USB modems for internet service in rural areas

[txdon]

I got the Verizon UM175 USB modem from Best Buy. There are no upfront charges at all. It is $59.99 a month - two year commitment. Insurance that covers anything that goes wrong is $40 a year.

The AT&T sierra wireless modem was $18 fee plus an $80 fee Plus $100 but If you send in the rebate form you get $100 back. $ 60 a month with a two year commitment. Insurance is $59.50 a year with a $50 deductible.

With the AT&T I also had to connect an antenna to get a extra "bar" with Verizon I do not. The AT&T modem broke after 6 weeks (antenna connector broke out of the inside) at a replacement cost of $300.

The sales person at Best Buy in Bastrop county also uses AT&T for cell phone and Verizon for internet for the best of both in this central Texas area.


There is also a Sprint Air Card but the map coverage showed no reception in my area. Best Buy also carries Virgin Mobile air card which is the only one that does not have a two year commitment contract. Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint data system. The cost is $149 for the USB modem and you buy Data KB. The cost per month is how much data you buy but $60 buys the max allowed by the other cards.

Take advantage of the 30 day trial periods to find which one is best in your area and don't think (like I did) that the phone coverage is similar to the data coverage.

 

[sunspot]

With the AT&T I also had to connect an antenna to get a extra "bar" with Verizon I do not. The AT&T modem broke after 6 weeks (antenna connector broke out of the inside) at a replacement cost of $300.

Would you mind giving more detail about your antenna? I live on an almost fringe area.
AT&T can send text from one spot in my house but no voice. I have had some people that can use Verizon for voice just outside my house.

The aircards seems to cost the same as Wildblue. Does anyone know how the speed compares?

 

[jinman]

The aircards seems to cost the same as Wildblue. Does anyone know how the speed compares?

The aircards are thousands (maybe millions) of times faster when driving down the road with your laptop.

Seriously, I think Wildblue is faster download and about the same upload. The flexibility of the aircard with a laptop cannot be challenged by satellite or DSL. Almost anywhere I have high speed access with the aircard. It truly takes you to the next level of interconnectivity.

 

[txdon]

Here is a link to the antenna. You also have to buy a $9 adapter to your card. With the antenna attached, and stuck on my metal roof outside, I got one more bar. The little flat antenna that sticks on the computer did not increase the number of bars. 11dB Sierra Wireless AT&T USBConnect Mercury USB Modem External Antenna


I had Wildblue before and the AT&T sierra card, in my limited location, was a lot slower than Wildblue.

The Verizon card, again in my area, is as fast or a bit faster than Wildblue was. I had Wildblue for 3 years and only switched because the house it was attached to was sold and it was a good time to try the air cards. I was looking at going back to Wildblue until I got the Verizon air card.

Like Jim, I love the portability.

 

[The Dougster]

We use Sprint's aircard and have determined that is is just as fast and perhaps faster than Wildblue... we switched because it allows us to use the same modem at home, at the ranch or wherever we carry the laptop... a marvelous invention indeed...

 

[GaryCrowell]

Here's a link to a forum that has all kinds of discussions about mobile broadband.

EVDO Forums - EV-DO Discussion, Support, Coverage, Compatibility, Tips, Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, Cradlepoint CTR350, PHS300, MBR1000, CTR500, CBA250 and MiFi : EVDOforums.com

Basically it works like this- It's great IF you're in an area where one of the major cell phone providers have their towers equipped with the latest equipment, that which gives what's known as 3G or EVDO service. EVDO and 3G are the same, companies just refer to them differently. Most rural areas don't yet have the true high speed (3G or EVDO) service because they roll it out first in the major cities, they gear it towards the traveling businessman. In many rural areas you can get the older protocal of service which is known as 1xRTT, but this is much slower. All of the aircards or USB modems sold now work for EVDO service if it's available.

In order of speed it's kind of like this:

1. Cable or DSL
2. 3G or EVDO wireless broadband
3. Satellite internet (Hughesnet or Wildblue)
4. 1xRTT wireless
5. Dial up

I'm in a rural area and have Hughesnet satellite which I usually hate. I can't get DSL or cable where I'm at. I've had a lot of problems with hughesnet, you name it I've had it from poor technical support (in India) to equipment breakdowns to general poor service issues such as no service at all during evening times. Satellite internet providers realize that they have essentially no competition and treat the customer accordingly. Their usual attitude is "it doesn't work, well tough shiite". I'd dearly love to get rid of them but after researching the issue there isn't a cell provider who offers EVDO service in my area yet. I can get the 1xRTT service but that won't be much faster than dial up. The cell providers will eventually upgrade all of their towers to the EVDO equipment but it will take years before they're all done, that's why you'll have some swear their mobile broadband is lightning quick and others say it's really slow, they're connecting with different towers and running on different networks. Sooner or later they'll get the equipment up and running in my area and I'll be able to ditch the satellite internet.

The only way to know whether or not you have the EVDO or 3G service in your area is to go to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or Alltel's websites and hunt through their service coverage maps. Most require a 2 year contract and they all are around $60 a month, but they have a 30 day trial period where you can cancel the contract if you don't get decent service. Most have a 5GB per month limit which can become a problem if you download a bunch of large fines like movies or songs, you'll never hit it surfing the internet. You can get antenna boosters to improve the signal if it's marginal in your area, and you can get wireless routers that you can hook the USB modems into to give you a home wireless network just like with a landline internet connection.

 

[WVBill]

I'll echo what Gary said. I'm a refugee from Hughesnet and recommend it only if it's your only choice over dial up.
If your check of the coverage maps for the cell providers and you're within a few miles of coverage for any of them then definitely consider trying it out.
I'm just over five miles from the cell tower I use and slightly over a tree-lined ridge. I need a high-gain antenna but I get a very solid "always on" connection.
The guys on the EVDO forums Gary mentioned are as knowledgeable and helpful about high speed wireless as the folks here on TBN are about tractors.
Most of the cell providers offer a 30 day trial period and 3G Store that hosts EVDO forums will give you a 14-day free return of anything you buy there and have great tech support (I'm not affiliated - just a satisfied customer).

Another option is Wireless Internet Service Providers or "WISPs". These are usually small companies that are puting up antennas in rural areas to provide internet service. Start-up costs for installation is frequently pretty steep but it's another option.

Oh - I have a Verizon, USB727 that I plug into a Cradlepoint CTR350 WiFi router so that all of my computers in the house share the internet connection.

WVBill

 

[tugboat-2]

My neighbour's kid did "something" along those lines and had a ball on the internet for a couple days. Then his mother got a 600 dollar phone bill!! I'm still stuck with a very slow dial-up and I don't own a cell phone. Probably a good thing!

CHEERS
. . tug

 

[jinman]

My neighbour's kid did "something" along those lines and had a ball on the internet for a couple days. Then his mother got a 600 dollar phone bill!! I'm still stuck with a very slow dial-up and I don't own a cell phone. Probably a good thing!

CHEERS
. . tug

Tug, the wireless modem is a cellphone. It has it's own number and connects like a cellphone. You can leave it attached 24/7 and the cost is the same every month. The limit is 5 gigabytes per month. Most months my wife and I with a desktop and a laptop on during the daytime only get about 1/2 to 3/4 gigabyte of use. We don't download movies or a lot of music though. I'm sure a teen could exceed the limit.