Wireless Broadband Carriers

[mspivey]

I'm looking to buy a cellular card for my notebook. It's hard to figure out coverage plans but it looks like Verizon has EVDO coverage in Tulsa but not OKC and Sprint seems to have the most high speed coverage. Am I missing something?

I don't have a carrier (I have a work furnished cell phone) so I can go with any of them.

[sgrizzle]

Verizon is just now expanding into Oklahoma. AT&T's high speed coverage in Oklahoma is better than Verizon, but you lose speed quickly if you leave the metro areas. Sprint has the longest standing high speed and I hear their data-only plans are reasonable.

If I was going data-only I would go with sprint probably. Different carriers use different bands but you want an EV-DO, 3G, or HSDPA type network for the best speeds.

[patric]

Read up on what users recommend;

http://forums.cingular.com/cng/board?board.id=pccards

Surprisingly, many recommend you get an air card via eBay rather than the "free" ones that come with an expensive 2-year contract.

You will also need a Data Plan specific to laptops; AT&T's Data Plans for phones (MediaNet wont let you connect a laptop).  

Tulsa is a 3G market (HSDPA) with AT&T.

[Wilbur]

Don't know.  Don't have one.  But the few people I know who do have them all have Sprint and seem very happy with them.

[USRufnex]

Your choices are going to be between AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless... Sprint and VZW are EV-DO... Cingular/AT&T is GSM...

Sounds a little selfish, but if I were you, I'd pick 2 of the 3 and test 'em out... VZW now has a 30 day guarantee, the others have 15 days, if I'm not mistaken...

Verizon Wireless just entered the Tulsa market in January for both wireless broadband and cell phone svcs in general... OKC is the only major market in the US that doesn't have Verizon Wireless as a local carrier... Sprint's been in Tulsa a long time, Cingular/AT&T is on its home turf here...

[inteller]

you are going to pay out the donkey if you get one of those dedicated cards.  Just get a laptop with bluetooth and a blackjack.  you can use the bluetooth PAN on the blackjack to share a connection with the laptop.

[mspivey]

Thanks. That helps. I'm leaning strongly toward Sprint. Veruzon not having broadband in OKC is strange. And I've heard too many iPhone peeps gripe about AT&T.

Btw, I just got back from Lambrusco'z To Go, on 4st East of Peoria. Wonderful food and by far the fastest WiFi I've ever seen.

[brunoflipper]

quote:Originally posted by mspivey

Thanks. That helps. I'm leaning strongly toward Sprint. Veruzon not having broadband in OKC is strange. And I've heard too many iPhone peeps gripe about AT&T.

Btw, I just got back from Lambrusco'z To Go, on 4st East of Peoria. Wonderful food and by far the fastest WiFi I've ever seen.

that is because that silly iphone is edge only...

[brunoflipper]

quote:Originally posted by patric

Read up on what users recommend;

http://forums.cingular.com/cng/board?board.id=pccards

Surprisingly, many recommend you get an air card via eBay rather than the "free" ones that come with an expensive 2-year contract.

You will also need a Data Plan specific to laptops; AT&T's Data Plans for phones (MediaNet wont let you connect a laptop).  

Tulsa is a 3G market (HSDPA) with AT&T.

i've tethered my laptop via medianet and put my sim in an aircard 100s of times for 100s of hours and never paid a penny beyond my unlimited data package rates...

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by brunoflipper

i've tethered my laptop via medianet and put my sim in an aircard 100s of times for 100s of hours and never paid a penny beyond my unlimited data package rates...

I say good for you! [8D]
But if they catch you they may back-bill you, or just put you on what they call a "Laptop-Connect" plan in addition to your MediaNet plan.

Supposedly they can find out (your using an ISP server instead of the WAP server tied to MediaNet-enabled handsets).  2 1/2 years ago they told me I could tether my handset to my laptop with just MediaNet, but not any more.

Cingular (AT&T) uses GSM for Voice, but uses EDGE and now the faster HSDPA for data.  iPhones currently use the slower EDGE connection.[B)]

EVDO and HSDPA are both competing Third Generation (3G) wireless broadband technologies.

A warning:  Sprint, Verizon and AT&T all have limits on their "unlimited" data plans, but only Verizon has sofar publicly terminated customers for going over the 5Gb/month limit.  Apparently, this was not good for public relations as it made their network look less robust, so if Sprint or AT&T are also enforcing a limit they may be doing so more discretely.

Some mobile data speeds compared:

EDGE      236.8 kbit/s    
HSDPA      1.8 Mbit/s to 14.4 Mbit/s    
1xEV-DO Rev. A   3.1 Mbit/s    
      
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_device_bandwidths

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by patric

quote:Originally posted by brunoflipper

i've tethered my laptop via medianet and put my sim in an aircard 100s of times for 100s of hours and never paid a penny beyond my unlimited data package rates...

I say good for you! [8D]
But if they catch you they may back-bill you, or just put you on what they call a "Laptop-Connect" plan in addition to your MediaNet plan.

Supposedly they can find out (your using an ISP server instead of the WAP server tied to MediaNet-enabled handsets).  2 1/2 years ago they told me I could tether my handset to my laptop with just MediaNet, but not any more.

Cingular (AT&T) uses GSM for Voice, but uses EDGE and now the faster HSDPA for data.  iPhones currently use the slower EDGE connection.[B)]

EVDO and HSDPA are both competing Third Generation (3G) wireless broadband technologies.

A warning:  Sprint, Verizon and AT&T all have limits on their "unlimited" data plans, but only Verizon has sofar publicly terminated customers for going over the 5Gb/month limit.  Apparently, this was not good for public relations as it made their network look less robust, so if Sprint or AT&T are also enforcing a limit they may be doing so more discretely.

Some mobile data speeds compared:

EDGE      236.8 kbit/s    
HSDPA      1.8 Mbit/s to 14.4 Mbit/s    
1xEV-DO Rev. A   3.1 Mbit/s    
      
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_device_bandwidths

ATTs is 3.6 HSDPA, but only a few handsets support it.  and they cant "catch" you, unless you are doing complete abuse like downloading gigabytes a week.