Trucker Tech

Net Neutrality: Consumer Right or Privilege?

What is Net Neutrality?

Simply put, it's the concept that all Internet Traffic should be treated equally. Those promoting Net Neutrality, however, have established three general definitions, as follows:

• Absolute non-discrimination: University of Michigan Law School professor Susan Crawford "believes that a neutral Internet must forward packets on a first-come, first served basis, without regard for quality-of-service considerations."
• Limited discrimination without Quality of Service tiers: Allowing for QoS discrimination as long as no special fee's are charged for higher-quality service.
• Limited discrimination and tiers: Allowing tiered fees; higher fees for higher QoS and lower fees for lower QoS, as long as all get equal access - receiving the QoS level that we each pay for.

Net Neutrality nothing new

The current concept of "Net Neutrality" has its roots in the The Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860 which created a Federal subsidy to build a coast-to-coast telegraph line. Language included within the Act stated:

"messages received from any individual, company, or corporation, or from any telegraph lines connecting with this line at either of its termini, shall be impartially transmitted in the order of their reception, excepting that the dispatches of the government shall have priority ..."

What does this mean to all of us?

On one side of the issue, the side that opposes "Absolute Non-discrimination", sit the major Internet Service Providers, cellular providers and hardware producers. On the other side sit consumer advocates, web-based businesses, and a few technology companies.

Trucker Therapy

I began my Over the Road driving career back in the late '70's. At that time, communication was limited to pay phones and the U.S. Mail. I remember how happy I was when truck stops started putting phones in restaurant booths. Of course, those phones had their own issues; but they were better than nothing.

Communication has always been an issue in the trucking industry. When I dispatched trucks, I always wanted my guys to call as often as possible. That was a pain in the butt for them but, since it was so hard for me to "reach out" to them, it was essential that they call often. Drivers talked to me far more, generally, than they talked to their wives, kids, friends and other family members. I'm a good guy but that ain't the way things should oughta be!

Having experienced trucking when communication was limited, the new technology - cell phones, satellites, email and even video calling - has offered the answers to so many issues. This stuff is the reason my blog exists. Still, even with all of the improvements, maintaining long distance relationships is an issue.

I hadn't really thought about it, before finding out about a web site called "Trucker Therapy", but, even though you may share a home with your spouse, the reality is that you're very likely involved in a long distance relationship. And that goes for your relationships with all your family members; brothers, sisters, mom, dad, etc., not to mention friends and co-workers.

In my estimation, if you can do something to improve the quality of your relationships then you should. Even though the avenues of communication have expanded greatly since the days when I began, the avenues that now exist are not without their issues. The guy's name is Buck Black - and there's a multitude of methods available for communicating with him. Give it a shot.

Making Video Calls with Skype

It's all really sci-fi; isn't it? Remember all those old movies, set in the future, that portrayed characters talking to one another with video? Video phones and cars that didn't need drivers were two of the primary methods old sci-fi movie makers chose to indicate that their movie was set far, far into the future. Well boys and girls, video phone calls are here. In fact, they've been here for quite some time. You still need to drive your own vehicle, that little development is still, thankfully, somewhere down the line, but you can talk to, and see, anyone with a High Speed Internet connection and a webcam, right now.

In case you've not experienced the joy of talking with someone, while simultaneously viewing them, now's your chance to discover just how easy it is. Take a look at "How to: Make Video Calls with Skype", and, for crying out loud, put your shirt and pants on before you make that first call.  

Over the Road Wireless for...the Future, Part 1

Over the last several weeks I've been inundated with articles and blog posts regarding one new wireless technology after another. The nature of these journalistic efforts seem to fall into a couple of categories; they either focus on a new technology as the overarching future that'll squash all competitors or they focus on a technology they pompously proclaim as dead.

Since I don't have a crystal ball I'm not going to make any attempt to predict the future but I thought it might be interesting to pull together some of the things I've been reading and see if we can draw any quasi-conclusions. (Nope, not gonna draw any hard conclusions based on supposition; sorry.)

As you've probably surmised from reading the title, this will be a multi-part post focusing on wireless technology as it relates to those of us living an over-the-road lifestyle. Of course, the impacts that varying wireless technologies have on the general public have to be taken into account since it's the wider population that'll largely determine which technologies will be widely adopted. So let's get to it.

Trucker Tech Podcast Transcript: Episode 6, Part 3

And here, today, is the final installment in the transcript for the Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 6; the Commentary. I get off on all kinds of tangents and probably sound a little bit (or, maybe, a whole lot) like I'm trying to convince you, the listeners, that I'm a whole lot smarter than you. Well, that wasn't my intention, I got off on tangents 'cause I lack the ability to focus and, as far as the "whole lot smarter than you" attitude goes, I was just trying to give my arguments some credibility.

If there's one thing the years have taught me it's that the more I learn, the more I realize just how little I really know. Anyway, I wandered so far afield in this commentary that I had to break it into two parts, the second of which will be included in Episode 7; and I promise, I'll focus and lose the attitude.

Trucker Tech Podcast Transcript: Episode 6, Part 1

Eventually, I'll post the transcripts for all the podcasts but, for now, I'm starting with the most recent. There may be minor deviations between the written and spoken words; due to the fact that transcription software isn't always 100% accurate. I did proofread the final version but, still, there are bound to be some small differences.

I'll also go through, at a later time, and insert appropriate links to any source documents or to the products I mention in the podcast. For now, though, it's just the spoken word.

