2014 Mobile Data Q&A Thread

[Brett Roberts]

Just as an update for anyone who may be considering their 2014 data options:

I wound up getting a used Cradlepoint CTR35 for about $25 on eBay last year and used it throughout the spring with my Verizon UMW190 modem. I was very pleased with the CTR35, and highly recommend it for anyone who can't use their smartphone exclusively for data. I have it wired to my inverter and tucked beneath the passenger seat. With the modem plugged in, I get a wi-fi signal within seconds of switching the inverter on that can be used by any device in the vehicle. Unlike my mixed experiences using USB modems on a Windows laptop, the connection was very reliable and never seemed to drop out unless I was in a very remote area where the actual signal was poor.

I only wish I had made this relatively inexpensive purchase years earlier and saved many laptop reboots and curse words uttered.

One caution: the CTR35 was discontinued years ago, and certain new (mainly 4G) USB modems may not be compatible. Make sure you check the compatibility list before buying. If you're running an older 3G modem, though, you should be in good shape.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Cradlepoints are a good bet - I have a newer model that works with my 4G aircard. It's nice to be able to run the laptop, tablet and any other device off of the same connection with ease. I almost never have to use the aircard plugged in directly now. Sometimes I can even pick up the car's wifi in a restaurant, if I park close enough to where I'll be sitting.

I've been thinking of starting a 2014 data thread, as there is some new info to discuss - maybe the mods would prefer to break this thread off?

 

[J Tyler]

This off season, I decided to go all in on a new setup. Like Brett, I was tired of having to reboot my laptop at the worst time possible. I've also always felt that plugging an aircard directly into the laptop was an unstable solution (drivers, etc). The MiFi units are very cool, but I see too many stability issues for my liking there as well. I was leaning towards doing an aircard/router solution, but every time Verizon feeds an update to the aircard you risk compatibility problems until the router company can address them. Here is a pretty good article talking about these things: http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/4530/64/

So, I went ahead and took the plunge and purchased a Cradlepoint router with an embedded cellular modem cap. The modem cap will have a Millenicom (Verizon) SIM card. The modem cap also will allow me to have more robust antenna connections than having to use the pigtail adapter plugged directly into the aircard antenna port. It has two ports to allow MIMO/Diversity, and I have all 3 bands amplified with direct connect amplifiers (2g/3g/4g). Everything is ordered and it all should arrive by the end of the week. It will allow WiFi as WAN, and I am going to experiment with adding a AT&T aircard into one of the other USB ports with an extension and see if it will allow me to load balance with the modem cap in use.

I also purchased an i7 quad core laptop (16gig RAM, solid state drive, dedicated video card, etc) to chase with so I can edit HD video while still chasing. My old one just didn't have the horsepower to have streaming software, GR3, Streets and Trips, etc etc etc all running and still edit. So, it was reboot, reboot, blue screen, reboot, repeat! It made me mad enough that I tried to leave no stone unturned! LOL!

 

[Matt Hunt]

I'm not sure what to do this year, as I just have 2 shortened weeks, one in late April, the other in late May, to chase. With my new phone, I'm no longer able to tether it to my laptop for data. I could use just the phone, but I really prefer the large screen of the laptop, especially for analyzing data before storms fire. The other option is to find a place with free Wi-Fi, and use the laptop to look at surface obs, satellite, etc. then just use my phone for radar in the field, and convert the laptop to a large-screen GPS. Are there any other data options that won't break the bank for a measly 10 days of chasing all year?

 

[Brett Roberts]

I'm not sure what to do this year, as I just have 2 shortened weeks, one in late April, the other in late May, to chase. With my new phone, I'm no longer able to tether it to my laptop for data. I could use just the phone, but I really prefer the large screen of the laptop, especially for analyzing data before storms fire. The other option is to find a place with free Wi-Fi, and use the laptop to look at surface obs, satellite, etc. then just use my phone for radar in the field, and convert the laptop to a large-screen GPS. Are there any other data options that won't break the bank for a measly 10 days of chasing all year?

What phone are you using? As long as it's a smartphone, you should be able to tether with some effort. If you're running Android, an app like FoxFi or PDAnet should suffice. If they're blocked by your carrier, you can look into rooting -- definitely some work, but I'd say it's well worth it if the alternative is regressing to the age of library wi-fi stops!

If you have an iPhone, you might look into jailbreaking, though I don't know anything about that.

 

[Matt Hunt]

What phone are you using? As long as it's a smartphone, you should be able to tether with some effort. If you're running Android, an app like FoxFi or PDAnet should suffice. If they're blocked by your carrier, you can look into rooting -- definitely some work, but I'd say it's well worth it if the alternative is regressing to the age of library wi-fi stops!

If you have an iPhone, you might look into jailbreaking, though I don't know anything about that.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini on Android with Sprint. PDAnet is blocked. There is a tether option on the phone, but it doesn't seem to give the laptop an internet connection unless the phone is connected to Wi-Fi, which is pretty worthless since the laptop would connect to the same Wi-Fi! I might have to look into rooting!

