Wired or wireless?

Given the choice between hauling a laptop with him or hunting for the nearest airport Internet station, Scott Welch is partial to the cyberbooths.

“The convenience can’t be beat,” says Welch, the chief executive of a Canadian software manufacturer. “In the time that it takes some techno-weenie to unpack a laptop, plug in the charger, plug in the cell phone, boot, configure the modem control panel, and start a connection, I’ve already swiped my credit card and read my mail.”

What’s more, he adds, “it’s amazing how nice it is to walk down the jetway without 15 pounds of lead-acid battery hanging off your shoulder.”

Jon Harcharek, the creative director for a Woodbridge, NJ, public relations firm, begs to differ. He’s tried leaving his Apple PowerBook 1400 home and tapping an Internet booth for messages, and he didn’t like it. He’s also tested a wireless modem; ditto there.

“I think I prefer the simplicity of plugging my laptop in to the closest phone jack,” he says. “It’s something familiar. I don’t have to change anything from my desktop. I like keeping it easy.”

The debate between cell modem and cyberbooth, between wired and wireless, is as old as the digital revolution itself – which is to say, a couple of years old. And while we may not be able to settle the argument in this column, there’s good news for folks like Harcharek or Welch: in a way, they’re both right.

The Internet stations are great for some travelers, but others might find them totally useless. Conversely, a cell modem could be a godsend for certain users. Others may find them finicky and not at all worth the trouble. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – this isn’t the kind of common-sense approach to technology that vendors like to read. They want their solution to be the only solution. Look at the ads, the reviews, the public relations campaigns.

It’s almost funny, because as it is, many of the options available to travelers are very effective and don’t need to be hyped. When it comes to Internet booths, for example, I’m impressed with the NetStations deployed by Denver-based Get2Net. Its inconspicuous units, which look like silver-framed, flat-screen TVs, offer a superquick T1 connection. They’re deployed at New York’s three major airports as well as highway rest stops along Interstate 95, to name just a few locations. The cost for using an Internet terminal like Get2net’s varies by place, from free (yes, free) to upwards of $1 a minute, billed to your credit card.

The benefits are pretty obvious.

You’re connecting at speeds you wouldn’t dream of getting on any commercially-available wireless network. Also, you’re all but guaranteed a reliable, steady link, unlike what you might find with a cell modem at the airport, where the Federal Aviation Administration is known to occasionally hog the airwaves.

The downside is equally apparent.

What if you can’t find a NetStation? What if someone else is using it? What if it’s down for maintenance? Then you’re out of luck. That’s why my recommendation is to rely on a cyberbooth only if it’s not essential to connect to the ‘Net. Although these machines are neat, they’re just not ubiquitous enough – yet.

A wireless modem solves the availability troubles inherent in an Internet booth. But the user has to makes sacrifices. Take Ericsson’s DI 27, which is believed to be the world’s first snap-on wireless data/fax infrared modem, not to mention one of the smallest modems on the market, weighing in at less than half an ounce.

Did you fancy the T1 speed on the booth? Well kiss it good-bye with a cell modem. When you connect at the airport – if you can connect – you’ll be chugging along at a fraction of that speed. For some travelers, this isn’t an issue. What they get in return is access to e-mail practically anytime, anywhere. They don’t have to wait in any lines, don’t have to search far and wide for a kiosk. Heck, they could be catching up on electronic correspondence while they’re in the bathroom if they wanted (although I haven’t heard of that happening.)

Wireless modems aren’t without their critics, though.

“The problem with cellular modems is that users have a very limited number of options,” says Toronto Star computer columnist Brandi Jasmine. “The roaming services for PCS phones are not automated – they require operator or user intervention, credit cards, and sometimes long, long waits for connections. This makes them impossible to use while roaming.”

On the other hand, she admits, “the problem with airport booths is the lack of privacy and the ever-present fear of [baggage] theft.”

One of the things I liked about the DI 27 is that it works with more than your laptop. Because it uses an Ericcson 600 or 700 series GSM phone as the “communicator” the modem may also interface with a palmtop or personal digital assistant, making it a true multipurpose device. And a molto expensivo one, too. Once you factor in the roaming charges, my guesstimate is that you’ll spend more money trying to connect with a cell modem like the DI 27 than using a booth.

If you’re on a generous expense account and absolutely need to get your messages all the time, I’d spring the $280 for the wireless solution. Even if you can’t connect at the airport, you can still either track down an Internet booth or find a real honest-to-goodness RJ-11 jack at the airport lounge.

The rest of us shouldn’t count on connecting while in transit, unless we’re lucky enough to find an Internet booth or can turn the clock forward to about 2002, which is about when these booths should be widely available.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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