure would like to have that. We've only been in one good 4G area since we got our 4G mobile hotspot from Verizon. It worked Great!! but, we zoomed thru our 5Gig allotment in record number of days. We even paid $80/mo for the 10Gig plan and went thru that too. See our article: 3G vs 4G: the Tortoise and the Hare As for the Cradlepoint - we have that too. It's a great device, but it needs a a USB or Ethernet connection. We have switched to the WiFi Ranger as our router because it can accept Wi-Fi as it's Internet source - see more discussion here: Discuss the WiFi Ranger.

I used the links below the editor to attach an album to this entry.

Here's a Youtube video I made to show how to get a picture from your Picasa Web Albums and insert it here in FMCA's community - in your blog, or a forum post.

Whenever we're traveling by Cincinnati, we like to stay at the FMCA Member's RV park on 3590 Round Bottom road. It gives us a chance to visit FMCA headquarters and say Hi! Oh, yeah, it also gives us a chance to go to Graeter's Ice Cream for the "to-die-for" Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip! It's free for members to stay for two days, then $20/night after that. Good 50-amp power and GREAT Wi-FI!! We heard the Wi-Fi was just added a week or so ago ... they must have known we were coming!

James, TV antennas are the same for digital as they are for the old analog signals. Just like any other RF signal, a better antenna will give a better connection. With TV, that is a receive only signal. The add-ons, like the one for our bat-wing antenna, absolutely help with range and tend to be more directional. That means you need to point the antenna for the best signal. There are amplified antennas and omni-directional antennas, both passive and amplified. Omni antennas do not need to be pointed, but generally have shorter range. If you are close to the TV transmitter, you do not need amps, or even much of an antenna. As you get some distance away, you need all the help you can get. A neat website that has a lot of antenna information and helps us point our TV antenna is www.antennaweb.org. You tell the site where you are and they will show you where the TV transmitters are. Much the same applies to cellular phones and data cards. The antennas are different because of the wavelength of the signal. Cellular is also 2way, transmit and receive for both voice and data. The experts there can be found at www.3gstore.com. They have a full line of antennas and amplifiers. Be sure to tell them the Geeks On Tour sent you. They have the best selection, prices and support I know of.

O' ye of little faith, Bill. It may not be to that time frame, but 4G is here. Can 5G be far behind? When we started this adventure seven years ago, cellular Internet was not an option. Satellite was the only way to be connected reliably. It still is. But, cellular is the way to go for most travelers today. Verizon is still the best choice for best overall coverage, based on our unscientific polls.

Let's not confuse the 2 wireless technologies here. All wireless data uses Radio Frequencies. Just like any other radio, more power and a better antenna will give you better connectivity. Remember, it is a 2-way radio connection. Transmit *and* Receive. Public WiFi like you find in RV parks and McDonalds, etc. is set up to provide shared Internet access. It is "hot-spot" technology and uses 2.4 GHz radio frequencies. The signal does not generally go farther than 300 feet and is very susceptible to degradation from metal objects and moisture. WiFi adapters built in to computers are not very powerful. There are no "boosters" for the built in adapters. There are, however, higher powered replacement adapters that will increase the effective distance. These are typically connected via USB and you should turn off the internal adapter when using them. Another, even better (for distance) solution is a WiFi bridge. That is what Brett is using. A bridge takes the WiFi signal and changes it to a wired network signal that can be connected directly to a computer or an internal access point, effectively creating another local hotspot. Cellular data uses different frequencies than WiFi. The antennas are not compatible. There are many amplifiers and antenna solutions for cellular communications. They extend the distance from the cell tower to your devices, both voice and data. We have a tremendous amount of free information on our websites. Links from Geeks On Tour. We will also be presenting our computer seminars at RV rallies in Louisville, Redmond FMCA, Elkhart, and Goshen this summer. Jim and Chris Guld www.geeksontour.com

There are three ways to be connected to the Internet wirelessly. Cellular, Wi-Fi, and Satellite. Any of these connections can be used to connect a Local Area Network to the Internet. Having a LAN enables you to share files and printers locally. Here is a link to our seminar handout on "Get Away, Stay Connected" Geeks On Tour - Education for Travelers Much depends on how much you need the Internet. Cellular has become the most popular way to stay connected. Cellular is the only one that works going down the road. You can enhance your connectivity with signal amplifiers and external antennas. You can learn a lot by attending an FMCA Convention. The next big one is in Redmond, OR. in August. Stop by and say hi.

