A lot of us have become used to being able to work when away on business using the hotel's Internet access. But what do you do when the hotel you are staying at does not provide Internet access? The big three cellular carriers (Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular) now offer ways to use their cellular networks for Internet access on your laptops. This typically involves using a PCMCIA (Peripheral Component Microchannel Interconnect Architecture) card that inserts into your laptop in that slot on the side that you never knew what it does.

These cards allow you to use the data side of the cellular network and surf the net, get and send email, connect to the office via a VPN, and do anything else you would normally do from your office computer. I even know of some people that use this as their primary method of connecting to the Internet because they cannot get high-speed access at their homes.

Like all things, there are some negatives to these services.

• Cost – They are fairly expensive. Most carriers charge you for the amount of data that you transmit and receive, which can quickly add up without realizing it.
• Coverage – I rarely experience lack of coverage anymore, especially if I'm anywhere near civilization, but there are spots where the data portion of a carrier's network is not available even though their voice service is.
• Speed – While most carriers offer speeds that are much faster than dial-up access, they are nowhere near the broadband speed most of us are used to with your DSL or Cable access.

The best recommendation I can make is to talk to your carrier and check out the options before you buy. See what their plans cost and what the coverage is before you run to Best Buy and pick up that card! But for some people who cannot be out of touch, this may be just the thing to solve that problem!

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