In a complex deal that will certainly be critiqued for months to come, Sprint and Clearwire announced plans to combine their WiMAX businesses and create a new company that will include a $3.2 billion investment from Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Trilogy Equity Partners. (See a breakdown of the deal below.)

For sure, it's a shot in the arm for the mobile WiMAX industry, which, right or wrong, is tied to the success of Sprint's planned nationwide WiMAX rollout. I spoke with Atish Gude, senior vice president of mobile broadband operations with Xohm about the implications of the deal:

"This is a big day for for WiMAX, and it lends a lot of credibility for us to build our business model. We have always talked about the business model first. We are talking about broadening the chipset system, getting WiMAX into consumer electronics, eliminating subsidies and instituting at-home provisioning so customers don't have to stand in line. Those are all part in parcel to really change the mobile broadband experience in a way it ought to be."
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Camping World Internet Only Specials

What a difference a couple of years makes. In our first roundup of draft-802.11n Wi-Fi routers, we found so many problems, we couldn't recommend any of them: Firmware was buggy, interoperability between vendors was hit-and-miss, and performance was not as good as that of some enhanced, earlier-generation 802.11g routers.

As of this year, we're happy to report, those issues have largely gone away.
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All Power America 1,000 Watt 2.4 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator from Amazon.com $149

WASHINGTON - A wireless technology that Sprint Nextel plans to launch within a year makes high-speed and secure Internet access possible from almost anywhere.

Called WiMax, it’s the heart of a huge telecommunications industry effort to supplant Wi-Fi, the service that most users rely on for wireless Internet connections at broadband speeds.

If it succeeds, WiMax technology could be as big a change as the mobile phone revolution. An independent technology consulting firm, Boston-based Yankee Group, estimates that 58 million people worldwide will use WiMax by 2012.

Unlike Wi-Fi, which relies on free radio frequencies that suffer from interference, WiMax uses a licensed channel of radio spectrum. It provides clearer, stronger and more secure Internet access. The stronger signal travels farther than Wi-Fi, enabling consumers to get beyond the limits of Wi-Fi "hotspots."
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Camping World Internet Only Specials

Often found in the Brighthand.com forum are questions concerning the superiority of EV-DO, HSDPA or Wi-Fi. Adama D. Brown comes to the rescue with some discussion to shed light on the topic, including discussion of service providers and the different technologies.

A typical question asked in the Brighthand forums goes something like this:

I'm thinking about getting a smartphone, but I'm confused about the different network options. Who has the fastest 3G network? Or would I be better off with Wi-Fi?
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Get the Original RV Movie - Lucy & Desi's The Long, Long Trailer

Many HughesNet satellite broadband customers have been struggling to obtain even a small fraction of their advertised speed. To add insult to injury, a routine planned e-mail upgrade scheduled for last weekend has left many customers without e-mail.

From a network alert sent to HughesNet customers:

Unfortunately, the HughesNet email upgrade we have undertaken has not gone as well as anticipated. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We are working to correct the problems encountered with this upgrade and improvements will be seen within the next 12 to 24 hours. Email services may be available intermittently during this time. We will continue to improve the system until all current issues are resolved.
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RV Education 101 has added another informative e-book to their line-up: – RV AWNING USE, CARE AND ACCESSORIES The book also explains “How to Install a Window Awning in 6-easy steps”.
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As measured by overall ability to get things done, Starband's service has been in a slow decline for a long period of time. Want to watch a youtube video? -- you are better off going somewhere else as it will come in stops and starts. Want to listen to an audio stream? -- it might or might not work.

This is not a service that should be considered for anyone looking for new service. They want a two year commitment but I wonder if they will still be in business in two years. For existing customers, if their usage is minimal enough that they don't get "iced", it is probably not worth switching right now but those users would probably do just as well with dialin.
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Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies Learn how to get connected on the road. Covers WiFi, choosing equipment and services, protecting data, managing your business and personal affairs, enjoying online entertainment and more.

McDonald's now has approximately 10,300 domestic locations with Wi-Fi to go with your fries. That makes McDonald's Wireless Connectivity network the biggest network of hotspots available state-side.

Access at the Golden Arches is free with select devices, specifically the Sony Mylo Com 2 and the Zipit Wireless Messenger Z2. AT&T DSL customers can also get free access on laptops (but no free service for iPhone users, even though they're paying for AT&T's EDGE service.

If you've got an account with a roaming hotspot aggregator like Boingo or iPass, you can sign in at no extra charge. Other users will have to pay $2.95 for a couple hours of use.

There's still around 2,500 that do not have the service for various reasons.
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AT&T DSL customers can soon head over to their nearest Starbucks and enjoy free Wi-Fi soon. Come May 1, AT&T will begin offering the service to DSL customers who take 1.5 megabits per second or faster service.

You'll just log on with your AT&T Yahoo DSL sign in and then you'll get free service at more than 7,000 Starbucks locations. The service is will be using the old T-Mobile equipment until AT&T gradually upgrades to new routers over the course of this year. Then branding will be completely AT&T.

AT&T is also planning on cutting the price of hotspot service for non-AT&T users. For two hours, users will pay $3.99. Monthly membership will be sold for $19.99, and will include access to AT&T's 70,000 hotspots around the world. Previously, T-Mobile was charging $6 per hour, $9.99 for a day pass, or $39.99 a month for unlimited access.

There may be other ways to get cheap Wi-Fi at Starbucks though its not clear when they will kick in. Starbucks customers who buy a prepaid Starbucks card will receive two hours of free service. The card, which can be purchased for $5 or more, must be activated and have a balance to receive free Wi-Fi service.
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A good friend of ours, Mike Saccomano, has been very helpful to us with website & webmaster advice. We get together a couple of times a year to discuss what's new in the world of the internet and he always has great advice for how I can improve RVbasics.com.

As well as being an avid RVer & camper he also runs a successful website called AwesomeTools.com. I think its a great site with some interesting products you won't necessarily find at Home Depot.

Mike has a webpage on AwesomeTools.com with products he feels may be of interest to campers and RVers so we said we'd help spread the word. Its the least we can do for all the help he has given me.

I think the Grizzly Spit Portable Campfire Rotisserie System is kinda neat. And, if you use 5# propane cylinders check out the Grill Gauge.

Mike says he uses one on his camping trips and it really works. So, if you have a few minutes and an internet connection, please check out Mike's Awesome Tools website.

"WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--Xirrus, Inc., the only Wi-Fi "Power-Play" that can replace Ethernet workgroup switches with Wi-Fi as the primary network connection, announced today the release of its popular Wi-Fi Monitor utility as a Yahoo! Widget for Apple Mac OS X.

Widgets are simple, mini-applications that run on a user's computer desktop and provide quick access to useful information and functions.

Also available for Windows Vista and Windows XP, the Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor is a powerful tool for both end users and IT managers to monitor, secure, and troubleshoot their Wi-Fi networks. It provides much greater visibility into the Wi-Fi operation of a user’s laptop and the surrounding environment than what is available by default from the operating system.

The Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor provides an at-a-glance view of available Wi-Fi networks and their relative distance using a radar-like display. Additional details about Wi-Fi networks, connections, and adapters are shown on the widget face and a flyout window.

The Wi-Fi Monitor widget can be used for a number of practical applications, including:

Searching for Wi-Fi networks
Verifying Wi-Fi coverage
Displaying laptop Wi-Fi settings
Detecting rogue APs
Aiming Wi-Fi antennas

Since its initial introduction in November 2007 as a Windows Vista gadget, the Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor has quickly become one of the most popular Wi-Fi tools of its kind approaching 200,000 user downloads. The Yahoo! Widget extends the same functionality to Apple Mac OS users. A Linux version will be made available soon.

The Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor widget is available as a free download from the Xirrus website and will be posted soon on the Yahoo!, search for "Xirrus".
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Get the Original RV Movie - Lucy & Desi's The Long, Long Trailer

The Hi-Gain USB Wireless-300N Dish Adapter from Hawking Technologies will boost weak WiFi signals in areas where a signal isn’t very strong to begin with.

With a range of nearly 4,000 feet, this 802.11n capable antenna can extend a wireless network up to six times its range and claims a data throughput 12 times the average for transfer speeds in excess of 300Mbps.

The 300-N is plug and play by USB and is portable. Simply plug the 300N into your laptop, install the included software, and direct the HWDN1 towards a WiFi source. The result will be blazing speeds when you're park in a distant campsite.
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Over-the-Road Wireless For Dummies Learn how to get connected on the road. Covers WiFi, choosing equipment and services, protecting data, managing your business and personal affairs, enjoying online entertainment and more.

SUNRISE, Fla.-- Digital Antenna Inc., leading manufacturer of antenna and cellular communication products announced Butler Sales & Service has signed a distributor agreement to sell the company’s award-winning PowerMaxTM cellular boosters. Conveniently located in Northern Indiana, Butler is a premier distributor of RV products specializing in the categories of electronics and accessories. “With nearly eighty percent of all RV manufacturers based in Indiana, Butler is a natural fit to distribute Digital Antenna products,” quotes Joanne Johnson, Vice President of Operations. “We are excited about the new partnership and anticipate Butler’s expertise in the RV industry will be key to increased sales of our award-winning cellular repeaters,” Johnson adds. Working directly with engineering departments at several highly regarded RV manufacturers, Butler has implemented a program for select coaches to be pre-wired for Digital Antenna’s PowerMaxTM cellular boosters, creating a seamless installation for the end user.

“The choice to carry Digital Antenna cellular repeaters is a sound business decision,” says Mary Butler, founder and president of Butler. “We identified the products as an innovative solution for improved cellular communications and expect a tremendous response from recreational customers,” she adds. Cellular boosters are a desired product among today’s RV enthusiasts. PowerMaxTM cellular repeaters offer customers the ability to travel outside normal cellular service areas, staying connected to friends, family and business contacts via cellular phone or internet. By enhancing voice and data transmissions, cellular boosters deliver peace of mind to consumers who depend on cellular devices for safety including medical and roadside emergency service.

The company’s PowerMaxTM cellular repeaters improve receive and transmit signals with up to 3 watts of power, increase cell phone range up to 50 miles, reduce dropped calls and extend the life of cell phone batteries. PowerMaxTM systems are designed for specific use in automobiles, RVs, homes, offices, and boats. All units are dual band operating on 800 and 1900 MHz and are FCC approved to operate with all U.S. and Canadian carriers including Cingular, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Alltel and T-Mobile. Exclusive dynamic variable gain control regulates the amplifier's output to any cell carrier's tower providing clear connections. The company’s cellular amplifiers and repeaters have received multiple industry awards for innovation from CES (Consumer Electronic Show), NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association) and NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association).
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RV Education 101 has bundled it's instructional DVDs into cost saving Value Packs. Each of the three packs includes four training DDVDs (3 hours of information) that help RVers understand how an RV works, and how to maintain and use their RV. There are DVD sets for motorized or towable units.