The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Do it Yourself Discussion! => Topic started by: crestheaven on June 12, 2013, 08:22:27 AM
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Any ideas on how I can get wifi on home laptop without cable or phone service?
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Yup, mobile hotspot. Data costs an arm and a leg over wireless, though.
You kinda shot yourself in the foot telling Comcast to kiss off with your data connection if you still need internet service at home, and honestly, for Comcast, it wasn't a terrible price even with the TV. Read the Superguide (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/communications-tech-isps-voip-cell/) for some ideas.
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Yup, mobile hotspot. Data costs an arm and a leg over wireless, though.
You kinda shot yourself in the foot telling Comcast to kiss off with your data connection if you still need internet service at home, and honestly, for Comcast, it wasn't a terrible price even with the TV. Read the Superguide (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/communications-tech-isps-voip-cell/) for some ideas.
And one of the nice things about Comcast (I can't believe I am saying that) is that they are deploying (and have deployed) numerous wi-fi access points that you can use nationwide. I'm sure other service providers do that as well, and might do it better, but that is one of the nice features.
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That's probably going to depend greatly on:
* geographic location
* amount you're willing to spend
I'm not sure if you're looking to avoid the expense of cable/phone... or if it just isn't available. (I am the latter of those choices.)
A few ideas (and I am sure someone else will chime in with more.)
* Some metro areas have point-to-point wifi. Search for "wireless isp" or "wisp" in your area. These are very dependent on geography and tower location
* cellular... If you have a smart phone, you might be able to "tether" it. (That's a commonly used term, but technically incorrect... there is no "tether" involved. You just make your phone into a wireless hotspot.) Some cell providers will turn this on for a monthly fee. Sometimes you can hack your phone a bit and "make it work" (depending on your determination and skill set). You can also get cellular based dongles (like a USB stick or a pcmcia card) that allow your laptop to use the cellular network. And... if you want to use that for multiple devices, there are small home routers that understand wireless dongles, such that your entire house can sit behind the cellular stick. (I'm in the country... this is really my only viable option.)
* satellite - Ick. It can be done if there is no other way, but it can be expensive and the "fair use policy" isn't optimal.
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crestheaven it may seem like such a shock to not have wifi at home if you drop the cable and phone; but think of it as an exciting opportunity to become more badass, initially it is hard to adjust to such a loss, but soon hedonic adaption will kick in and you will adjust your habits and lifestyle so that you don't have to rely on Internet as much for your entertainment in your house; who knows you might find more exciting things in life to do; As an extra bonus you will have less expenses and more money to add to your stash
see: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/22/what-is-hedonic-adaptation-and-how-can-it-turn-you-into-a-sukka/
With the absence of Wifi at home, you will automatically adjust your habits to compensate for it; Once you reach this point, you could just go down to the library once or twice a week in the evenings for internet.
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List of US MVNO broadband providers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_virtual_network_operators#Mobile_broadband_operators)
Why no cable? See if you have Earthlink if you don't like the main provider.
Make an arrangement with a neighbor to share.
Move next to a public wifi provider.
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I have just wifi with no cable or phone, with AT&T. Not my favorite provider, but the best price where I live.
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"get wifi" technically means just a wireless network connection. If you want internet on that, you simply need to get internet access and connect it to a wifi router....
Internet options:
1- Dialup: Phone line (SLOW)
2- DSL: Phone line
3- Cable: Cable line
4- Fiber: Fiber lines (Limited areas where you can actually get this, expensive, very fast)
5- Wimax: Wireless into the house: limited areas where it is used, slow, expensive. (Rural areas mostly)
6- Satellite: Expensive, slow, used in rural areas
Therefore, if you do not want cable or phone at ALL, you have limited slow or expensive options, that may not even be available where you are. If you are willing to use a phone or cable line, just get DSL or cable internet and do not buy the cable TV or phone service along with it. In my experience, cable is usually faster for the same price, though this is highly location dependent and anecdotal.