Wireless Internet on a Low-End PowerBook

Jim W - 2002.09.20

My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your submission to Dan Knight .

I'm going on a two week vacation shortly and wanted Internet access without having to depend on motel and camp cabin data ports.

After some exploration, and some research with my cellular provider, I opted to buy a cellular capable modem for my PowerBook. There are many cellular PCMCIA modems out there that will work; one of the best IMO being made by a Canadian company called Ositech.

I bought one of their modems/cellular kits for my Nokia 5100 series phone off of eBay for $70. According to coverage maps, I should be able to access about 70-80% of the U.S. via cellular.

After my research with my local Cingular office, I upgraded to a plan with free nationwide roaming, free long distance, and 3500 minutes of night/weekend airtime, for a very affordable $39.95 per month. (Most of my vacation usage will fall into the free nighttime hours). I use CompuServe 2000 for net access, and they have numbers all over the country. Even if I don't have a "local" number, the free long distance will allow calling a nearby access number.

The modem came in on a Saturday and worked beautifully on the PowerBook, although Ositech doesn't officially support Macs. The only place I've tested it so far was at my home, but it worked well here, and I have a fairly weak signal at home. The main advantage of this solution is that I can use it anywhere that has analog cell phone coverage available, which at this point is still about 70-80% of the U.S. No special service is needed from the cellular provider, just regular analog service.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that depending on signal conditions, cellular connections can be very slow - sometimes 9600 bps - and can be delicate if you are in a weak signal area. Still, it is in my opinion a very attractive alternative to wireless services that will only give you a very limited service area and mostly in large cities.

If you are concerned about the upcoming transition to digital, the company has modems available that will work on analog or digital connections. I felt that for $70 I could get my money's worth out of the deal before it becomes obsolete. The new models of this modem that are analog/digital capable start for around $150.

If you decide to give this a try, don't assume anything. Check out the capabilities of your particular phone, check with your cellular provider as to availability of analog service in the areas you want to use it in, and do some calculations as to whether the hours you need to use the service will prove to be economically attractive.

Make sure that you buy the right cellular kit for your phone, as they are by no means universal. If you are doing this on an older PowerBook, make sure you get a 16 bit PCMCIA modem. There are some newer PC Cards that require a CardBus (32 bit) slot, and these will not work with the older PowerBooks.

One other thing I will mention as to cell service in general is this: Check with your provider regularly about what calling plans are available. Cellular companies frequently update their plans to more attractive options and most will not automatically inform you of a better deal than your current plan. If you don't check it out regularly, you will almost surely be paying too much for your cell phone service whether you are using it for Net access or not.

Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent My Turn articles

Back to Mac OS 9 Because It's All I Need, 2011.01.26. Sebastian Patting sold his Intel Macs and went back to PowerPC Macs and Mac OS 9. Here's why.
Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 2008.08.18. When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
'That's Not a Computer', 2008.07.30. Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
More in the My Turn index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay