RVers often send Pete at RV Advice (www.rvadvice.com) an E-mail asking, "How do I get connected to the Internet while traveling"? Pete passes this type question to me (the webmaster) to answer, and since this question has been asked numerous times I decided to write an article about it. Of course, in the fast-paced computer technology world by the time this article goes to "publish" it will probably be "yesterday's news"; keep that in mind as you read this article because technology changes almost by the hour when it comes to the Internet.

This article briefly covers five areas: Internet Needs, Computer for Travel, SPAM, Internet Privacy and E-mail Viruses.

INTERNET NEEDS:

First, and foremost you have to know your Internet needs. Ask yourself, "What is the main reason I need Internet access for while traveling, and what part of the Internet do I need to access"? Do you just want to E-mail friends and family? Browse the WWW or do you need FTP (File Transfer Protocol) for uploading/downloading files to/from an Internet server or host computer? Do you need to go "wireless" (the ability to connect without the fuss of wires, phone jacks, etc.)? What type of ISP (Internet Service Provider) do you need, or do you even need one?

Also, you need to ask yourself, "How often do I need to connect to the Internet"? Answering this question can often assist you in making a choice of which option of getting connected "on-line" best serves your particular needs.

Let's explore some of your possibilities and options through both my traveling Internet experiences and those of other RVers.

You have several choices, even if you only want to use the Internet for sending/retrieving email, some of these choices don't even require the use of a computer.

1. Free web based email, no ISP necessary. If you already have an ISP, before your journey while at home, you can access the WWW and sign up for a free web-based email account with one of the numerous providers of this service. Rvers often use Yahoo.com (www.yahoo.com), Hotmail.com (www.hotmail.com), Juno.com (www.juno.com), etc. There are many public Internet access providers. Once you have acquired this new email account provide this address to anyone you wish to have contact with while traveling, also letting them know to use this address to reach you during "such-and-such" dates. If you have email forwarding with your local ISP you can also set it up to forward your incoming email to this new address eliminating the need to notify friends/family of your "other" E-mail address.

To access your E-mail this way while on the road you only need Internet access, you don't have to dial into an ISP while traveling, you just need a way to reach the WWW. You can often do this from public libraries, computer stores, Kinko Copy Centers (www.kinkos.com) and cyber cafes. Go to www.cybercafes.com to search for a list of Internet access locations all over the world. I have even found public Internet access computers in a Central Florida grocery store chain. Some places such as Kinko's charge a marginal fee for Internet access, but it is reasonable and often well worth it.

2. Pocketmail (TM): A neat way to access the Internet for E-mail retrieving/sending is a small portable device called "Pocketmail (TM)" (www.pocketmail.com) which can be purchased at just about any office supply or electronics store. It retails for less than $150.00, uses batteries and only needs to be held up to any telephone receiver/mouthpiece to send/retrieve E-mail and or faxes by calling an 800 number provided.

There are some drawbacks that I have found for this device:

• A. You have a monthly access fee of around $13.00 for the "basic economy" package.
• B. It is very limited to the file size/number of E-mails it can handle.
• C. Good for fax/email (text) documents only.

The pros are it is very portable, lightweight, and small and an excellent way to communicate if full-timing without an ISP or laptop. For the needs of RV Advice though it is not an option that would meet any of our Internet requirements (it would choke on just half a day's incoming RV Advice E-mail). RV Chassis Master, Inc. (www.motorhomechassis.com) has many RV service customers that have used Pocketmail(TM) for several years and it fits their needs perfectly.

3. Cellphone: Another way to access the Internet for E-mail is through your cellular telephone. You must have a cell phone that has this capability and fees are going to be based on your contract terms with your cell phone provider. I had an opportunity to try cell phone access and for me composing an E-mail (let alone reading one) was a huge hassle and time consuming event. Using the telephone key pad to type a letter was definitely not worth it for me. The cell phone E-mail I think would work the best for those people that utilize voice based E-mail (a technology that exists and is not uncommon but does not seem to have a large RVer following).

4. WebTV: Watch TV, surf the web, read/send E-mail. Many RVers utilize WebTV but I have no first-hand knowledge to share with you about the pros and cons of WebTV. Your best bet here is to gather information about the product/service and talk to some WebTV users before deciding if this route to go is good for you. I personally have no user knowledge to share with you, nor do I know how convenient, mobile, or accessible it is to utilize while traveling. I have had many email notifications returned to me by WebTV stating their client's account mailbox was "full", so inquire about how much E-mail storage space you receive. Start by checking the WebTV website. http://www.webtv.com

5. ISP: If you need or would rather have an ISP while traveling choose one of the nationwide service providers. They not only offer usually reliable Internet connections, but also have numerous local dial-up access numbers for the area you are traveling through or to. You'll need to visit their prospective web site before you travel to download or print out a list of these local access numbers to carry with you if these numbers are not provided in your server software package. Numbers often change (especially area codes), so it's wise to get the numbers from your service provider's web site a few days before you travel. Also nationwide service providers provide 24/7 customer support and they provide toll free numbers to dial into if there is not a local dial-up access number for the location you are in. These toll free numbers are not "free", you will be charged, but the fee is very nominal (around $4.95 an hour) especially if you compose/read E-mail "off-line". My last trip I used my 800 dial up number to send/retrieve RV Advice E-mail (around 150 E-mails each occurrence) about four times and my actual charges for using the 800 number was less than $4.00 total.

These toll free numbers for ISP access are mandatory at many private RV campgrounds, Flying J Truck Stops, etc., as they utilize phone systems that only allow toll free number access.

There are many reliable Nationwide servers. A few of the popular ones are AOL, Earthlink/Mindspring, ATT, etc. For the RV Advice web site and E-mail I use the San Diego based Netcom (purchased by Earthlink/Mindspring a few years back). If you decide to choose Earthlink/Mindspring tell them RVAdvice.com referred you and they will give you one free month of service when you sign up. You can sign up with Earthlink/Mindspring by calling toll free: 800-719-4660

6. Wireless ISP: If you want to go wireless you can do so with either your laptop or a special handheld device equipped with a miniature keyboard. Both ways are more expensive. You must pay for a wireless modem, and a wireless subscription service (from $40.00 - 75.00 per month), and these fees are in addition to any current ISP fees you pay with the same server. Wireless connections are broadband connections allowing you to access the Internet at 128Kps without having to hook into a phone jack. The handheld devices alert you to a new email by a vibration or tone, just like a pager or cell phone. The handheld devices have a miniature built-in keyboard for composing and sending your own messages. Your nationwide ISPs should all have solutions for going wireless. Earthlink offers "BlackBerry" TM for Earthlink subscribers for $39.95 a month. More information on Earthlink's BlackBerry can be found at www.earthlink.net/wireless.

Earthlink offers a wireless option for $69.95 a month but allows you to connect to the Internet wireless with your laptop from anywhere, and even while actually "mobile". Information for Earthlinks wireless option for laptops can be found at www.earthlink.net/broadband/ricochet.

Again, mention RVAdvice.com referred you to Earthlink/Mindspring.

7. Satellite Internet: With Pegasus Express (powered by DirectPC, a registered trademark of Hughes Network system) and for around $700.00 you can go with a two-way satellite Internet connection. No phone lines needed (except for initial installation). Satellite service allows downloads of up to 400 kbps (kilobits per second). Upload speeds can reach up to 128 kbps. It's available everywhere in the continental U.S. with unlimited residential usage. Monthly service fees start around $70.00 per month, but you are obligated to a one-year service contract. A plus with DirectPC is you can also get DirectTV with their Duo package. Correction made: October 26, 2002: Direct PC is now DirecPC (in conjunction with DirectTV) and their web site is: http://www.direcpc.com

8. "Metered" Internet: There are additional solutions to access the Internet. There are many, but two that I will mention are Bamnet Internet (www.bamnet.com) and MaGlobe (www.maglobe.com). Both offer "metered" Internet access. You pay for the time you are actually on-line.

Bamnet is currently at six and one half cents per minute. This can be a nice way to connect if you only need to check/send mail, or your primary ISP is not available. For more information visit the Bamnet web site at: http://www.bamnet.com

MaGlobe offers Internet access for the "traveler" with 5,000 worldwide locations and is 100% compatible with existing email accounts. Your account with MaGlobe is valid for one year from date of activation, with on-line renewal and on-line access number locations through out the world. They offer several plans from $15.00 to $500.00. For more information visit the MaGlobe web site: http://www.maglobe.com

COMPUTER FOR TRAVEL

Sometimes when RVers send us E-mail they ask what type of computer they should travel with. I have met RVer's that "work" from their RVs and have found all have made modifications to their present RV to accommodate their computer and office equipment needs. Some of these "worker bees" have taken out bedrooms in order to install work desk centers that they have equipped with personal PCs, faxes, scanners, printers, etc. They use anything from Velcro to bungee straps as "tie-downs" for their equipment if they don't have custom built cabinetry to hold it all in place while traveling.

