Howdy folks, my name is Alex Sian and one day soon, I hope to buy a Class C and join y'all out on the open roads!

I'm originally from the pacific island of Guam where I spent 38 years 'growing up', and where my wife and son were both born.

Work as a web developer brought my family and I out to Dallas TX in 1998, and we've hung out here ever since.

I've been a 'mobile broadband consultant' since 2006 and have helped thousands of roadwarriors and RVers get the most out of their 3G data service from carriers like Verizon, Sprint and AT&T

I'm also a long time Mac user, web guru, and all-around gadget freak.

you'll find my personal blog at alexsian.com

I also welcome Alex. We will all be happy he is here. Alex is one of my main sources of information so now I can defer to him. (Today we are camped next to Mac and Netters in Anderson, IN.)

greetings and Howdy from Texas.. we look forward to your expertise being shared.. i too am an IT guy but not specialized in the area you are.

Welcome, Alex!

Welcome Alex!  I've read some of your posts on other forums trying to figure out how to boost our Sprint cell signal and how to best set up our mobile internet.  Don't be surprised if you are bombarded with questions -- especially from us!

Hey Alex! Welcome to the forum....great space to ask all those pesky little questions that pop up from time to time.

Welcome to the forum. We are glad to have another MAC guy to ask questions of. We just switched to a Mac this last year and now have a Mac book pro laptop and an iPad. Just got the Ipad to be our second web browser. It is a lot of fun too. So glad to have you on board. We have just begun the full time adventure and we welcome you aboard.

Welcome from another geek :D

Welcome to the forum. It is always great to have a geek who will share the knowledge. We started out as wannabees now we are gonnabees.

thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome! i look forward to helping in any way that i can...

Welcome :) Good to see someone with this knowledge because all the options are confusing to me. I like the Verizon air cards, but Virgin just came out with the prepaid unlimited card. But they bounce off Sprint and I know that Sprint doesn't work everywhere. I hate the limits on the mobile Internet, though, and hope that by the time we are ready to full time we can get it unlimited. I like streaming on Hulu and Netflix too much and I know the current limits won't allow me to do that :( But hoping that in the future something will open up with no limits and it looks like Virgin mobile may be paving the way.

Hi,  just thought I would pick your brain a bit.  I just went into Radio Shack and asked the salesman if he had a wireless 3-G router for my air card.  He looked kind of smug and informed me that ther is no such thing!  I was kind of stunned for a few seconds til my mouth caught up with my brain (that took a while) and I told him that there most certainly was and left!
Am I correct in my interpertation that I need in my RV.... a Truck mirror mount antenna hard wired to a booster...hardwired to a 3-G router....sending a wireless signal to my laptop and a cable link to my sons desktop.
I went to Alltel where I have my data service and they had never heard of such a set-up.  He told me all I needed was a booster with a small antenna. 
I AM SOOOO CONFUSED!!
WE need this connection for his schooling and my sanity.

doesnt surprise me that radioshack and alltel were clueless.
can you tell me what exact model your modem is?
Alltel UM175AL usb modem perhaps?

oh, and you would not hook up the external antenna directly to the 3g router.
the antenna improves cellular signal by connecting to a jack on modem.

tell me which modem you've got, and we'll go from there.

I have the 185. I think.  The print is too small.  It is the one that the cover slides up and the USB pops out.

I found the box     PCD UM 185

-- Edited by J Riechman on Wednesday 6th of October 2010 02:35:21 PM

Welcome Alex, Nice to know that there's someone else knowledgeable hanging around here now. I'm in the wireless business as well (not necessarily by choice) and I'm really not around much these days as my Fulltime RV plans are in a holding pattern for now while I actually take care of building a new "location-independent" way of working first.

if your modem looks like the one below, its the Alltel UM175:


Assuming it is that one, you can use pretty much any Cradlepoint 3G router. They range in features and price from the inexpensive CTR350 to the more popular (and my top-recommended) MBR1000

For a great deal, call Kevin at wirelessnwifi and ask him for the 'alex' deal

just saw where you positively identified as UM185. no problem. the MBR1000 still officially supports the modem you have.


-- Edited by alexsian on Wednesday 6th of October 2010 02:43:24 PM

No, I definitely have the 185.

just saw where you positively identified as UM185. no problem. the MBR1000 still officially supports the modem you have.

This may be sound silly but when set up with a wireless router can others use my signal and use up my airtime? I am on a 5-G limited plan.

-- Edited by J Riechman on Wednesday 6th of October 2010 02:50:33 PM

the router can be setup so that only the folks you want using it, can use it.

Thank you so much. You have been such a help. I just love this forum. I have learned so much from everyone. I can't wait to get on the road and get the chance to meet everyone face-to-face.

I got her ordered. should be getting her soon!  Thanks again for your help.  I hope you are making something for this.  You deserve it!

-- Edited by J Riechman on Friday 8th of October 2010 11:14:04 AM

WOW.......... I don't understand a thing any of you said!!! :( I am so far behind I don't think I have enough years left on this earth to catch up!! :) However after saying that I think just reading what alexsian has to say will make this an eaiser thing. So I too welcome you and believe that you are going to be a great asset to the best RV forum on the net.

Amen to everything you just said WRS. And it is never to late to learn.

Hey Alex I got my new router today and we are up going today. Thanks so much for your help.