Going wireless with a cell phone and modem in 1997
Question: My husband and I are hoping to hit the road in the not-too-distant future and, with kids in Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, brothers, sisters, and elderly parents in Holland, and friends in many other parts of the world, we have been wondering how best to stay in touch with them all. In the past, we have taken our laptop with us in our motorhome and were fairly regularly successful in locating a truckstop or modem-friendly campground where we could connect to retrieve and send our e-mail. We have been wondering about connecting our laptop to our cell phone, to become independent of that umbilical telephone cord. – E.D.
Answer: There are couple of technologies you might want to consider but, as they say, your results may vary.
If you have an analog cell phone, you should be looking at 3Com’s Megahertz cellular-capable PC Card. If you have a digital phone that supports GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), you’ll be interested in Psion Dacom’s GSM-compatible modem card.
First, a warning. Wireless connectivity via cell phones is expensive and not a perfect science and you’ll be susceptible to areas that have poor or no signal. With that out of the way, here’s the skinny.
There are three components you’ll need to get an internet connection via cell phone. You’ll need a card modem for your laptop – they cost around $300. Add an approved cell phone to that. Then, buy a cable that connects the two.
If you want to use a PCS digital cell phone, you’ll want to look at three providers in Canada: Microcell (aka Fido), Cityfone, and Westcomm. They support GSM technology, one of the various flavours of digital cellular in North America.
GSM was first introduced in 1991. As of the end of 1997, GSM service was available in more than 100 countries and has become a standard in Europe and Asia. In Canada, it’s one of the new kids on the digital-cell-phone block. It is primarily available in urban areas. In the U.S., it’s more widely available. The card modem you get for your laptop needs to support GSM if you have a GSM phone.
GSM is the wireless technology of choice in the digital cell phone world because “it’s the only digital cell phone technology which supports data services which allow send and receive of data at 9600 bps,” explained Glen Bowker, North American sales manager for PC card maker Psion Dacom, Inc.
Psion Dacom’s $300 modem is called the Gold Card NetGlobal PC Card. The base model features a 56K modem with fax functionality. An upgrade kit for GSM cell phones costs about $200. That’s $500 to get you connected to your GSM phone, though the modem’s street price is usually lower.
The modem works with phones manufactured by Motorola, Ericsson, and Nokia. Go to Psion.com for a list of models that are supported.
Add the airtime, the phone, and your monthly internet bill, and it’s not a cheap endeavour. Once you’ve eaten the startup costs, though, you’re simply faced with the cost of a call to the nearest Internet Service Provider to get your e-mail.
If you’re away from home, you’ll also likely face roaming charges through one of the 13 digital cellular providers that offer GSM service in the U.S. The good news is that GSM coverage is better in the U.S. than it is in Canada. “From a motorhome perspective, a service like Fido won’t be available in rural spaces in Canada,” says Bowker. “At least not yet. GSM is not just a wireless solution. You’re going to need to use the analog portion of your modem sometimes.”
For non-GSM phone owners, 3Com offers the Megahertz analog cellular-capable PC card for around $300. It also requires a model-specific connector at around $100. They’re listed on 3Com’s Web site.
The analog cell modems can be tricky to work. 3Com suggests that a connection can be made at 33.6 Kbps, using the modem, but that would be under optimal conditions. Expect bandwidth to fluctuate wildly, right along with your frustration level.
For a more updated article on this same topic, see the 2001 version by clicking here.