 

[Skip Talbot]

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini on Android with Sprint. PDAnet is blocked. There is a tether option on the phone,

Do some googling and browsing on the XDA developer forums if you haven't already. A quick search shows that rooting the phone appears to enable the tether feature for some, and others are reporting that there are tethering apps in the play store that also work once the phone is rooted.

The other option I see is getting a datacard and paying for prepaid data. It's relatively expensive, but if you use it lightly you could do the $60 3GB on Verizon. That's less than one in the hotel though, and I'd want to make the most of my chasecations, so I'd definitely spring for that... AND root the phone so I could tether. I'd hate to be out there for only a few days and be handicapped by limited data and flaky devices.

 

[Bob Schafer]

To echo what Skip said: My only ISP is Verizon, for home and chasing, year-round, and my data plan is 5GB/mo. for $50. I almost never use my allowance, even while chasing every day for weeks at a time, but that is only because I know that I CANNOT stream stuff nor watch a bunch of videos. I am on the internet for a couple hours per day, too. If there are vids to watch, like especially in May/June when everyone's chase vids get posted, I save the URL's and download them all at once when I get free WiFi at motels and/or in friend's houses.

The point: 3GB ought to be more than sufficient for a 10 day chase, but take it easy on your downloads by not having GRL3 open 24/7 or loading up every parameter it offers. i.e. Forget about concurrently enabling 4 different tilts of reflectivity and 4 tilts of velocity and running it constantly from dawn to midnight, and don't spend all your downtime streaming vids from YouTube.

 

[Doug Raflik]

I am new to the mobile internet thing. I have no use for it other than chasing. Just have not seen a need to have internet outside of home or any hotel I am staying at that night, except while actively chasing on the road. With that said, I found this page comparing mobile hot spots...

http://lifehacker.com/5974761/how-t...e-hotspot-to-stay-connected-everywhere-you-go

I really like the pricing, but it says it uses Sprints WiMax network. No clue what this is. Sounds like it is a step below 3G. Is this acceptable for chasing? I do not stream anything. I use GRL3, and surf the net for model sites and such. Anyone help me out with info on this? Thanks,

 

[Skip Talbot]

I found this page comparing mobile hot spots...

http://lifehacker.com/5974761/how-t...e-hotspot-to-stay-connected-everywhere-you-go

At over a year old, this article is already well out of date. The field just changes too rapidly. There's no mention of cradles, routers, mifi or jetpack devices that chasers use. The devices that are cited aren't very practical in a chasing application. PdaNet is also out of date, or at least it is for me. It required rooting the phone and I believe it's no longer supported on many devices. FoxFi is a great alternative for turning your phone into a free hotspot. On my Sprint Photon I've got an unlimited data mobile hotspot. The 4G is non existent unless I'm in a big city, and the overall coverage doesn't compete with Verizon's, but it makes a great backup and also allows me to use however much data I want while traveling to and from a chase on the interstates. I can then use a 4G Verizon datacard or mifi for the actual chasing and have all of my bandwidth quote to work with.

 

[Doug Raflik]

Thanks Skip. I am going to post a new thread in a few minutes. If you could chime in on there that would be great.

 

[Tony Gilbert]

Any thoughts on the best MiFi rental deal this year?
Probably be flying into DFW from the UK late May. So would need it delivered to the hotel for my first night. Only interested in Verizon carriers?

Last year we were pulling our hair out with a 'CELLHIRE' Mifi. Apart from regularly overheating then freezing up just when we needed it the most, we also kept dropping the signal while other chasers nearby were still getting theirs? I complained to the customer support at the end of our chase and got an apology but not much else! It was pretty obvious that we should have invested in a cradle point with external antenna. Have since bought the '3G WCDMA Antenna Signal Booster Mobile Cell Phone 40dB Gain' £66.99 which is around $50.00 off EBAY and hope this will make the difference!
Just want to rent a more reliable mifi unit this year!

 

[Jon Strebler]

Would it not be easier to just buy something like a Verizon Jetpack? You can get one used or directly from Verizon and simply have a month to month plan. It seems to me that a rental would cost just as much as buying one and you would end up saving money in years to come. I may be wrong though because I don't know anything about renting mifi except for looking at the prices.

 

[Tony Gilbert]

Interesting suggestion! I'll look into this. Thanks

Have made some enquiries with Verizon and apparently I would need a US credit card to purchase a Pay as You go plan. I may nevertheless purchase the plan with cash at a local store. Thinking about buying the Verizon Jetpack 890L from EBAY. Though TBH by the time I have paid shipping to the UK and taxes this might not work out that much cheaper. So could end up with rental after all. The deals are better than last year!

 

[Matt Hunt]

Interesting suggestion! I'll look into this. Thanks

Have made some enquiries with Verizon and apparently I would need a US credit card to purchase a Pay as You go plan. I may nevertheless purchase the plan with cash at a local store. Thinking about buying the Verizon Jetpack 890L from EBAY. Though TBH by the time I have paid shipping to the UK and taxes this might not work out that much cheaper. So could end up with rental after all. The deals are better than last year!

Keep in mind with prepaid you'll only have data on the Verizon network, no roaming. So you'll have nothing in NW OK. You can still do month-to-month, though. I'd think in the long run it would still be cheaper to buy a (used) jetpack, then you can use it again in the coming years.