Many RV manufacturers now offer floor plans with computer desks/work centers, but I have found few that could reasonably accommodate a full-size PC.

Personally, I like a laptop. Small, portable, lightweight and no storage hassle. If purchasing a laptop make sure it has a built-in modem, otherwise you need to purchase a modem card if purchasing an older, used laptop. Modem cards (56K) generally cost $100 or less. I found while traveling with an older laptop with external modem that often times I couldn't go "on-line", and it wasn't because I couldn't find modem access, it was because there was not a nearby electrical outlet for me to plug my external modem into. Many places are great for providing modem access, but more often than not, having an electrical outlet nearby for peripheral equipment is out of the question. If you have printers or any other equipment you want to use while accessing the Internet make sure they are equipped with their own battery power source or can utilize the battery power source of your laptop. I corrected my external modem "problem" before my next trip with a carry along modem card and only carry the older external model as a "back-up" modem source.

Another option you might consider if you're not full-timing and have a home to return to and a PC (if you're using a laptop on the road) is a parallel direct cable link for your laptop and PC. Before I take a trip I transfer E-mail/files from my PC to my laptop in the blink of an eye. I also update my anti-virus software on my PC, then without having to access the Internet again to do the same thing for my laptop, I just send the same downloaded anti-virus upgrades to my laptop. I do this all in the "blink of an eye" and is a "must" for us when we're going out of town and opt to work while on the road. Another plus, if you have a laptop that doesn't have CDR drive but your PC does and the software you'd like to install on your laptop is only on CDR, your direct cable link allows you to install software directly from your PC's CDR drive to your laptop.

The only requirement for this type of computer linking with your "host" and "guest" computer is they both must be using the same operating system. If your PC is operating on Win98, your laptop must also have the same Win98 operating package. If you're traveling a lot, have a lot of work, or want to "swap/copy" software from one computer to the next it's a great way to do it that is easy and quick.

SPAM

Something I enjoy about as much as telemarketers calling me. And speaking of telemarketers the best call came just a few minutes ago while I was writing this. A gentleman called and ask for some fictitious name to which I replied he had the wrong number. He then rattled off the number he dialed and asked if that was my number and I told him to re-dial his number as he had dialed it incorrectly. He then asked me if I needed a pest control service. To which I replied, "Yes, I do have a need for pest control service, I have a problem with telemarketer bugs invading me." He promptly hung up.

There are numerous ways to protect yourself from spam. The reason it is mentioned in this article is downloading spam while traveling (if from an 800 number) cost you money because it takes time to download it and you're being charged for the time your are on-line accessing your account. There is no 100% spam filter or protection from it but there are actions you can take to eliminate a lot of it.

Just what is spam? Where does it come from? How did it get my E-mail address? Spam is unsolicited advertising (mainly), the E-mail equivalent of "junk mail". It comes from a variety of sources, legitimate business, fraudulent business, forwarded chain letters from friends, family and work associates.

The "spam" moniker is sort of an inside joke, having to do with an old Monty Python Flying Circus skit, in which people attempting to order a meal in a resteraunt are continually interrupted by a chorus sing about "spam". It first appeared on Usenet newsgroups with endless off-topic commercial posts. The term carried over to pandering E-mail when "spammers"-largely defeated by newsgroup moderators who deleted their posts-started turning to bulk E-mail lists.

Finding the "true source" of spam is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I don't know of a single Internet user with an active E-mail account that has not received spam. AOL reported in 1998 that 5-30% of the 30 million E-mail messages that they handled each day was spam. Spam takes a significant economic toll on businesses, not only in terms of Internet resources, but in lost productivity as well. For you, it cost you money to continously download spam while traveling if using an 800 number for dial up. And those folks uses a wireless Internet connection and box aren't thrilled when they're notified they just received a new email to find out after spending the money to connect to retrieve it they've just been notified they can earn $50,000 a day by working at home.

If you receive spam NEVER reply to it! Especially the address provided to be taken off the E-mail list, because that reply just "verifies" that the E-mail address it was sent to is a valid email address, and then you get put on even more E-mail spam lists.

You can send persistent spam (including all headers) to the abuse department of your ISP and/or delete the E-mail. Spam chokes/clogs E-mail, cost servers millions of dollars, which in the end, just cost you and me. Unfortunately, legitimate E-mail often is filtered out by a user's ISP when sent in "bulk form" because the ISP can only assume it's junk mail. Our web site email notification program is a good example of that. Sometimes I have problems with servers that return requested email notifications I've sent out by stating "spam is not allowed" as I must send out our updated page notifications in "bulk form".

