Mobile Broadband Access

[bluewalrus]

Anyone have a good no contract mobile internet access provider? I've been on tech support with virign mobiles for the past 2 hours (1 hour online which had no result) and when it turned to 9pm pst time they disconnected me and will not awnser their phones now cause they're closed.

[djr33]

Outside the US, there are some reasonable options. Some are pay-as-you-go, among other things. In the US, it's basically a contract or perhaps paying for a relatively expensive device and still a high monthly fee. On the other hand, if you want this why are you so worried about a contract? I assume you don't want to stop using it after a month, or perhaps you just want to try it out before you sign up for a long time.

Because of the lack of good options, I have not yet gotten a mobile card for my laptop. I've thought about it a lot, though.

It seems excessive to pay the same amount as a for a home internet connection for a supplementary connection for on-the-go usage, especially when that connection is fairly slow (even 3G isn't all that fast, though it's a lot better than no connection at all), and it only works when you have a signal. If you're stuck on an older data network than 3G, it's doubtful that you'll want to keep paying $40-60/mo for the service...

One other option is to use a cell phone and connect it to your laptop via bluetooth. The iphone can do this, but it is currently blocked at least in the US due to AT&T blocking it (through software on the phone). Other phones can do this, though it must be a relatively good phone with an unlimited data package or that will be expensive anyway. I did this about 3 years ago on a Palm Treo 680, so it's very possible that there are even older/cheap(er) phones that can do this, but then you'll still need the data package that costs about the same. But if you're lucky enough to have unlimited data and a phone that can already do this, you can add your computer for free...


Keep an eye out for 4G since that will be fast and probably very worthwhile. Perhaps it could replace your home connection as well-- that may be the future. It's going to be a long time until the networks are established enough to make it practical, and at the moment only Sprint is actively advertising it-- perhaps other companies will catch up. And for a long time it'll surely be expensive, but perhaps worth it for something better, assuming it really is better.

[bluewalrus]

Are the outside the US ones usable in the US or only in the country/continent purchased it? My cell phone I have on a family plan so it only costs 10 dollars a month with no data plan. I forward emails as txt msgs because I get those unlimited for 5 dollars. I don't plan to use the mobile broadband every month just when I'm going out of town for longer than 4 days, the rates virgin mobile has seems pretty stupid to me but maybe not to a casual internet user?

$10 dollars for 100 MB or 10 days at max or $40 dollars for unlimited usage, 30 days max.

[djr33]

I'm almost positive you'd pay a high roaming fee to use an international plan in the US. Maybe there's some exception. What I'm specifically referring to, and there may be other similar products, is what I saw in Europe 2 years ago: something like $100-200 for the device and $40 per month. It's not a great price, but they're month-to-month and no contract. I believe there may have been some other options such as paying for usage, but I don't recall exactly.

That plan doesn't sound horrible depending on what you're doing, but whatever you get won't be great. It's a good way for the cell phone companies to make a lot of money and since these plans are popular for business any individual looking for personal use is probably out of luck.

I see what you mean with using them only when you're out of town. That's an interesting point.

My advice is looking into a phone that will tether a connection to a laptop. Unless you think you'd never use that. It might cost the same amount, so why not...