 Technology
Best Practices
The Information Highway
ROAD TRIP!
By Scott Plumley
Published: June / July 2008
Summer is quickly approaching and that means, hopefully,
taking a vacation. As a small business owner, if you
need a way to access the Internet anytime, anywhere,
many questions arise. There are several different
alternatives for easy Internet access on the go.
The best option is a PC Card or USB add-in mobile card
offered by any of the cellular companies. With these
cards you can easily connect to the Internet and your
office from wherever you are in the world. If you can
get a cell signal, you can get connected. The downside
to this type of access is that you commit to a 2 – 3
year contract that costs between $50 and $70 per month.
So if you are not going to use it for more than just an
occasional weekly or weekend getaway, this might not be
your best option. Here are the going rates from two
leading providers:
Verizon:
Data Transfer Amount: 5GB Price: $59.99/month
Contract Length: 2 years
Data Transfer Amount: 50MB Price: $39.99/month Contract
Length: 2 years
Source: www.verizonwireless.com
Tampa Zip Code Location
Sprint/Nextel:
Data Transfer Amount: Unlimited Price: $59.99
Contract Length: 2 years
Data Transfer Amount: 40MB Price: $39.99 Contract
Length: 2 years
Source: http://nextelonline.nextel.com Tampa Zip Code
Location
Wireless equipment and hot spots are spreading like
wildfire. I cannot remember a time when I stopped in a
parking lot, business complex, or any area with a retail
concentration and could not pick up a wireless signal.
Most people can also get access from various businesses
and restaurants all over the country. I found a great
website called www.wi-fihotspotlist.com that
allows you to submit a zip code or region and lists of
all the available hot spots in that area. This would be
a great tool for mapping out available hot spots to
access before leaving on your trip.
What do you need to connect to a wireless network? If
you have a laptop that was purchased anytime in the last
four years, odds are you have a wireless card built in.
You can’ t connect to a mobile connection, but you
should be able to pick up on most hot spot wireless
networks. If you don’t have a wireless card you can buy
one at any retail store that sells electronics:
Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot,
Staples and countless other vendors. I would recommend
getting a USB Wireless adapter if you are purchasing a
third party add-in card. The reason is that this type of
card will fit any laptop or desktop computer system on
the market, so it’s virtually a universal network
adapter. Linksys, Netgear, DLink, Belkin, and various
other vendors are all comparable suppliers for a home or
small business wireless hardware device.
What about security when attached to a hot spot or
similar wireless network? I usually try to limit the
amount of virus, spyware and personal firewall software
that is on a computer because it does cause performance
issues as well as connectivity issues. If you are going
to be attaching to hot spots and various wireless
networks, though, you will need some protection.
Good off-the-shelf personal firewall software:
Norton/Symantec
AVG Internet Suite
McAfee
The information contained here should arm you with
enough information to find a way to gain access to the
Internet no matter where you are in the world. There are
enough avenues to accommodate you with whatever setup
you currently have. Enjoy your vacation and don’t work
too hard. It is a vacation, after all.
T. Scott Plumley is the President of High Speed Network
Services. High Speed Network Services provides full IT
support to small and medium sized businesses. Scott has
over 10 years experience working with small, medium and
Fortune 100 businesses. Contact Scott at 813-404-5498 or
scott@hsnsfl.com
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