So in regards to traveling you want to minimize the time and money spent downloading spam.

How did the spammers get your E-mail address? You get this "bulk E-mail" sometimes by just "luck of the draw". Target addresses are often generated at random, or constructed from common usernames and common domain names. The most popular source of obtaining addresses for bulk mailings is the WWW itself. Spambots (software that spiders a web site to "scrape" email addresses they find on web pages they analize) is the common method used. Usenet newsgroups and mailing lists are "pay-dirt" for spammers who steal return addresses from postings.

I don't know if there are any Internet web sites that are 100% protected by E-mail spambots as some spambots use browser software masquerade techniques that announce themselves as browser software instead of announcing their own IDs; which means not every E-mail spambot can be blocked. So, even though our web site rvadvice.com (www.rvadvice.com) does not pass cookies, send spam, nor do we trade, sell, share our E-mail subscriber email addresses or on-line order information, for those that post to our RV Advice Sound Off page or our RV Advice Bulletin Board your E-mail address is available to anyone that wants it for what ever reason; but the same holds true for any other public accessible web site or Internet newsgroup where you "post" your E-mail address. (note: these pages of RV Advice have been discontinued Nov 1, 2001 and have been replaced with our RV Advice Public Message Board)

You can use a different E-mail address replying to people on newsgroups or other web sites. Sometimes having two free web based addresses can be handy. One for use on newsgroups and bulletin board postings, another for family and friends. When the one used for newsgroups and bulletin board postings starts accumulating too much spam, you can dump that address and create a new one for yourself. Or you can pay to sign up for an advanced filtering account such as SpamCop.net (www.spamcop.net) to ensure no spam gets through. The downside of such advanced filtering is often it is an entire "server" that is blocked, not just an E-mail address. As an example some advanced filtering services used to block all AOL.com addresses since AOL did little to address spam within their system, and since the majority of Internet uses utililize AOL; well, you wouldn't get any E-mail from anyone that used AOL.

To take this one step further and to let you know the new "craze to the maze" appears to be from hackers that are spreading E-mail viruses that turn the users into "spammers." In the July 2, 2001 issue of Interactive Week there is a security article by Max Smetannrkov, senior writer, describing a "spamming trojan" that generates spam E-mails from users accounts using their name and targeting people to whom they send email. These people get a spam mail advertising an adult web site, but so far no http link's provided. In the article, the author interviewed the systems administrator at Adimpleo/FirstNetSecurity.com, whose organization registered the first case June 14, 2001 in the San Francisco Bay area on the Excite@Home network, who believed it was just a "dry run" and a commercial version will soon be launched where the hackers can now make money.

How do you block this and other SPAM? Your server filters a lot of it for you already. AOL and other servers also have a "privacy" mode in which only the email addresses you choose and add to your "list" come through. I often receive E-mail back from AOL for "blocked by user" because they sent us an email but forgot to put Pete's email address on their list stating it was "okay" to receive an E-mail from him. These people can't get Pete's reply and since I only post about 30% of the incoming E-mail to this web site, well the odds are against them knowing Pete's answer to their RV questions. This type of filter, as you can see, can have drawbacks if you don't remember to "type in" an E-mail address that is permissible to send an E-mail to you. Earthlink and other servers have web site locations where you can select whether or not you want spam.

You can install E-mail filters in your E-mail software that block some spam and viruses. To get a good E-mail filter, you need good E-mail software. Relying on the E-mail software that came pre-installed on our computer just doesn't cut it, besides, a lot of E-mail viruses target these E-mail systems. Microsoft has "patches" to try to take away some of the loopholes to their older E-mail packages, but unless the user knows about these fixes, they go ignored and exposed.

My personal favorite E-mail software is Eudora Pro by Qualcomm. (www.eudora.com)Besides countless other features you can utilize you can add "keywords" to a list and filter E-mail by those keywords, you can color code incoming E-email and automatically filter it either to trash or to a special mailbox you have created for it. You can even give yourself some added protection by setting up a "maximum" file size that you'll accept an individual E-mail to be. I use all features at my command for the RV Advice web site E-mail addresses.

Within a few years congress, hopefully, will pass some legislation banning spam or making it too cost prohibitive by the means of fines to send. Until then we have to do what we can to take some of it out of our own E-mail boxes.

INTERNET PRIVACY: Okay, you've just learned how spammers get your E-mail address and what to do about spam when you receive it but what else can you do?

When you visit a web site, especially a site engaged in E-commerce, check their privacy policy (if they have one, currently this is a "self-regulated" rule).

