Mobile Connectivity

By Alan Gahtan - April 30, 2001

Client expectations regarding access to their legal service providers are changing. Increasingly, lawyers are expected to remain accessible after hours, on trips and even of while on vacation. Consequently, many lawyers have begun to investigate and adopt the latest wireless technology.

While almost all business lawyers now carry cell phones, a growing number are acquiring the latest electronic toys which allow them to check and respond to e-mail on the road or while working remotely. While a Blackberry two-way pager or microbrowser-equipped cellular phone can be used to receive or even respond to simple text messages, more elaborate solutions are required for those who need to review and edit agreements sent as attachments.

A number of alternatives are available. One of the simpler options is to acquire a “data kit” for a data compatible cell phone. Generally costing between $100 and $200, these kits contain a special cable which can be used to connect the cell phone to the serial port of a laptop computer. Certain of the newer high end cell phones may even contain an infrared port which can interface with a laptop computer without the bulky cables. Depending on the service provider, airtime charges for data calls may be equivalent to the rates charged for voice calls or may be provided at lower rates.

However, for true mobility, wireless modems or network cards are the best bet. Costing between US$300 and $500, these are generally available in PC card (formerly known as PCMCIA card) packaging. In addition to the cost of the card, a subscription to a wireless data service provider is required (US$60-80 per month for flat rate unlimited access). Although not yet common in eastern or central Canada , service is available in the western provinces and numerous choices are available in the United States .

Users can sign up with a region or national wireless service provider. For Canadians who need to travel to the United States on business, signing up with a national US wireless service provider such as Go America or Ricochet may make the most sense. Go America ’s service is available in most US cities and is slightly cheaper than Ricochet. However, its biggest disadvantage is much lower speed, about 9.6 kps (remember those slow modems), as compared to Ricochet’s 28.8-128 kps speed (depending on the city). Ricochet’s downside is its limited availability and sometimes flaky coverage.

Modem cards for Go America or Ricochet can be used in laptop computers or the smaller handheld PocketPC type PDAs which have PC Card slots (such as Compaq’s IPAQ or HP’s Jornada 720). The cards are easy to move between computers (although special software must also be installed and configured) and law firms may want to consider making them available as loaners to attorneys who need to hit the road.

Another interesting solution for those that spend a lot of time at airports and certain hotels is to purchase (or rent) a high speed wireless LAN card. Based on a new short range industry standard protocol called 802.11b (more commonly known as the Wi-Fi standard), these cards (which start at about US$140) allow users to connect to nearby wireless network “access points” (within several hundred feet). Speeds are up to 50 times faster than dial-up, and up to 100 times faster than other wireless solutions

Service is available in select airport lounges and gates, and in certain hotels. United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines have all began to implement wireless LAN service in select airports. During a recent stay at an Atlanta hotel, I was able to enjoy the same high speed network access as I have in the office for an extra US$10 per day. The service was accessible from my hotel room as well as hotel meeting rooms.

Wi-Fi networks are also expected to expand into even more public spots, such as convention centers, restaurants and local coffeehouses and eateries. The adoption of Wi-Fi technology is being fueled by interoperability. Not very long ago, you still had to purchase radios and Access Point from a single vendor to make sure they would talk to one another. Today, there are more than 20 vendors in the wireless LAN business, and each of their wireless LAN cards can talk to all the others' Access Points..

An Wi-Fi based network can also be easily installed in homes and offices. A wireless network access point unit (US$230 and up) can be connected to a cable modem or office LAN. Of course there are no monthly charges when connecting to your own hubs.

A number of notebook and laptop computer manufacturers, including Apple, Dell Computer and IBM offer models with built-in antennas and Wi-Fi modems. According to industry analysts, building the wireless components into notebook computers, instead of mounting them on the edge of personal computers using PC Cards, should save users money and make it easier to hook the portable machines into corporate wireless LANs. That, in turn, could help drive wider acceptance of wireless LAN technology.

© 2005 Alan M. Gahtan. All Rights Reserved | Use is subject to these Legal Terms
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