Cell Phone and Internet Help

We have had good luck with the Virgin Mobile hotspot 3G&4G good coverage along major routes, it uses the Sprint network. We also use a cheap Tracfone along with my Republic Wireless Motorola which uses Sprint. The Tracfone has provided coverage off of the major routes when Sprint dried up. My Motorola will also access WiFi to make phone calls and check email when Sprint is unavailable.

For the last 3 winters we have used a Tracfone that came with the double minuts plan. Since we are in the US for 4 months it gets used enough that the time keeps carrying over. It is now good until Oct 2014.

Cell coverage has been generally good. Only a couple of times that we did not have service - just like any cell phone.

I put a suspend service on my Rogers Blackberry. It costs $5/ month and then will revert back to my normal plan.

According to Rogers, even with the plan suspended he Blackberry will still be able to make 911 calls.

Getting US service from Rogers as noted above is ridiculous

A 200 minute Tracfone card that with the double minutes add 400 minutes costs $39. It adds 90 days to the service period.

The phone does texting and also will browse the internet. TIme deducted is not much.

One thing to wath out for - some prepaid phones will not call to cell phones in Canada from the US. One reason we chose Tracfone.

We have/get at TracPhone from Walmart south of the border and use it as the primary contact in the US. We are considering Walmart Internet on the Go. We generally just use campground/McD's/etc wifi.

We usually get a Travel US package from Rogers that includes Talk, Text and Minimal Data for emergency use. Saw one Rogers US travel plan 3/30/300. 3gb of data for 30 days for only $300.00, not even in my dreams.

Keep in mind that cell phone service in some area of the west and the Rockies are none existant

Beverley and Ken

Go to Walmart, in the states, and buy one of their cheap prepaid phones. As for Internet, you may want to check on one of the Verizon hot spots. My son has one and likes it. I had an AT&T air card that worked pretty well on the east coast, but, I don't think the coverage is too good on out west. I currently use the Personal hot spot on my iphone to tether my laptop. I doubt there is a tether plan for the Walmart phones, but, you could check.

Here is what I would do if I was ever planning to return to the US again. Go to Virgin Mobile and buy a phone, then set up an accooount in the US when you get here and use it. I think it's 10 cents a minute and 25 cents for ea text and they docary internet for a hefty fee. Every Library, big or small in the US has computers you may use for free and you can even print for around 10 cents a sheet. There are so many places for free WiFi in the US such a Coffee Shops, Golden Arches Supper Club, (MCDs LOL) Same here on TEng, too many freebies here. Good luck and hope your adventures are fun here. A lot of areas don't carry cell service in the US yet.

Moved to Tech Forum

Moderator TT's

My experience with "Tengo Net" is negative because:
1. cost is not consumer friendly
2. internet speed is like watching paint dry:)
3. difficulity even getting on line most of the time. Too dependent on the number of people on line in the area , RV park you are located.

Tracfone or one of the similar ones is likely your best bet. AT & T has something similar called a Go Phone. Others likely do also. Some place like a Pilot or Flying J, Loves, any of the travel centers usually carry them + the cards for additional minutes. You can get something, think it's called a Hot Spot but not positive, for your laptop, but my understanding is that they're pretty pricey. Almost all McDonald's have free WiFi and more providers are popping up all the time. Some campgrounds have WiFi, either free or for something like $3 a day, but some of them don't work well. Some of the places we've stayed used TengoNet and it's a PITA. If you're just going to be doing a quick online check, you might be money ahead to just buy something like a Kindle with the 4G....connection wherever you have cell phone. If you haven't already checked with your current phone company, I would think a call to them to see what they might suggest would be a good start. Have a great trip!

jddave44 wrote:
My wife & I will be taking a 8-10 week cross country trip in the spring. Route thru Chicago, Denver, Bryce Canyon area, north to Calgary Alberta, Vancouver BC then back thru northern states.My question is can you buy a sim card to insert in my blackberry for emergency phone calls or do you have to buy a phone from TracFone or Verizion with no contracts. Also what is the best bet for a memory stick for our HP laptop so we don't have to rely on Wi-Fi. Any sugestions would be appreciated.

Pam & Dave
Oshawa,Ontario,Canada

There is no "free lunch" here in the USA.

Why even bother with Sim cards, just purchase the cheapest Tracfone you can find. A cheap Tracfone can be often bought for $10, comes with double minutes (although "smart" type Tracfones come with triple minutes). Buy a Minutes card and you are ready to go. You can get cards from 100 minutes up to 400 minutes nearly everywhere there is a store and they will have a time of 30, 60, 90 days or even a year card.

When done with your trip either toss the phone, keep it (although you have to keep buying minutes cards to keep it active, if you let it lapse you either have to have Trac send a new Sim or buy another phone).

For your PC, well Free WiFi often can be had at many campgrounds, retail stores, fast food places and such. If you insist on no WiFi then you will need to check into a Pay as You Go type of Internet service, Works simular to Tracfone.. Can't help you there since I just make use of free Wifi...

That is hilarious