computer air cards-inter net connection

[jaxnjil]

the wi fi signal i was picking up at the lake went down
i didn't get a antenna before it quit ( was looking for info on this in an earlier post

my question now. can any one school me on the verizon,and others, air card. looked yesterday and sales person told me they will work any where you can pick up a cell phone signal. we have full bars at the marina.
this is the first i have ever looked into this type of a system, so any pit fall or good you can tell me about would be appreciated

 

[NoKlu]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

I just got an aircard a few weeks ago and I'm not impressed. They call it high speed but it downloads at 5-10 kb's. 2 minutes per mb. If you can try one in your area before you buy one I would recommend it. $300 for the card plus 50 a month for dial up speeds and all I get from the provider is the run around. This is my situation only. It may be very different in your area/provider, but I would not get a 2 or 3 year contract to start. Also check for compatibility with your PC.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

thanks noklu; $200 here for card and $60 a month. card free if sign for a 2 year contract but still 60 a month.
they claim broad band speed but thats what i wondered about.
the cell service we use is $50 a month and no charge for card but have to have 2 year contract with no provision for month to month service.

thinking about buying the first card and doing the month to month.
at least then we wont be committed to the 2 years. and just use as we need.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

With my Sprint phone (a Mogul 6800) I get unlimited internet for $15/month extra. The phone uses the regular cell connection for data, but it is also equipped with WiFi.

Nice thing about this setup is that if there's an internet connection available (WiFi or cell) I can use the phone's GPS and for real-time navigating on NOAA charts ($49 for all NOAA charts).

Or Google Maps for real-time navigating and info in the car.

At times the small screen is a little awkward, but always better than carrying around a laptop.

 

[ugadawg187]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

Ive had the wireless cards from verizon & there okay but not what vzw claims they are. Right now i have teathering through my phone. Its 10 bucks cheaper a month to run internet through your phone & into your computer than just having the wireless card, plus with teathering you dont have to sign a contract & vzw will let you take the feature off at anytime. So in a nut shell its just like having a wireless card but you use your phone instead & its cheaper. Just my $0.02

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

Ive had the wireless cards from verizon & there okay but not what vzw claims they are. Right now i have teathering through my phone. Its 10 bucks cheaper a month to run internet through your phone & into your computer than just having the wireless card, plus with teathering you dont have to sign a contract & vzw will let you take the feature off at anytime. So in a nut shell its just like having a wireless card but you use your phone instead & its cheaper. Just my $0.02

hadn't head of this. how do you connect the phone to the computer? some kind of modem or hook up to the phone port on computer?

 

[ugadawg187]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

Most of the new phones come with a usb cable so you can plug them into anything that has a usb port to charge the phone. comp, xbox what have you. The cable can also be used for data transfer to your comp such as files, internet & so on. If your comp has bluetooth you can connect with your phone that way & teather the internet & you dont have to use the usb cable. The down side is that you can only teather through vzw, cingular doesnt have this option yet. Get that the iphone is set up for it & is being used like this in other countries but one of americas biggest wireless services dont even offer this so vzw has the upper hand. Oh vzw dont tell you about this feature you have to ask them about it.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

My Sprint Sprint aircard performs flawlessly everywhere I have been.
I use it on my laptop for business across the entire S.E.

My Palm also has the ability to be a modem, however in my situation it isn't worth it, seems slow and if I need the net in a hurry, I will just use my phone.

 

[Ken G]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

Does anyone have any experience with the wireless internet access by Cricket mobile? Around here they advertise $50.00 for the card and $40.00 per month with no contract and the first month free. http://www.mycricket.com/cricketplans/bb

 

[vess]

Re: computer air cards-inter net connection

You could also look at something like this pay as you go internet, especially if you didn't need to be connected all the time. Just use it when you need it, or travel, etc. Definitely not good if you need to download lots of data, all the time. A cheap coworker swears by it, but he only uses it when he travels.
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband