As more and more RV'ers find the convenience of using their very own laptop on their travels, an emerging problem is that of using your own machine to download emails and accessing the Internet. Very few Internet cafes at present will allow this. You can find the odd visitor information centre/caravan park and real estate agents will sometimes allow you to use their fax line if you are a "fast" talker. One solution is of course using a CDMA phone, however this ranges from 16.5 to 24 cents a minute, so whilst fantastic for emails without huge attachments, it is really not suitable for an extended Internet browsing "fix"! Imagine our surprise when staying at the CMCA Casino Village we were offered a new emerging technology - Wireless Hot Spot. This is a high speed wireless ADSL connection (up to an amazing 11.0 Mbps - compared with 19.2 Kbs for ordinary CDMA) and emails come down in a flash - as good if not better than our copper wire ADSL at home. The system works over most of the 300 acre Casino Village site, which is rather amazing. Of course it wont work in a lot of the bush camping area because of all the trees.

Connecting to the Wireless Network
So here's the drill! If your computer has wireless built in (usually a Centrino chip) turn it on and see if it detects the Advatel Network. Open Internet Explorer and the Colubris login page should appear - see right screen shot below. NOTE: Depending on your security settings you may get a warning that this is not a certificated Microsoft site before you get the logon window - just click OK.

What it Costs and How to Pay
If you get this screen then you pay for hours at the Village office (cash only) or as long as it's business hours phone Advatel direct on 1300 667 401 and pay by credit card. Sadly you can only buy a minimum 14 days worth of Internet (changed from the previous hourly plans) However, it is extremely good value at $25.00 for "all you can eat, continuous connection with no download limit". During that 2 weeks if you decide to extend your stay at the Village (and who doesn't?) then it is only $10.00 per extra week. You are given a user name which is usually the expiry date of your paid "weeks" and you get to pick your own 6 letter/digit password. Enter these in and click on "Go". You should now be on the Internet. Sadly if you have problems Advatel wont help you - they suggest you phone Country IT Services on 6662 8867.

Connecting With a Laptop Without Wireless Built In
If you have an older "no built in wireless" laptop. The Village has Hawkins Wireless Aerials for hire. Rental of the aerial is $5.00 for any period with a refundable $20.00 deposit. The Village do not make anything on this deal and it is done as a free service for patrons. No extra CMCA discount therefore applies. The photo above shows the Hawkins High Speed Wireless Connector. The gadget is quite small. When working correctly the orange and green lights on the front of the unit remain brightly lit and do not flicker. It is important to aim the aerial straight at the Internet Cafe near the Administration Offices (not reception). It does NOT need to be outside your RV. This you simply plug into any spare USB port (ALWAYS use the same one otherwise Windows can get confused). Follow the directions supplied in the box (these are awful!!!) The CD supplied installs a small driver. When the device is plugged in you get the extra two icons in the bottom tray of your screen. When it is looking for the network a little orange ball wiggles along the bottom of the icon with the TV screen and two "))". Next launch Internet Explorer. (will be slightly different if you don't have XP) Connection takes about 3 to 20 seconds! No phone numbers to dial or anything like that.

If it all works follow the instructions above on paying as it's exactly the same procedure. NOTE: Using an external aerial we have found it sometimes can't find the network. Close Explorer and Outlook and unplug the aerial. Wait a minute or so and plug it back in. Wait until you see the orange ball (system tray) and start Explorer. You should get the Colubris logon page.

What to do if Hawking Wont Work at Casino Village
The screens below need not concern you if everything is working OK and the good news is that Windows fills in all that info for you! They are reached by clicking on either of the two icons in the systems tray (bottom left of your screen). You can tell if you are online by looking at Link State (in the left menu bar on bottom left photo). If it has a red cross, then it isn't working. Go to the icons again and right click. Find Repair and Windows normally fixes the problem - the diagnostics are very good. The Village staff cannot help if you have problems. The system RARELY works with Mac computers at present (June 05). However a good Samaritan from the Caravanners Forum has volunteered to assist the Casino Village with learning how to advise Apple owners as this is a very common problem. Most problems occur because Windows WEP is activated.

The screen dump below shows where to find the WEP box. Untick this. Click on Config in the left hand menu bar to reach this page. The dump is on a computer working 100% correctly.

