Not Using Campground Wi-Fi

Above, camping at Route 66 RV Resort with their Wi-Fi antenna at left. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whenever I go RV traveling, I don't use the campground's Wi Fi system. I bring along my own mobile hotspot gizmo and connect my laptop to that. All I need is a nearby cell tower for a connection.

For one thing, it provides faster Internet. For another, it is a lot more secure. 

Avoiding usage of campground Wi-Fi is the topic of an article in RV Travel.

They begin it with:

Is it time to just eliminate campground Wi-Fi altogether? I think it is, and I can share why.

But, first… A few weeks ago, I shared that I had been hacked in a campground, but I don’t believe I shared that I had been hacked twice in different campgrounds.

Let’s talk about how we all get connected so you can read websites like RVtravel.com. And whatever else. Like watch TV. 

Campground Wi-Fi is mostly lousy. Let’s face it—we go places that are pretty, but also somewhat remote. That means that the Wi-Fi that is available to the campground itself may also not be so great. And then you’re splitting that up by however-many campers are there wanting to use that connectivity. 

Installing and maintaining a Wi-Fi system in a campground is very expensive. And whenever something’s expensive, that means we’re the ones paying for it. I don’t know how much the cost of Wi-Fi extends to our own reservations, but I can say that it’s noticeable. It’s also generally not secure. I’ll get to that. 

To read more, go here. 

Forbes: The Truth About Cruise Ship Internet

Above, the Norwegian Sky at Great Stirrup Cay. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If I ever go on another cruise in the future, I am leaving my laptop computer at home.

Last summer, I brought it along for the Bahamas cruise, but I ended up not even taking it out of the suitcase. Why? Internet access aboard the cruise ship was too expensive. I limited my usage to the free access time on my phone or the public WiFi at different ports such as Freeport and Nassau. When not in use, I always put my phone on Airplane Mode to keep from being charged any money.

Forbes has posted an article on the truth about cruise ship Internet and how to get it cheaper.

They begin with:

Until recently, cruise ship internet had a reputation for being slow, patchy, and overpriced. Modern systems have improved dramatically, but the price tag has not shifted much. Mainstream cruise lines still treat connectivity as a premium add-on.

Even with Starlink and other low-orbit networks, the infrastructure costs are significant. The hardware is expensive and bandwidth must be shared among thousands of passengers and crew members. When demand peaks, such as during sea days, speeds can slow.

Most lines charge either by the day or for the duration of the cruise, with higher-tier packages including access to streaming services such as YouTube. The costs quickly add up, especially on longer sailings and on lines that charge by device.

To read more, go here. 

RV Internet

Above, Route 66 RV Resort with one of its cell towers behind my RV. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whenever I go RV camping, I usually bring along one of my laptops. I connect to the Internet with my AT&T mobile hotspot.

I've had it for seven years. I got it when I moved to New Mexico from California and it, generally, has been reliable. When on the road, all I need is a nearby cell tower for the device to connect to it. 

RV camping and the Internet is the topic of a new article in RV Life.

It starts out with:

Starlink has received a ton of press the last few years, and for good reason. I had a great experience with Starlink when testing, though that is not always the universal opinion. Like almost any RV internet solution, your mileage may vary. Pricing and plans for Starlink seem to fluctuate frequently as the system continues to grow and change.

The curiosity around Starlink is justified. However, it often diverts attention from existing, affordable solutions that already exist on the modern 5G cellular network. If you frequently camp outside the vast data network dominated primarily by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, you should consider Starlink. The number of RVers that actually do that however, is smaller than you think.

To read more, go here. 

Cruise Ship Internet Wi-Fi

Above, keep track on your Wi-Fi minutes when on a cruise.

While on a cruise, many passengers are unaware of the charges using a ship's Wi-Fi can be costly. VERY COSTLY.

During last year's cruise to the Bahamas aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky, I did purchase a limited Wi-Fi plan and kept track on how many minutes I had available. When I wasn't using it, I put my phone on Airplane Mode so that sneaky charges wouldn't surprise me when the cruise was over and got a bill for them.

The Points Guy has an article on the ins and outs of cruise ship Wi-Fi usage.

They begin it with:

I have good news for those of you who assume the only way to stay in touch with home from a cruise ship is via a message in a bottle: Cruise ships come equipped with internet, and cruise Wi-Fi connections have been getting faster at a rapid rate — and cheaper, too.

While checking emails and surfing the web on some vessels still requires the patience of Job, onboard technological improvements on many ships combined with new satellite and direct ship-to-shore systems is making cruise internet access much more like what you find on land.

If you're a first-time cruiser, you're likely most concerned with the basics: Do cruise ships have Wi-Fi and how much does Wi-Fi cost on a cruise? Repeat cruisers who have paid the price for finicky service may be wondering the best way to access fast connection speeds across their devices while avoiding unnecessary charges.

I can guide you through the ins and outs of Wi-Fi on cruise ships. Here are five things to know about onboard internet before you set sail.

To read the full article, go here. 

Wi-Fi During Cruise

The five day stretch of no blog posts during my Bahamas cruise was probably the longest one ever. I had my laptop with me, but I didn't use it. I could have blogged with my cell phone as well.

It was not that I couldn't make any blog posts, it was due to the limited amount of time I could use the Norwegian Sky Wi-Fi without being charged $5.99/minute. 

When out to sea, Norwegian Cruise Lines charges that amount after 75 minutes of free Wi-Fi. They also offered several plans, all over $90. No thanks!

I don't recall Royal Caribbean charging for Wi-Fi or, if they did, it was much more reasonable during our cruise to Key West and Havana. 

 

I limited usage to my cell phone. When logging in, they would let me know (see above screen shot) how many minutes of free time was available. When not using my cell phone, I would put it in Airplane Mode. 

When we made stops in Freeport and Nassau, I was able to use available Wi-Fi there. As Great Stirrup Cay is owned by Norwegian, I figured I would be charged for Wi-Fi there, so I didn't bother. 

As the old saying goes, buyer beware.

Internet Went Down

Above, fired up the barbecue today. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When the Internet goes down, it is interesting to see how dependent we are when we can't use it.

This was the case all day yesterday and most of today. I was told yesterday that the problem stretched from Gallup to the west (18 miles) to Thoreau to the east (15 miles). At least that's what the State Police told me yesterday.

Above, enjoying an Alien Amber Ale while the meat was cooking.

This started around 8:30 yesterday morning when we had a 5-10 minute power outage. I don't know if this was related, but the Internet here went down at the same time.

This affected businesses as they couldn't process credit cards. People had to pay for gasoline with cash. 

So far, it seems to be working. 

In the meantime, I barbecued some cheeseburgers today. It is around 80° outside. 

10 Ways To Get Free Internet While RVing

Above, online at the Holbrook KOA in Arizona last month.

Right after buying my motorhome, I found a way to get Internet access while on the road.

It is a mobile hotspot by AT & T. I don't rely on campground Wi-Fi as they are spotty at best. I just simply unplug it at home and bring it and my laptop with me. All I need is a nearby tower. 

There are 10 other ways to get free Internet while on the road and Do It Yourself RV has them listed.

They begin with:

One of the great appeals of RV life is the freedom to explore the open road, journeying wherever the heart desires. Yet, even in the midst of such wanderlust-driven experiences, the need for an internet connection often remains.

Whether you’re working remotely, keeping in touch with loved ones, streaming your favorite shows, or merely looking up your next destination, having reliable internet is crucial. Here are ten ways you can access free internet while journeying in your RV.

To see what they are go here. 

RV Travel: NOW Are The Golden Years of RVing

Above, thanks to the Internet, I was able to camp in Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Some say that the "golden years" of RV travel were around 40-50 years ago. It probably depends upon where one was located and where they were going at the time.  

I remember full campgrounds even back then and my family having to park in an overflow area overnight and getting up at the crack of dawn to get in line for an open site. There was no Internet available to provide information on available campsites.

An article in RV Travel contends that now are the fabled "golden years" of RVing.

It begins with:

Far too often we get into the habit of glamorizing the “good old days” and reject the present times like we’re witnessing the apocalypse itself. It’s easy to think like this. In a world of overrun RV parks and the disparaging of public lands, I often find myself wishing that I could have experienced RV life back before it became a social media hashtag.

While I’ll never get to experience the sheer openness that came with road-tripping in a time before we all became digitally connected, I can’t help but look around and think, “Damn! We’ve got it good!”

Here’s why I think we’re in the golden years of RVing.

To read more, go here. 

Cut Fiber Optic Line Caused Yesterday's Outage

Now we know why there was a cellular and Internet outage yesterday in Gallup and McKinley County yesterday.

According to the Gallup Police Department:

CELL AND TELEPHONE OUTAGE

We are aware of a cellular telephone and landline telephone outage. This appears to be affecting most, if not all, of McKinley County. If you are in Gallup and have an emergency, please go to your nearest Gallup Fire Department station.

Local government officials are gathering to coordinate a response. We will release more information as it becomes available.

UPDATE AT 1:30PM

We have learned that the cell/telephone outage is due to a fiber optic line that has been cut near Laguna, New Mexico. This is primarily affecting CenturyLink customers. Local cellular towers rely on CenturyLink for their "backbone", which is why most local cellular services are mostly down. This outage is also affecting Grants, NM.

Depending on your cellular provider, you may or may not be able to contact 911. If you have an emergency, you are encouraged to go to the nearest Gallup Fire Department station.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL 911 IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EMERGENCY. Metro Dispatch is aware that cellular services are out.

