Holy crap in a sandbox!
 

As I like to make sure that my clients can contact me no matter where I am, I use multiple cell phones, with multiple carriers, so if I am out of range for one, I will be available on the other.

I also have a Verizon wireless card for my laptop so I can have Internet access wherever I go. The only problem is that my Verizon card (and phone) won't work in Europe. Since I also use T-Mobile, and my phone will work there, I decided to see about getting one of their wireless cards to use in Europe.

Time for a shocker.

The card itself is $150 if I get a two year contract at $50/mo. No problem, it is the price you pay for convenience. Then there is the issue of International usage.

Using the T-Mobile wireless card in Germany is approximately $15/MB of usage. According to them, that is about one page. So every page I pull up will cost me $15. I guestimated my email usage would total about $3,000 for the two weeks I am there. I think not.

So, what is the solution? I really need access with semi-decent speeds. What do you guys do about that?

Can I buy a wireless card from some company in Europe that will have lower rates?

Who are their customers?

Who are whose customers?

stay in the us

Im amazed they can get those kind of rates, what a fuck job that is.

You guys want more IP's . . . I need to find them

They won't be getting them from me.

Solution = iPhone with Cingular. Just make sure you go to a country they "support" and it is cheap when via wireless.

Enjoy.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you plan on staying behind dumpsters and such in the back alleys. I can't think of any other reason that you would need a wireless card when the hotels have Internet access.

Well, to be honest, I was talking about the wireless connections at the hotel with JFK and he told me it sucked.

My experience with hotels in the US is that they also suck, so my Verizon wireless is a lot faster and more secure.

Plus, most of the time I am in Europe I will not be staying at a hotel, so I need to be able to be connected.

Where I am going in Germany is not likely to have much in the way of Internet cafes, so I like to be prepared.

I get far too much email for a phone.

Spoken like somebody who has no experience with an iPhone. :winkwink:

Spoken like someone that has no idea how many emails I get a day.

Or Internet connections....Which is pretty strange.....

Like it matters.

Baddog, if your normal wireless connection for your laptop is a built in wireless, you might find that the reception sucks pretty much everywhere.

You could consider taking an extender with you. http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=357

That would allow you to take a much lower wireless signal and boost it into your hotel room... basically you can place it anywhere in your room that has signal, and you would have a ton more signal in your room.

Might be worth a shot. Thanks

Verizon used to have a phone when I worked there that worked in Europe. It was called the global phone or some shit. I believe you can rent them for the period of time you plan to be there.

Yeah, the only problem is that I am worried more about incoming calls than the outgoing.

Place the outgoing calls to your normal voicemail to catch those calls that you miss :P

Don't most hotels provide wireless now a days? Cafes too.

T-Mobile. Who pays that high of a price.

many hotels have wireless but their wireless in room sucks... often 1/5 signal in most places in the room, with maybe a 2/5 hotspot near the hallway door, or sometimes the only good signal is with your nose pressed up against the outisde window. That is what that wireless extender can be good for, you drop it where the hottest spot is, and it gives you a good signal in your room.

You may want to check with the hotel in Amsterdam. Unless they have upgraded since I was there last...which is a possibility...They have wired Internet in the rooms.

Left side of the laptop...That's a cat 5 cable....


http://ampcontent.com/pics/Music.jpg

Forget the wireless aircard. Get a GSM phone you can tether to your laptop. All you have to do is swap out Prepaid Sims or connect wi-fi

You can buy this thing but i am not sure how the airtime works.

AirCard 850 HSDPA


It is being replaced by the 880 in December.

http://www.sierrawireless.com/product/ac850.aspx