I am going back out on the road soon and would like to have a laptop to take advantage of all the free wifi everybody seems to be offering. What do I need? I could just go to a Mega store and have them help me but you guys might know what cards or such to stay away from. Also eventually I would like to add a directions program but want the best without worrying about price(If it is the best i don't mind paying more)

 

It'd be hard to find a laptop that doesn't come with built in wi-fi. Just make sure that it's a 802.1 a/b/g adapter (which it should be).

However, free wifi isn't easy to find. You may get close to a motel now and then to grab theirs for free or use a few of the rest areas that offer it, but for the most part you'll be parked in a truckstop and have to pay to use theirs.

Myself, I don't use the wifi except when I'm at home. I have a Sprint aircard that costs me $50/month for unlimited service and I can use it almost anywhere, including traveling down the road. I can probably count the number of places that I haven't had a signal on one hand. It was the best thing I've invested in.

 

I forgot about the routing program you asked about. I'd suggest getting either Microsoft Streets & Trips or Delorme Street Atlas. You can get either one for around $100 with the GPS receiver.

Myself, I use ALK's CoPilot 9 Laptop for Trucks. It does a really good job (but not 100%). Don't get their version 11 until they start offering some update patches for it. CoPilot costs in the range of $300.

 

Be very very careful with any free (unsecured wireless internet). There are trojan horses, viruses, and other crap that lurk to get in your new PC. I quit using the WiFi on the road because of this, even with the secured network the Flying J has!

If you want reliable service, get an AirCard! They can be a bit expensive, but if you use your PC for routing, weather and highway reports, staying in touch, and receiving messages from your fleet manager, broker, etc (hint - tax deduction) it is well worth-it.

When I was OTR and even now doing overnight runs, my Aircard is on all the time. SprintPCS is about $50.00 a month and is reliable pretty much around the country. There were times my aircard had service and my Sprint cell phone did not, go figure!

My Aircard and XM Radio are both used as legitimate tax deductions at the end of the year. So at the end of year, you have really lost nothing!

 

IMHO what brand of laptop you get realy doesn't matter if it's cheep or high dollar but how you take care of it will make a big difference in how long it will last.

if you are going to use it for gps then you will need a stand for it. i would stay away from a mount/stand that will not let the laptop move " a little " ours is monted to the air ride part of the passenger seat so it can move with the seat and not transfer the bumps and jars to the laptop.
http://www.ram-mount.com/laptop_moun...ptop_desks.htm

as to wifi it would not be my first choice, alot of the free wifi are to slow "some are good and fast" others "like washington rest area's" are restricted as to ware to can go on the net. if i were you i would look into an air-card thru your cell company.

 

There's nothing like getting an address for a shipper/receiver I've never been to (or even just the company name), jumping on Google Maps and finding the exact location where it is, along with satelite images to see if there's parking nearby - not to mention checking the weather and traffic for the route.

 

Do you need to have a Sprint phone to purchase an aircard? Do I just go into a sprint store and buy and sign up for an aircard? Does this thing just slide into the laptop? My wife has only had laptops for work and i never really looked that close at them before til now. Thank you for the advice so far.

 

No - you can get the aircard on it's own without other phones on the plan.

As far as the aircard - there are different types. There are PCMIA, Express54 and USB. Myself, I'd recommend the USB one as you can use it on 99.9% of the computers out there. I've got a PCMIA one now, but will be upgrading to a USB one in June.

 

No, you can get an aircard contract without a phone. Set-mine up through Radio Shack, just because it was close to the house. But any real sprint store or even online will work!
http://nextelonline.nextel.com/NASAp...BroadbandCards

You may want to decide on the Laptop first, or you may find yourselves with an Aircard that does not play well with your laptop or VISTA. I choose an Aircard that goes into the USB port, since VISTA does not support the old type PCI slot cards.

If you purchase your laptop from someplace like Circuit City or Best Buy, their people can help you choose the proper Aircard for that unit!

 

How much is an Aircard to get? The $50.00 a month unlimited sounds like a great deal. What brand of laptop do you guys use? The one my wife uses is custom made by another brach of the place she works so there isn't a brand name on it.