Lost connection in paradise …

I am happy to report that traveling with an iPad as my only computer is working out fine. I am able to do everything I need to do, including writing and submitting OnMouseClick to the TR Times. I've been downloading my photos to the iPad, and this weekend I plan to begin using the new, Kingston Wi-Drive storage device I wrote about in last week's column. 

We are in Wahiawa, Hawaii, at Schofield Barracks Army base on the island of Oahu. Hawaii is a paradise: beautiful scenery, perfect year-round temperatures, and our beautiful granddaughters live here. What more can anyone ask? Nothing I can think of, except maybe a stable internet connection. Our son and his family just moved into their house on Scofield Barracks, and as of our arrival date, cable had not been installed. 

When Eddie & I travel we carry a Virgin Mobile MiFi, a credit card sized device that acts as a WiFi router. It connects to a cellular data network, the same network used by cell phones, and creates a hotspot for up to five devices. Virgin Mobile uses Sprint's cellular networks, and our three-year old MiFi works on the 3G network – newer devices work with 4G and LTE networks providing faster connections. Similar devices are available from all of the major carriers, but we chose Virgin Mobile, because it does not require a contract. While most hotels and RV parks offer WiFi connections, our personal MiFi provides a safe, private connection, and as a bonus, we have  internet access while driving. 

Knowing that we might need to rely on the MiFi in Hawaii, I checked the Virgin Mobile coverage map before we left Florida. According the the Map, all of Oahu is covered by the Sprint G3 network, but reality was another matter. When the MiFi worked, which was not often, the connection was extremely slow, and would regularly drop in and out. The lack of a stable connection was harder on Eddie, because he uses the internet to handle all of our finances. For me it meant no email, Facebook, or blog posts. I couldn't keep up on the news with the New York Times and Tampa Bay Times, or keep up with the blogs I follow. We were only in Hawaii four days before the cable was connected, but having to do without a reliable internet connection was a big adjustment, and made me realize that in this inter-connected world, life becomes more difficult when you don't have internet available at the click of a mouse.  

Aloha.