I travel a lot.  And, it’s getting easier now that hotels have stopped ripping me off for internet service.  And, I tend to frequent coffee shops that offer free (but slow) internet service.  And, to be honest, I have found ways to slave internet off my cell phone, when I’m really in a pinch.  (I do read eMails off my cell phone when I travel, but I won’t bother reading long PDF files that way.)

I have a netbook and a tablet (both dated, I know) that I use when I go to conferences.  The netbook lets me keep typing for about 6 hours; the tablet is pretty good all day long.   Some of these conferences don’t let me use the internet (thinking that makes me pay more attention to the meeting?)- and that poses a problem.  (So do those hotels that want $ 15 or $ 20 for each day’s service.)  That leaves a few choices for folks like me stuck in that position.  Two of the best are offered by Karma and FreedomPop.

FreedomPop (www.freedompop.com)  offers free wireless. (Read the whole paragraph, please.)  It is based on 4G wireless broadband.  Fast enough, but not a speed demon.  (Unless you are used to “slow” DSL – and I’m not!)  Any device can be connected- if it has a wireless adapter.    To use the service, you need to buy an adaptor (a $ 39 FreedomStick USB or their $49  FreedomSpot for hotspot use)- that’s about it.  500 MB of data is free for you to use every month.  Sounds great- unless you use 501MB or more.  Then, each month you need it, it costs $ 17.99 (which gets you 2GB increments)- each month you need it.  If you really only need 501 MB (or maybe 1 GB) each and every month, then this may not be a good choice for you.  But, if you only need 2 GB on occasion and 500 MB will hold you over 10 months a year, this is probably a great way to go.(By the way, you can use FreedomPop at home- it’s free for 1 GB a month 4G speeds, and $ 18.99 for 10 GB of data a month at 8MBps speeds.)

If you are a real data hog, and need 4 or 5 GB of data each month, then you should sign up for Karma. It’s a hotspot (like the FreedomSpot, above) and you need to buy their device ($79).  Oh, and you have to buy service- but it’s not a monthly charge per se- it’s by the GB.  $14 per GB.  Which makes it perfect for me.  Since some weeks, I never need it; other times, it’s my only access.

There’s another plus.  You share your internet service with Karma.  But, don’t worry- those folks at the airport terminal aren’t squandering your 1 GB.  They get 100MB of free data access- and you get 100MB more access free for being such a nice guy.   So, if you share it with 10 folks, you just garnered 1 GB more of access.   (It’s been said you can use your Karma on anyone’s device and not have to carry your own.  I can’t risk being somewhere and there’s no nearby Karma unit.)  The speeds are reasonable- about 3 MBps (but it can reach 6, if there’s not a lot of competition trying to access Karma nearby.)  Oh, and the hotspot works off a battery- which means you can expect 6 to 8 hours between charges- not quite that one day’s usage.  And, check the Clearwire map (the system that was just a contested buy to Sprint, challenged by Dish)- that’s the Karma provider- to know where the service is best.

Now, you won’t be without access when you are stuck in that conference.

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