TIPS:

1. If you intend using wireless Internet tell the Village office when you book in as they will then site you closer to the wireless aerial (in the yellow building with the phone box in front). It is possible to get reliable reception even way down in the grassy section behind the second amenities block near the airstrip. The theoretical maximum is 1000 feet. The front row on the bitumen in the same area works great. This story is actually being uploaded from site 23 and we have 4 out of 5 bars reception and we are getting 11 Mbps - it really flies!!!

2. If you have problems please read the 69 pages on the supplied CD. The instruction booklet is not tooooo brilliant - you need a magnifying glass to read it and there are typos. We have set it up on our three laptops (all Sony) and each had slightly different problems. Look at WEP being off and if all else fails tell it to use Windows and not Hawkins (the book says don't do this!!)

3. You do not need to unplug or log off when answering emails as you are not being charged by time.

4. Macs don't seem to like this system, but this is being looked at

5. Some of the latest model laptops have a wireless modem already installed - you DO NOT need to hire a modem if your laptop is so equipped - simply "search for wireless networks". The network is called "AdvertelWireless-CMCA" . Tell the office that you need to be sited VERY CLOSE to the aerial though.

6. If log on fails make certain that caps lock is not accidentally on and that you are typing Username and Password EXACTLY the same way as printed on your receipt. Windows can remember your password.

7. If still no go look to see that the radio buttons "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" are both selected. Note: XP usually does this on its own if asked to repair connection.

8. If all else fails turn off "auto dial". If you do this your normal landline connections will no longer work unless you turn them back on when required. (Windows is designed to work with wireless without resorting to this and we suggest you stay out of this area unless you know what you are doing)

9. You do not need to save money by pulling out the USB lead whenever you want to read a long page or all the messages on a forum etc. simply because it is UNLIMITED time.

10. Our experience with our own wireless router at home tells us that most machines FITTED WITH WIRELESS will find a wireless network without "human intervention" so just let XP go and see what happens BEFORE modifying anything. This doesn't apply to the Hawkins as it uses different settings.

For the Technically Minded - Product Marketing Description

Hawking Technology's HWU54D, 2.4Ghz Hi-Gain Directional Wireless-G USB 2.0 Network Adapter, combines the range performance benefits of a Hi-Gain Antenna, the versatility of a USB Wireless Network Adapter and the speed of 802.11g wireless networking! A large problem with many wireless networks is the poor coverage area of standard Wireless networks. Hawking solves this problem with a Hi-Gain Wireless-G USB 2.0 Adapter that uses an external Hi-Gain antenna to amplify a strong wireless signal to your wireless access point. By increasing the strength of your external wireless antenna, your Wireless Network distance, signal strength and performance is significantly improved. Simply attach the Hi-Gain Wireless Adapter's USB 2.0 Cable to either your PC or Laptop and direct the antenna towards your wireless access point/wireless router. The HWU54D is self powered and requires no external power adapter, so you can take it wherever you go and always stay connected!

More info on the manufacturers Website. So far as we can see this device appears to give greater range than normal adaptor cards (300 feet or so) and so it is worth the extra money. If you are travelling to the States we found several resellers as low as US$53.00!!

Experienced users having troubles installing - we found this little gem on a breaking news Website - so apt! (CNET Reviews)

Hawking HWU54D high-gain USB wireless-G adapter
"The HWU54D's convoluted setup guide will baffle newbies, but tech veterans capable of successfully installing it will love the adapter's awesome performance and versatility. The HWU54D's topnotch hardware is weakly supported by deplorable documentation. The HWU54D high-gain USB wireless-G adapter's quick-installation guide and user manual are so bad, they're almost laughable. The brief, pocket novel-size guide includes mini diagrams and screenshots with literally microscopic text.". Read the full CNET Review.

For those wanting to learn more about wireless there is a really friendly message board at this address. The CNET review certainly reinforced what we had found out the hard way. We found the review after we had installed the unit on four laptops - only one was totally straight forward. We whole heartedly agree - the product works fantastically well, BUT the documentation is confusing and misleading and the print far toooooo small for the over fifties. The government white paper is at this address - this is NOT heavy going and is well worth a long read if you are technically inclined. If you are buying a new laptop, if you get an Intel Centrino processor, there is a 99% chance that it will have wireless built in. This page has more info on the Centrino. There is a very good message board where you can post any questions you may have - Australia only at http://wireless.org.au/. All the latest model Sony VAIO's (including the 16:9 screens using Pentium 4's) have wireless as standard, but be aware that the range is only 30 to 300 metres. This is fine for use in Mackas and cafes, but could cause problems at the Village or in other park situations.