The Droid tethered is indeed a wonderful way to stay connected. There is no single way that works for everyone all the time. We use whatever is the fastest reliable connection available where we are. Sometimes that is a pay-for WiFi. Lots more information at www.wifisavvy.com. It's not just about WiFi. It addresses all the connectivity options.

You *can* tether the iPhone, but you need to "jail-break" the phone. This will void your warranty, so you need to weigh the benefits vs. drawbacks. Use this link to find out more: http://www.junefabrics.com/iphone/index.php.

Wow! What a week. We spent the past week with a few thousand of our closest friends at the FMCA Convention (Family Motor Coach Association) in Albuquerque, NM. We were thrilled to see so many people in attendance at our seminars - especially on the day that they had to brave the snowstorm to get there! We did a lot of talking about digital photos and about blogs, but the hottest topic was all about cell phones and Internet Access. In several of our seminars, we used our Droid phone tethered to the computer for our Internet connection. If you’re one of the many folks who have iPhones, you’ll think we’re SO behind the times! But, being Verizon customers, we couldn’t get one of those fancy computer/phones because the iPhone is only available on the AT&T network. Now, both Jim and I have the Motorola Droid -- it's very similar to the iPhone, but on the Verizon network. It’s a whole new world! We’ve been teaching RVers how to use their cellphones tethered to the computer for Internet Access for a while now. With the Droid (or similar ‘app-phones’) you don’t even need to use your computer at all. You can read email, update your facebook status, read your favorite blog, check the weather, and Google for Mexican Restaurants, all from your phone. But, using it as Internet access for your computer is great, too -- especially since the data plan is unlimited! A couple weeks ago, we wrote an article on Internet by Droid. Last week we put it to the test by depending on the Droid for Internet access in a couple of our seminars. It had to work, or our seminar would be a flop. It did. It worked great. Plenty of speed to upload photos, work with Wordpress, and use Google Earth. When you get a phone that can browse the web, you must pay for a data plan on that phone. We are paying $30/month for the data plan on each Droid phone. The beauty is that the plan is unlimited. Even when using the Droid as a tethered Internet connection to the computer, the usage falls under the unlimited plan. I checked my Verizon usage stats to be sure - and it reads "unlimited access." Cool.

You are correct that it can cost a lot to use your cell phone down here. Same for US citizens heading up north or down to Mexico. Base your decision on how many minutes you need per day or month. I like the idea of Magic Jack, too. However, that ties you to a computer and requires a fast Internet connection. Skype is another alternative that enables you to make free calls from your computer to another Skype user anywhere in the world. You can also call land-line phones inexpensively. If you need a cell phone, there are plenty of inexpensive pay-as-you-go phones. These do not tie you into a contract. All the major cellular providers have some kind of plan. Boost Mobile is 10 cents a minute to Canada. http://plans.boostmobile.com/paygo.aspx# Jim Guld www.geeksontour.com

Hi Vidcity, Yes, that 2 year contract is often a dealbreaker for part-time travelers. Ask your provider what their policy is on 'vacations' ... meaning, you can suspend the service when you're not using it. Another thing some folks have done is to get rid of their home land line and use the cell phone / internet service year round. For temporary Internet service from your cellular provider - we use the 'tethered cell phone' method. There's no separate contract involved, it's just a feature that you can add to your phone service. It's $50/mo thru Verizon, but you can turn it on and off whenever you want. We've turned it on Friday and off the following Friday and our bill was prorated for the time we used it. The phone tethers to your computer. If you have more than one computer that needs to be online at the same time, you need to get a router like the Cradlepoint. Then the phone tethers to the router, and the router creates the hotspot. The last option is www.walkinghotspot.com which turns a smart phone, with it's own data service into a wifi hotspot. Way cool - but only available for certain phones and it is not supported on Verizon. More detail is included in the links already provided. You can also watch our video on tethered cell phones.