Internet Back On

Above, good thing I had some cash on me when I went to BJ's Kountry Store. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Internet was down for most of yesterday in Gallup area of McKinley County in New Mexico. I don't know what the problem was, but I first learned of it around noon while doing some grocery shopping at BJ's Kountry Store in Thoreau. 

ATMs, card purchase machines and other things that rely on the Internet were not working. Luckily, I had some cash on me and bought what I needed to get by.

It briefly came back on last evening, but blinked out again. I went to bed early. I woke up to find it up and running and with over 120 emails waiting in my In Box. Most of them were junk emails.

Later today, I will be headed to Albuquerque to catch my early morning flight to Los Angeles on Friday for the 50ish Hawthorne High School Reunion. I will be meeting up with Mitch Geriminsky and Dwight Kuntz at the hotel near LAX. The reunion will be held in next-door El Segundo. This will be the first time I'll be stepping foot in L.A. since I moved to New Mexico four and a half years ago.

I spent yesterday, since there was no Internet to use, doing laundry and packing. It was just as well for it rained in the late afternoon and evening.

Buying Or Selling RVs Online: Good Idea?

Some people, due to their location or other considerations, will buy or sell things online. That also includes buying or selling RVs sight unseen.

Is this a good idea?

RV Travel takes a look at this and posted an article on what they found.

It starts off with:

An Oregon couple plans to retire in 2023 and hopes to travel by RV for five years. They narrowed their choice to a Class C motorhome. On their “must” list are Brand A or Brand B, good fuel mileage, 25-28 feet, two years old or less and will be good towing a small car.

They also want it to be self-contained so they can boondock half the time. No local dealers could find anything close to their needs, so they went online.

They found good candidates in Rhode Island, southern Illinois and Louisiana. With their work schedule, they can’t go in person. Should they buy sight unseen?

To read more, go here. 

Problems, Problems

After about 45-50 minutes of a lack of Wi-fi signals to my computer and phone, the Internet came back on. 

It came on and immediately received the below alert:

My Message app came on with word from one of our Jamestown coffee group saying he is going under the knife this morning (about 20 min. from now). Some cancer has been found in his bladder. Our thoughts and prayers are going out to him. I'd rather deal with Internet problems than with that.

Gallup Area Internet Was Down

Friday the Thirteenth lived up to its name yesterday when it came to local Internet service.

At around 9:30 yesterday morning, something happened to the fiber optic line in Thoreau and it knocked out Internet service in the Gallup region of New Mexico. Some have said it even affected Winslow, Arizona. Cash only everywhere.

Oddly, I was able to get Internet service on my phone at the Flying J and get cash from their ATM last evening.

The outage was even mentioned at last night's rodeo at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial that took place at Red Rock Park. It was still out when I went to bed at 9:00 last night, but it was working when I woke up a half hour ago.

At least it was a peaceful day yesterday with no interruptions on my phone and computer.

KOA Website Adds New Feature To Find Open Campsites

Above, the Beaver, Utah KOA office and store. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one is online searching for an open campsite, here's something that will be a big help and cut the time it takes to find and reserve a spot.

RV Travel reported:

Kampgrounds of America Inc. just added a new feature to its popular KOA.com website that KOA leaders claim will make it easier for campers to find a campsite at its 520 locations in North America.

The new enhancement to the site’s search capabilities will allow guests to see sites that are still available at multiple KOA campground locations at a regional level, making booking easier across KOA locations.

To read more, go here. 

New Mexico To Fund Blimp Broadband Study To Enhance Rural Internet

Above, a Los Angeles-based Goodyear blimp. It is not involved with the study. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those of us (or some of us) who are fans of lighter-than-air aircraft or blimps and dirigibles, this story should catch their interest.

From PennLive.com: 

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico is finalizing a $3.2 million contract to a dirigible manufacturer to study the viability of distributing high-speed internet from above the ground instead of underneath it, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Details of the contract to Sceye, pronounced “sky,” are still in the works, says Economic Development Department spokesman Bruce Krasnow.

The company calls its silver, blimp-shaped, remotely controlled balloons “stratospheric platforms.” For the internet study, they’ll be launched well below the stratosphere, around 12 miles above the ground.

To read more, go here. 

RV Travel: Are "Bots" Stealing Your Campsite?

Above, I had to reserve this Yosemite campsite six months earlier right when the "window"
opened, otherwise, all sites would have been booked up within seconds. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To date, I have not had any problems in reserving a campsite online. But others have and apparently it is becoming a problem.

RV Travel has an article on "bots" that are "stealing" campsites. 

They begin it with:

If you’ve tried to book a camping reservation online at popular locations in the past five years, you’ve likely been stymied by a camping bot. [Editor: A bot is a software application that runs automated tasks over the internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are simple and repetitive, much faster than a person could. —Wikipedia]

Bots are ingenious little bits of computer code that allow a user’s computer to flood a reservation site with campsite requests. It all happens fast – a typical reservation bot can complete a purchase in .02 of a second. Good luck typing fast enough to keep up with that.

You’ve likely used a bot yourself. Bots are used on travel sites like Kayak or Expedia. They scour the internet, looking for the best prices on hotels, airfare and rental cars. When you are researching your next trip on those sites, you are the beneficiary of a bot.

To read more, go here. 

Broadband Coming To Yellowstone National Park?

Above, the lobby of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Do people visiting national parks really don't stay in them longer because of the lack of Internet service?

That's what a broadband company is claiming in their proposal to put broadband service into Yellowstone National Park.

National Parks Traveler reported:

A broadband company that claims people don't visit national parks for longer periods because of a lack of high-speed Internet service wants to blanket parts of Yellowstone National Park with such service. 

In a proposal that wasn't as publicized as Yellowstone's need for a new bridge or its wildlife reports, AccessParks wants to install high-speed Internet service through more than 400 buildings in the park's developed areas that are managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. The request involves installation of "wireless radios, microwave point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and indoor Wi-Fi installations." 

Public comment on the right-of-way request, quietly floated for public comment on October 28, ends Tuesday at midnight local time. If approved, the National Park Service anticipates "that the installation will be expanded in the future to offer the same service to the NPS and other concessioners."

To read more, go here. 

Back To Normal

Above, all's normal in Jamestown and Gallup. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since the Internet was down in the region yesterday (I heard from a neighbor that someone cut the lines near Farmington, New Mexico), I have to go back into Gallup today to pick up some groceries at the market. Thank goodness I had enough food for dinner last night and gasoline to get back home.

The outage affected all ATMs and businesses' ability to process credit and debit cards, so they were only able to take only cash for purchases. I joked with the market clerk that I only have $2.00 on me and I'd be willing to pay for everything with that. He didn't go for it.

I wonder how many people who were low on gasoline had to sit and wait it out for their cards to work at the gasoline pumps again if they had no cash on them.

I did attempt to find out what happened. I called AT & T to see if they knew what caused the outage, but they had no information on it.

Everything seems normal now since the Internet went back up last night at around 8:00. It is amazing how everything grinds to a halt when cables are cut.

Network Down Today!

Cell phones along with Internet service were down for most of today in New Mexico.

I noticed the problem around noon as I was grocery shopping in Gallup. The market could only accept cash for purchases. The ATM in the store was also down. They told me this problem was "everywhere".

I left the store and went up old Route 66 to a gas station as The Beast had less than a quarter of a tank of gas. The gas pump wouldn't work with both my credit and debit cards. Their ATM was down also.

I knew I had enough to get back to Jamestown. I decided to give the Flying J a try (figuring they may be on a different system than those in Gallup). When I got there, they had a sign at each gas pump that the Internet was down and they could only accept cash.

Cell service was restored at least by 2:00 this afternoon. But Internet service remained down until around 8:00 this evening.

I am sure a lot of businesses lost a lot of money by being unable to process credit and debit cards today. It is amazing to see how much we rely on Internet service. Maybe we rely too much on it!

"Child" David Hogg Can Dish It Out But Can't Take It

Above, this cartoon sums things up perfectly.

Leftist stooge David Hogg has been all over the liberal news media and the Internet spewing his bile and spleen, but when he gets blowback, he gets upset.

A good example:

Commentator Laura Ingraham apparently said something to offend "Boss Hogg", after which she apologized.

However, Hogg is having none of it. He condemns "mudslinging" and hides behind the fact that he and his friends are "children". He has engaged in mudslinging against President Trump (calling him a "draft dodger"), Senator Marco Rubio, the NRA and, can you believe it (?), Senator John McCain! He also has given obscenity-laden interviews on television.

He even decided to go after Ingraham's advertisers, which is a typical Leftist tactic (wonder who is coaching him?):

As former talk show host David Gold said about Ingraham's apology:

You don't apologize to puppets of Soros and Media Matters. Blood in the water. 

I will stand with Laura Ingraham everyday before I stand with the anti gun communist in the making David Hogg. This kid has injected himself everywhere, lecturing us on firearms, spewing his anti gun rhetoric, but once he gets made fun of, he pushes for boycotts.

What a punk 

....We all embraced them after the Parkland shooting. Whatever good will they may have engendered is gone with me. This kid, David Hogg cusses up a storm. Thinks it gains them street cred. I call it obnoxi...

"Child" or not, if Hogg is willing to put himself out into the media and dish out his venom, then he is asking for in-kind responses. (Where are his parents?) He has made himself fair game! 

He sure can dish it out, but can't take it!