AIR CARD for the computer ?

[Bob]

Ok I'm not at all clued in on Cell phones, infact for a long time I've said I'll never have one
because of what I see going on around me in town, talking on the phome in a resturant, BSingall the time while driving or shopping and dodging them in the proccess !
...HOWEVER
 from what Tink was saying and a few others I get the impression that I can Have relitively FAST connection to the internet if I go with the CELL Phone hookup method
and although I went to the Verizon site and tried to figure out what the heck they were talking about I am still at a hudge disadvantage here....
I know for a fact that Verizon will work in my front yard, some guy got a call while I was chatting with him and he answered it , talked for about 5 minutes and then we got back to our conversation.... so it will reach here, or at least Verizon will... I doubt others will.
I am a long way outin the boonies !
... My Sis has a Verizon cell phone and she can call right now and talk to her daughter at home in Santa Rosa from here(well Redding, I am sure she could from here as well) at no charge for Mobil to Mobil cominucation. but she didn't know about anything about a hookup for the computer...
...
 after looking at the Verison site I saw things like a plug in card for your laptop
that was supposed to connect you to the net of things with weird letters and protocalls that I have no idea if its good or bad or only for phone comunications !...
...
Here's the siduation, I play World of warcraft almost every night (especially in the winter months or cabin fever sets in!) and I check this site about 4 or 5 times a day, or at least try... I do all my banking through the computer as well as all my bill paying
so I need the REAL internet not just some phone thing...( if there is a diference!<GRIN>)
...
so my question is what do I need, where do I go get it and who do I sign up with ?
... its gott'a be faster than 44kbd and that is what I have now....
my dial up phone and internet connection could be replaced and I'edprobly only have to pay about $20.00 more for unlimited useage....I THINK....
so it realy sounds good to me !
any advice would be greatly appreaciated !
Bob........

[Tink]

Bob,
I'll get more info for you on that. Meanwhile you should check with a friends Verison phone to see exactly where in your house you can get the best signal. When you are on the fringe area like it sounds like you may be the exact location is important. You may move 2 feet to one side or the other and loose the signal. If you can place your computer in the spot where the signal is the best this may work for you. Usually by a window will be a good place to catch the signal. Sometimes you can use an extension USB cable to get the air card thing up higher and that may help. Sorry it is all tryal and error when you are living on the fringe. But if your friend was able to get the signal in your yard maby you can get it just fine in your house too. Just have to try it.
Tink

[janmarsh]

I suppose for once we are fortunate in UK to be so contained on a small island.

I have a Sierra Aircard in my laptop  pcmcia slot.  I'm with T-Mobile UK  & get 7.2mbs & area coverage  is almost total.    I phone from my laptop & at that speed their is little delay when browsing.

                                                             $22.50 per month, 3Gb limited which I never reach just browsing.

[Painless]

Bob,

I use the USB720 from verizon. The monthly charge is fixed at 59.99.

I thoroughly recommend it.

Russ.

[hydrotinkerer]

I also have the Sierra wireless aircard 881U hsdpa modem. My service is through at&t at 58.00 a month. That is also unlimited online time. I have had it for 7 months now and don't have any complaints. You can do a search for cell phone service areas and see how the service in your area is for each provider. Be sure and get one that is unlimited downloads it will save you lots of money.

[Tink]

Bob,
The Verison Aircard is $59/month plus taxes. and limited to 5GB download. I don't know if you would exceed that limit but if you did then it is 25cents per MB after that. There is no econmical bundle with a smart phone since you'd also be using airtime if you used it with a phone instead of the aircard. There is no cheap way to get broadband. Out here we share a DSL between 3 houses and split the bill. Even at that we had to beef up the send and receive antennas.
Tink

[Bob]

