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The CradlePoint PHS300 instantly creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that any Wi-Fi enabled device can connect to—laptop, camera, PDA, etc. The PHS300 then connects those devices to the Internet via 3G mobile broadband, providing high-speed web access virtually anywhere. The size of a handheld PDA, the PHS300 can operate on battery power for up to 2 hours. |
CradlePoint Delivers Highest Level of Internet Availability for RV Travelers
PHS300 Personal WiFi Hotspot Provides Web Access While Family Is Traveling On The Road
Situation:
Richard Hoy and his wife are co-founders of BookLocker, a web-based business located in Bangor, Maine. BookLocker prints and sells books / Ebooks that are self-published by their authors. Currently, it has a catalog of over 1,400 titles. Richard and his family are also avid RV travelers. In past years, they have visited nearly 20 states, with long-distance trips to Florida, Wisconsin, and Texas.
Challenge:
Although BookLocker is a small, family business, it nonetheless requires that Richard have uninterrupted Internet access to manage the company web site, as well as communicate by email with authors, artists, editors, and printers. Finding a solution hasn’t been easy—until Richard discovered the CradlePoint PHS300 Personal WiFi Hotspot
”At first, we made a point of staying at campgrounds that offered Wi-Fi service,‘ says Richard. ”But quality of signal can vary a lot depending on whether the system was installed by a professional or a do-it-yourselfer. Also, in an RV park, you’ve got big metal boxes [RVs] moving around, which causes interference. Finally, you only have Internet access when you’re parked in the RV campground. Any time you’re driving, you’re out of luck.‘
Richard then investigated satellite systems. ”We purchased several acres of land in western Maine recently and the only way to get Internet access there is using satellite. So I figured I’d buy one of those portable satellite systems marketed to RVers. Then we could use it for both the RV and the land where they’re building a cabin.‘ The system is a modified version of the HughesNet systems sold to home owners. The cost for the equipment was around $1,800, with service fees of approximately $60 per month.
”It takes about 20-30 minutes each time to set up,‘ says Richard. ”You basically have to mount a satellite dish on a heavy-duty tripod and then aim the dish until you find a satellite. There are automated systems that let you just push a button and the dish unfolds off the top of your RV. But those cost $8,000. And no matter which system you use, you still need a clear view of the southern sky. As anyone who has spent any time in campgrounds knows, they have lots of trees. Good for shade. Not so good for getting a satellite connection. Plus there’s the same problem of only having Internet access when you’re parked at the RV campground, not while driving.‘
Solution: Richard discovered the CradlePoint PHS300 Personal WiFi Hot Spot while searching on the Internet for a cell phone antenna booster. ”I was on this one website where they were also selling a CradlePoint [PHS300 Personal WiFi Hotspot]. It sounded good, so I went to the CradlePoint website, read more about it and ordered one.‘ Richard continues: ”The CradlePoint is so simple to use. M wife has a PC laptop and I have a MAC, so trying to share one air card between the two of us was a problem. But with the PHS300, I just turn it on, throw it on the dashboard and forget about it. We both have Internet access anywhere we go≈anytime we want. It just makes things so much easier.‘
Benefits:
- Easy. ”I think it took me about 10 minutes to set up,‘ Richard reports. ”And it only took that long because I went in and did some of the advanced configuration for security.‘
- Fast. ”We live in Bangor, Maine which has yet to get 3G service,‘ notes Richard. ”But I still get decent speeds for email and website administration. We were just down in Virginia recently and they had a strong 3G signal everywhere. It was nice and smooth.‘
- Pervasive. ”Cellular Internet service, whether it be in the form of 3G, EDGE, or just plain old GSM, is almost always available,‘ says Richard. ”Even when we’re traveling down the road in the RV, one of use can always be answering customer email while the other is driving.‘
- Affordable. ”For $180, you can’t beat [the PHS300],‘ says Richard. ”My wife has an iPhone, so we already had the AT&T broadband mobile service contract.‘ Richard has seen only one other solution for the RV market similar to the PHS300. ”But that cost something like $1,200, requires professional installation and needs booster antennas.‘
Richard’s final thoughts: ”Before we got the CradlePoint [PHS300], when we went on road trips, work would pile up until we stopped for the night. But now, we can keep on top of stuff during that normally ‘dead time’ while on the road.‘
