USB Modem Cards

[Oldgringo]

Mrs. Oldgringo and I were in our RV doing the wildflower thing last week and I sorely missed my internet and e-mail. We were at Lake Somerville SP and the nearest WiFi was 25 miles away.

There was a guy my age in a pop-up who mentioned seeing the weather on the radar and I asked, 'how'd you do that"? He said his daughter got him an AT&T card for about $40 without any contract, etc. and it gives him internet access (sometimes slow) just about anywhere he goes.

Does anyone have any experience with these modem cards which seem to be available from all the major cell phone providers? We have Verizon wireless and I'm not interested in entering into another contract with Verizon or anyone else. There just has to be a way? Any comments and/or suggestions will be appreciated...probably.

Thanks,

Greg

[Keith B]

Cell data adapters are available for about $60 a month with a 2-year contract. See here http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone- ... phones.jsp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and choose laptop/data connect cards. The data plan is here http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone- ... -plans.jsp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are also methods to 'tether' some cell phones (Blackberry and PDA types) to your laptop and access data services. See http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone- ... -plans.jsp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone- ... -plans.jsp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and

[ScubaSigGuy]

Keith,

I see they have you on commission status now, sir.

Another souliton is a phone that you can use as a tethered modem. I can use my BlackBerry that way, and it works great. To me it's the best of both worlds for my use. Now if you need to make calls and be online at the same time, Keith's option is much better. For occaisonal use when away from the office, the phone option works well for me. Just my .02 and and it's probably worth what you paid for it.

[Keith B]

Keith,

I see they have you on commission status now, sir.

Another souliton is a phone that you can use as a tethered modem. I can use my BlackBerry that way, and it works great. To me it's the best of both worlds for my use. Now if you need to make calls and be online at the same time, Keith's option is much better. For occaisonal use when away from the office, the phone option works well for me. Just my .02 and and it's probably worth what you paid for it.

Busted!! Actually, I don't get commission, but do like to see our stocks stay up in value.

Curious what kind of speed do you get off the BB and how is it tied in?? Are you actually using dial-up??

[TexasComputerDude]

I tether my iphone through wifi and it works fairly decently. Its about the speed of dialup (I can't find 3g anywhere)

[The Annoyed Man]

I have a wireless broadband card for my laptop from Verizon. They offer two levels of service, depending on your monthly bandwidth usage. I believe the lower level is around $40-$50. I pay $59/month for 50 gigabytes per month. The connection speed is pretty fast; it has never been what I would call slow. I bought the bigger package because, as a web developer who has to go see his clients more than they come to see him, I needed to ensure access wherever I went. If not for that, I would have been content with the smaller package.

[ScubaSigGuy]

Keith,

I see they have you on commission status now, sir.

Another souliton is a phone that you can use as a tethered modem. I can use my BlackBerry that way, and it works great. To me it's the best of both worlds for my use. Now if you need to make calls and be online at the same time, Keith's option is much better. For occaisonal use when away from the office, the phone option works well for me. Just my .02 and and it's probably worth what you paid for it.

Busted!! Actually, I don't get commission, but do like to see our stocks stay up in value.

Curious what kind of speed do you get off the BB and how is it tied in?? Are you actually using dial-up??

I use Verizon's VZ Access, which says it is dialing, but I am not sure if that is literal. I can't tell much of a difference between it and the speed of my home wireless network (Time Warner) as long as the signal is fairly good. It's tied in via micro USB.

[Oldgringo]

Thanks everybody,

We have internet and e-mail access everywhere we stay for any extended period. I want it everywhere we go on a short term basis.

I'm not interested in another wireless contract so I reckon we'll just stay at places that have WiFi or ride around with our laptops until we find a WiFi Hotspot and/or a sign that advertises Free WiFi.

Isn't air free?

Thanks again,

Greg

[SecurityGeek]

We use aircards from Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T at my office. Verizon tends to be the fastest. You can tether most smartphones, but that limits your ability to receive a call.

Dell used to offer laptops with built-in aircards, but these limited you to one carrier.

[flb_78]

Verizon now offers a Netbook with built in 3G. Im not a Verizon fan personally, but this would be excellent for mobile computing.