What's the number one service you wish you had on the road?

I'm sure some of you will be able to help me out with this.

I need a printer that I can have in the truck, and that I can use to print things from my iPad.

I use my iPad for everything, and have data service on that. Now I need a printer for it, so that I can print stuff that gets e-mailed to me. Wireless Wi-Fi printers are great, but the only way you can print from them is if your printer and iPad are connected to the same Wi-Fi. I do not have Wi-Fi when on the road, just my data service on the iPad. I have heard of printers that work on Bluetooth, but then I read online that iPad's cannot connect to Bluetooth printers for some reason. However, the guy at office depot told me that I can use a Bluetooth printer no problem...

Anyone use a iPad and printer in their truck? If so, which printer and how do you connect them?

 

I wish there was a cell phone company that had decent reception. Tried verizon, sprint, at&t, and they all suck. Every time I call for directions, rain, shine, or cloudy it's take a ... at the corner of ... and ... go ... blocks take a ... yada yada yada. I miss the days of alltel I actually had good cell reception everywhere I had to go. Pretty pathetic when a shipper or reciever has to txt you directions because your phone keeps cutting out. Only other service I wish I had was a directions service I don't mean like a GPS or navigation. I mean directions like North South East West so shippers and recievers could give directions using that instead of right and left. Can't count the number of times I've been told to take a right when in reality I should've been told to take a left. Or the number of times I've said I'm headed south and the person says "Um which way is that have you passed streets XY or Z yet?" I actually had to inform one person that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west to get directions of North south east west one day. Very sad in my opinion.

 

Donna's Ranch in Wells Nevada.We need one at every truck stop across the nation...

 

Isn't that the truth, most people are clueless on directions...

TS

 

Disclaimer, I don't own an iPad! I do know that with Apple products, the BT is very limited, they have it clamped down tight to only work with limited devices, most probably need to say Apple on them.

For the WiFi printers to work, I think you need your own local WiFi network in the truck, there may be other ways to do it, BUT a wireless router in the truck would be one way to accomplish that. I do think there may be a way to do that without the router IF you can create a wireless hotspot with your phone, HP has ePrint on many of the new printers that allows printing to a remote printer, BUT the trick is that printer needs to be hooked to a network, and that may be what the WiFi hotspot allows.

Hope this helps a bit or at least points you in the right direction, like I said untested by myself.

TS

 

Yes very sad. Although I'm just as bad half the time I call Nebraska city north Platte. Can't count the number of times I've been told if your heading east your going the wrong #### way. No north Platte has the goofy scale in the median. That's Nebraska city driver...god ###### I did it again bout that time everybody starts laughing.

 

I didn't know that Apple limited its BT compatible devices, as I have a iPhone as well, and it works fine in all my cars, as well as the NavPlus unit that came with the truck from the factory. However, what you're saying makes sense and is very true, Apple does try to have you use their products.

You're also correct on that WiFi printers need to be connected to a local WiFi network, in order to work. I thought of possibly creating a wireless hotspot with my iphone or ipad, but I am a bit unsure of how I go about doing that. I would still need a wireless router, in order for the printer to get on the network, would I not? Or would the iPad/iPhone, when used as a wireless hotspot, also act as the router?

 

I am not an Apple user, BUT I do know that Apple somewhat cripples the BT, you can't connect to ALL devices for sure, I think the audio devices such as BT speakers or headsets is about it. I can't answer the hot spot question. A router should be able to work as the nerve center of a local network even if it wasn't hooked to the outside world, those are fairly inexpensive and if you had a WiFi printer no cables needed, you could also use a printer with an ethernet cable too if your printer has that.


TS

 

Can you not tether it with your phone charger like an I-phone? I have done this from my I phone to my laptop and desk top and it works just like I had a USB cable. I don't know if the I pad would work the same? Might be an issue with printer drivers also. I'm not a tech guy, I've just learned what I need to know to make things work on the road and at the home office.

 

I found this antenna Wilson 801212 Signal Booster Kit it works great. Its a little pricey at 350.00 but it allows you to get better reception I use to drop calls and get no service with this I don't really have problems unless I'm in the mountains. I am sure ebay will have some cheaper and similar to this.