My Satellite dish is still not working. I don't know if it's our location, our equipment, or our service provider, but I decided to let it be until Jim gets back. As long as there is Internet I can use here at the clubhouse (aka the Family Center) - I'm taking advantage of that and learning what it's like.
Notice the telephone and the blue cable. This is really a nice clubhouse hotspot. You can plug into electricity and just use the Wi-Fi like I did, or you can use the phone for dial-up, or you can plug the Ethernet cable (the blue one) in and use the high-speed Internet without bothering with Wi-Fi. This is becoming standard, at least in all the Thousand Trails parks we've been to this summer.
It's actually been an interesting experience. I've come up with several pros and cons of going to the clubhouse for Internet:
Pros:
1. I'm more efficient with my email. Since I only check it once or twice each day, I actually respond when I read the email rather than say, oh - I'll respond later. When I'm always on, I tend to read email right away, but let it pile up for responses.
2. It's nice to get out of the house! It provides some kind of delineation between being at 'work' and being home.
3. I get other stuff done because I'm not distracted by wanting to go for a walk, take a nap, do the dishes etc.
4. I meet other people in the park at the family center
Cons:
1. I don't do the browsing I normally do. I'm way behind on all the people's blogs I usually keep up on. I'm also behind on all the learning stuff I normally do. I realize now that I spend hours each day just browsing and learning on the Internet. Not doing that for a whole week and I'm *behind*!
2. I can't watch videos because the connection isn't fast enough. A lot of my learning nowadays is done by watching video on the Internet. So, for example, if you try to watch one of my GeeksOnTour.com tutorial videos, it would jerk and stop.
that's because the source of the Internet here at this hotspot is from a satellite dish.
You see, all Wi-Fi is not created equal. Wi-Fi is just a way to share a source Internet connection. Some Wi-Fi hotspots are powered by a T1 connection to the Internet, some use DSL, some use Cable. The satellite-based hotspots will be the slowest. Our satellite dish system works just fine for watching video, but then again, we're the only ones using it.
3. Not being able to send and email or do some other web work when I wake up at 2am with a *great* idea!
4. My computers can't do their updates each day at 2am.
Notice the telephone and the blue cable. This is really a nice clubhouse hotspot. You can plug into electricity and just use the Wi-Fi like I did, or you can use the phone for dial-up, or you can plug the Ethernet cable (the blue one) in and use the high-speed Internet without bothering with Wi-Fi. This is becoming standard, at least in all the Thousand Trails parks we've been to this summer.
It's actually been an interesting experience. I've come up with several pros and cons of going to the clubhouse for Internet:
Pros:
1. I'm more efficient with my email. Since I only check it once or twice each day, I actually respond when I read the email rather than say, oh - I'll respond later. When I'm always on, I tend to read email right away, but let it pile up for responses.
2. It's nice to get out of the house! It provides some kind of delineation between being at 'work' and being home.
3. I get other stuff done because I'm not distracted by wanting to go for a walk, take a nap, do the dishes etc.
4. I meet other people in the park at the family center
Cons:
1. I don't do the browsing I normally do. I'm way behind on all the people's blogs I usually keep up on. I'm also behind on all the learning stuff I normally do. I realize now that I spend hours each day just browsing and learning on the Internet. Not doing that for a whole week and I'm *behind*!
2. I can't watch videos because the connection isn't fast enough. A lot of my learning nowadays is done by watching video on the Internet. So, for example, if you try to watch one of my GeeksOnTour.com tutorial videos, it would jerk and stop.
that's because the source of the Internet here at this hotspot is from a satellite dish.
You see, all Wi-Fi is not created equal. Wi-Fi is just a way to share a source Internet connection. Some Wi-Fi hotspots are powered by a T1 connection to the Internet, some use DSL, some use Cable. The satellite-based hotspots will be the slowest. Our satellite dish system works just fine for watching video, but then again, we're the only ones using it.
3. Not being able to send and email or do some other web work when I wake up at 2am with a *great* idea!
4. My computers can't do their updates each day at 2am.