Ahhh... Ok that gives me allot to ponder, ! thank you guys for the responces!
I talked to a guy in curcuit city( a tech advisor) <GRIN> and he said its basically go to the verizon store and buy their card purchase a monthly plan and plug the thing in and use it
... after I told him what I needed, thats what he said... sense I know Verizon works there don't bother with any other ones he said, because that area is a hard one to get to and Verizon is about the only one that has made the effort to get there, almost everyone up there in my neck of the woods uses Verizon, so I will take that as a hint !
... at the Ranch I can probly use other companies if I wanted but here I doubt it.
...
sounds like  My Phone bill will double if I do that, and if the power is out no phone.
but the DL and UL time is much faster ...
... I dunno, I'll have to think on this a while as I don't have that much extra money each month to be throwing around, ( infact I havn't had "Extra Money" in such a long time I can't remember when I did !)
....
 it was Kind'a funny though the guy said well you have a Lap top I assume and I said no, I have a normal computer and live way out above Shingletown, and am stuck on dial-up at the moment, and I want a faster connection to the internet... if that gives me a cell phone in the bargen, so much the better, but the thing I am after is the high speed internet connection
... that set him back for a few seconds, I guess not many people live in the boonies anymore !
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
...
Soooo... when I find the Verizon place in town I'll drop by and ask some questions...
he did mention that they had expensive Disconnection fees on the order of $200.00 and up to turn OFF the service ! ...which in my book is plane silly ! that may be for disconnection before the 24month contract is up, I dunno.
... sounds like what I want will cost me close to $80.00 a month and thats more than double of what my phone line is... so I dunno
to me if its not "unlimited access" its useless because I will be on the thing all the time.
if not me, then Kim will be , so it will be used !
...

I do Know some Ham Radio tricks that will get better reception so I am not realy worried about that part, perhaps I should be I dunno. but cutting a hunk of long wire to be resonant at the frequancy of the Air-card and making a coil by the Aircard's antenna and run the rest to a tree outside, and terminate the inside end to a air veriable capasitor and then to ground... will bring in just about any signal I'ed want ... from any direction
without having to go to a Directional antenna.
I did that for my 2mtr Handheld radios and that gave me about 4 more repeters that I douldn't normially get. and although the frequancy is Much higher , the principal in much the same.
...the buity of it is it doesn't even have to touch the "Rubber ducky" antenna, just being in the same room is usually good enough !
...
I'm not sure of the in and out frequancies on those Air -Cards though ...probly around 300 to 850mhz...or something like that...
still need to get more info ...too many unknowns! HAHAHAHAHA
...
Hg2: thanks for the links...I got some reading to do now <GRIN>
...
Bob

[Bob]

Well, according to the Verizon Site they cover out area and its no problem there at all.
(which I expected) however they do Not have a "Unlimited useage plan" for ANYTHING
and their prices are rather high from the other companies...
Looks to me I'm going to have to Use a USB port for it, or a fire-wire as I have no PCMCIA
slot on the computer. it also looks as if the fastest Connection I'ed bet is in the 1.2 to 7.4GBS... if I understood that correctly, which is about 3 times as fast (or even faster than that) , of what I have now at 44kbd.
but without unlimited useage it would wind up costing me hundreds per month I am sure
and I can't go for that .
...
I'll keep checking on Verizon, and Sprint and see if they have better "Plans" than I've seen so far... but 5gbs of DL is so small at that speed that I would use that up in 3 days ! easy
( Kim has been DLing for the last 2 weeks getting stuff for FreeBSD and has probably DLed about 10gb so far.... and thats not counting our game time of 3~4 hrs a night on WOW )... so as I said ... don't think I'ed gain anything by going that route at this time...
at last check the Satatilite dish connections were extreamily high priced ,to the tune of over $695.00 installed with unlimited useage and then charge about $79.00 a month, there are only about 2 companies that do that however that I know of, and I can't remember their names to save me !
...
I expect to see more of the Sat Dish companies in the near future, but who knows ! if so the competition should lower the prices to a Reasonable amount !.
...
so from what I found out today, it would cost too much and limit my connection time as well
so I'ed be paying more for less... so fooie on that...even if it is faster! <GRIN>
....
thanks for the help guys , I appreciate that !
...
Bob........

[hydrotinkerer]

Bob check out at&t they had the only unlimited package at the time I got mine. They might have changed now but it never hurts to explore all the possibilities. I also forgot to say that my card is a usb card.

[Bob]

Oh cool ! thanks buddy I'll do dat !
...
Bob......

[Cowboy]

Sprint should cover in your area.  After absorbing Nextel, they picked up quite the network in CA.  My dad was the Sr Field Engineering for CA some years back, and with the exception of being out in BFE in the mountains we always had good coverage.  He uses them now in middle of nowhere OK and still has a nice connection. 

[Bob]

Well, add me to the list of cell phone Junkies <GRIN>
My Sis bought me a TracFone today and after charging it up and getting it all hooked up on line
I went out to the front yard and called her on it and it actually WORKED !
She has one as well and the whole idea is so we can text message back and forth!
seams to work great for that and no 2 yr contract or disconnection fees to worry about
if it works as good as I hope it will I will probly go with a  wireless connection for the computer as well....but maybe not here, but when I move to the Ranch in the spring!
... we shall see !
...
Bob........