Have Computer, But No WiFi? Some tips on alternatives

From FullTimeRVer.com

Staying in Touch
Have Computer, But No WiFi? Some tips on alternatives
By Russ Demaris

Getting connected can be a bit of a challenge. There are several places for "road warriors" to look where old style telephone connections are available:

Truck Stops: Truckers, like the rest of us, are technologically up-to-date. Many long-haulers use their PC to keep a better logbook and stay in touch with Dispatch and family. Truck stops are getting smarter too, keeping up with the needs of their customers. Most Flying J Travel Centers are a haven for the PC carrying RVer. You'll find phone hookups usually stashed away in the restaurant or in an out-of-the-way corner. You may need to remove a wall-mounted telephone to access the RJ-11 phone jack, but persevere. Some truck stops have phones that are "data ready," having a RJ-11 jack on the side of the phone where you can plug in your modem. Follow the instructions printed on the phone to hookup.

Truck stop phone lines generally only allow for 800 number or phone card access. Even if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has a local phone number, you probably won't be able to access it directly. If your ISP doesn't have 800 number access, prepare to use your calling card. Before you leave, make sure you can make your computer "talk" to a calling card. This can be a bit of a challenge: set aside time where you work out the bugs, from home is best.

Print Shops: Trapped in Phoenix, we found the nearest "modem friendly" truck stop was 50 miles distant. Lo and behold, the nearby Kinkos Copy Center had a free phone jack we could use. Since the line allowed local calls and our ISP had a local number, we were able to log-in without the higher cost of the 800 line. Many Kinkos locations now offer free phone
line access for computer users.

Internet Cafes: Grab an espresso and for a small fee, you can use many Internet Cafes' PCs to access the web. Most e-mail providers allow you to log in from any computer nowadays.

Other businesses: Down south in Yuma we found neither truck stop nor print shop having the necessary RJ-11 jack. I called some computer stores and soon located one that for a couple of bucks let me use an extra store phone line to access my mail and do a quick web search (if there's a local Apple Store in the area, stop by. The computers on display are WiFi enabled and if the store isn't busy you are welcome to check your email or surf the Web).

Pay phones: Some airports have modem-friendly pay phones. Like modem-friendly truck stop phones you'll find an RJ-11 data jack to use.

As a last resort, you can use an acoustical modem to hookup to just about any pay phone.

Russ Demaris is the author of RV Boondocking Basics
and Boondocking Tips for RVers: More Fun Without Hookups