If you'd like to download the podcast you can do so here. If you'd like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do so by clicking the appropriate button found on the right. Notice, also, that you can subscribe to the Life on the Road blog and Roadcast. Since the Trucker Tech podcast is published exclusively at Life on the Road, a subscription to Life on the Road in iTunes will get you the Trucker Tech podcast, as well.

Turning a Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone or PDA into a Wi-Fi Router

Way back before the introduction of WiFi to truck stops, before cellular services offered "broadband" data transfer, I sometimes used a PCMCIA modem card connected via dongle to my Nokia cell phone; all in an effort to at least get my email. This Internet connection method was painfully slow, usually less than 10kbps and never faster than 20. This first experience using a cellular connection to the Internet is likely the source of my bias for WiFi and against cellular.

Still, I use cellular as a backup to WiFi. There are times when the means and methods I have available to me just aren't sufficient to pull in a truck stop Wi-Fi signal so I tether my cell phone to my laptop and surf away.

Recently, though, I was made aware of a method by which certain SmartPhones, those running Windows Mobile 6, and possessing both Ev-Do and Wi-Fi capabilities, can be turned into a Wi-Fi Router. Oh, sure, there's a good chance that doing so will run afoul of your cellular carriers terms of service agreement, and you'll want to be sure that you don't overrun the bandwidth limitations of your "unlimited" service account, but, if you don't mind installing "beta" software or fiddling with some of the settings, your phone can, for all intents and puposes, become a Wi-Fi router.

Honestly, I can't imagine more than one or two situations in which going to this effort makes any sense but, if you want to share, say, your Verizon cellular connection, you can do so.

Here's how:

• Download a utility call WMWiFiRouter, which, essentially, enables Internet Connection Sharing on your Windows Mobile 6 (and possibly WM5) device.
• Visit the XDA Developers Forum where you'll find a fairly good guide/tutorial and where you can, if you get confused, ask some question.

As Gizmodo points out, it's one way to get 3G access to your iPhone. Just don't complain to me if your battery bites the dust after 20 minutes of using both radios at once...best use it when plugged in.

Signal Boosting WiFi: EnGenius EUB-362 EXT

In the most recent episode of the Trucker Tech podcast I talk a bit about WiFi signal boosting adapters, antennas, and such. Most standard WiFi radio cards, whether they're integrated or external, are of fairly low power (32 to 63 mW). Couple the low transmit power with an antenna rated at 2 or 3 dBi, as are most, and the likelihood that you'll be making a Wi-Fi connection from the back row of any truck stop is roughly equal to the chances that the Powerball ticket you just bought will put you on "Easy Street".

One of the many high-power adapters that I failed to include in the podcast, that certainly deserves mention and attention, is the EnGenius EUB-362 EXT.

Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 5

Download Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 5

Since I dealt with Cellular Signal Boosters in the Gear, Gadgets and Software portion of the podcast in Episode 4 I thought, in Episode 5, I'd take a closer look at the means and methods available for boosting a WiFi Signal. As a matter of fact, I cover four or five gear combinations guaranteed to boost any WiFi signal. If you scroll down to the "Quick Links" section you'll find links to everything I talked about in the podcast.

The Tech Tip for Episode 5 revolves around the idea of keeping your laptop, as well as the data contained therein, as safe as it possibly can be in a world fraught with threats and thieves. Again, you can check out the "Quick Links" for relevant and related laptop safety information. I know it seems as though I'm obsessed with laptop safety and security so, I promise, the Tech Tip in Episode 6 will have nothing to do with either subject.

SiriCOMM Bites the Dust - Can Flying J Rescue WiFi?

Yesterday, I published a post at the Life on the Road blog entitled How to Rescue Truck Stop Wi-Fi. In this post I discuss the fact that Flying J is actively seeking to create a single, industry-wide, Wi-Fi network. From the inception of truck stop Wi-Fi I've hoped that a single subscription to a WiFi hotspot service could be used at every truck stop. I know this is probably a bit too much to hope for, especially since there are quite a few truck stops operating independently of the major chains.

Still, a Wi-Fi hotspot subscription that would cover even the major chains would go a long way toward furthering the adoption of the technology by a larger number of drivers.

From the time I became a laptop totin' trucker, back several years ago, and through today, one of my major goals in life has been to promote the use of technology as a means to make the Over-the-Road lifestyle just a little bit better. I see an industry-wide network as a stepping-stone on the road to achieving that goal.

Unfortunately, most of the entreaties by Flying J to the decision-makers at the other truck stop chains have gone unanswered. There are many reasons for this, aside from the fact that they're all competitors in a very competitive business that offers slim profit margins, but there comes a time when competing, and even adversarial, entities need to lay their differences aside and simply do the right thing.

I'm urging the heads of all the major truck stop chains, and even the independents, to contact your counterparts at Flying J Communications and express an interest in sitting down at the bargaining table. I don't think any hard and fast plan of implementation has been formulated by those at Flying J, seeking to unify the WiFi network, so I'm sure everyone's needs and interests can be discussed on an even footing. But nothing can happen unless action is taken.

I think everyone has had enough of the "Here today, gone tomorrow" business model that ends up robbing truckers of their hard earned cash. I'm not sure how, yet, but we need to make our voices heard. And here's another thing - you might well be one of the many thousands who prefer to use Cellular Broadband; fine. That doesn't preclude you from showing an interest in this issue if only for the good of those many thousands who, like me, prefer Wi-Fi or for that even greater number of truckers who sit on the sidelines doing nothing because the sea of choices seems to choppy to navigate. Do what I'm asking of the truck stop chains; put your self-interest aside for a bit and support a worthwhile cause just because it'll benefit your fellow truckers.