Two years ago Internet users were mainly concerned with whether an on-line transaction was secure or not. Nowadays the concern is with what the company does with all that information you just provided to them to fulfill your order. Are you dong to start getting spammed by them or other companies because you purchased something and had to provide an E-mail address? Are you going to end up on a junk mail list or have telemarketers call you down the road because of the information you provided to fullfill your on-line order?

One time I could not reach a craft company via the telephone (constant busy signal) to order some specific yarn I needed so I opted for ordering it on-line, no problems. Then one month later the junk mail and spam started piling in. I must have had every craft company in America trying to sell me something. I contacted the original company and told them I didn't want any further E-mail from them concerning "Internet Specials". I didn't request it in the first place, but then again, I didn't read their privacy policy, or I would not have placed my order via the Internet. I no longer receive E-mail from them, but I've saved myself from just one more piece of spam I don't need to download. I guess I'm missing out on all those "Internet Specials" but I don't care whether or not I can purchase multi-colored pipe cleaners or wooden ice cream sticks for 5% off catalog price.

A good privacy policy is one that is explicit as possible. You shouldn't have to read "mice type" to know the bottom line as to where your privacy stands with a company. On our web site and on our E-commerce portion of our web site our privacy policy is upfront and hasn't changed since the day we went "domain" in 1996. We don't share with third parties. A privacy policy that gives a business the maximum legal flexibility may be what the company's lawyer recommends, but it can get you in trouble with customers. To quote Bret Fausett, author of the article "Privacy Certified" in the August, 2001 issue of Webtechniques magazine, "A bad privacy policy is bad public relations".

If you want to surf the web in privacy from profiling cookies and with total anonymity one free way to do so is through safeweb.com (www.safeweb.com). No registration required, no client to download and it works an a wide range of platforms (except Mozilla or Netscape 6.) But for those conspiracy theorists the fodder is that Safeweb is partly funded by the CIA.

For $50 and only one "nym" created (net lingo for anonymous name), Freedom Internet Privacy Suite by Zero-Knowledge Systems (www.freedom.net) can protect your user privacy for five years. Freedom is a good bet if you use the Internet extensively. Safeweb is a good and free choice for more casual Internet users. There are others of course but I mentioned those two because of their popularity.

To learn more about Internet privacy visit these web sites:

• Electronic Privacy Information Center www.epic.org
• Privacy International www.privacyinternational.org
• Privacy.net: The Consumer Information Organization www.privacy.net
• Web Veil www.webveil.com
• Encryption/PGP/General Privacy: www.xganon.com

VIRUSES

The last thing you want while traveling is a virus (even the medical kind). The best protection is anti-virus software. McAffee Anti-Virus (www.mcaffee.com) and Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus (www.symantec.com) are the leaders in anti-virus software. But, you must update your software with Internet downloads regularly.

Another very important way to avoid virus infection is to NEVER open attachments. Even if you "click on" to open an attachment and one second later you change your mind, it is one second too late. Don't get caught in the "Pandora's Box" syndrome and be enticed or tempted to open it. That's why some of the most fast spreading viruses have "catchy" names, you'll be tempted to "check it out".

Don't open attached files unless you know the "source", not the sender. Just like the E-mail spammer trojan virus mentioned earlier in this article if you receive an E-mail from your brother or sister than has an attachment, that doesn't mean just because it's from someone you know it's safe to open. It's much safer to assume their computer has been infected than to take the chance of infecting your computer as well.

As of this article sound and graphic files are still safe to open, but for how long before that changes is anyone's guess.

In Closing: Traveling and accessing the Internet while on the road is much easier than it was even from one year ago.

Many public telephones now come with modem jacks. Most campground directories list "modem" friendly campgrounds. Many KOA (www.koa.com) campgrounds offer Internet access (for a fee). Flying J Truck/RV Service Plazas (www.flyingj.com) offer free modem hookups in the driver lounges (must use a toll free number for access) as well as the Flying J RV Value Club card with discounts on fuel/services for RV travelers. Kinko Copy Centers (www.kinkos.com) offer access and you can search the Kinko web site for a Kinko's along your route or at your destination. And the number of modem friendly campgrounds increases daily. Countless libraries, colleges, etc., offer free access. RV Manufacuturers pre-install phone jack and RV dealers can accommodate installing phone jacks in RVs without them.

So travel with confidence, visit our web site www.rvadvice.com and send us an E-mail any time you have an RV question!

Remember our slogan: Where ever you go, we're always here!

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