Verizon WWAN with EvDO card

[BillMorrow]

The thinkpads.com roving reporter sent me an article reviewing the new verizon cellular wireless data service..

as i posted it on thinkpads.com (http://www.thinkpads.com/EvDO.htm) i had to read parts of it..

so, after an afternoon outing with the spousal unit, she allowed me to stop at circuit city to look at the toys..

there just happend to be a verizon booth there and after parting with a few bucks and agreeing to a two year contract, i went home with the card and a CD..

plugged the CD into my T42p (Q1U) and followed the directions, more or less blindly..

the result is that, even though i am out of the fastest coverage area, here i am on line and on the open forum, via this new service..

in short, if you want fast internet connectivity on your thinkpad and if you live or travel in any of the 31 service areas, get one..!

there is a two week try out period so if you don't like it you can get out of the contract..

for me, i'll keep it..
and probably use it on an X40 when i do NOT need the power of the T42p, 2373Q1U..

[sugo]

Bill, what's the actual throughput you are getting say, downloading a file from an FTP site?

[warmstrong]

Bill,

I have one of these and have used Verizon's wireless internet for a number of years. The latest version using their BroadbandAccess has a great connection here in NYC. Not as fast as DSL or cable modem, of course. I use it to connect to the internet when I am in client's offices (and also when I am out-of-town either for business or vacation). Often it is helpful to be able to pull up websites that have product information on them. If I'm in a conference room and the company either doesn't have WiFi, or it's locked down, then having a connection can be quite handy. It also facilitates the receipt of email with attachments that I need to view. I use my Treo 600 with GoodLink for most regular email.

The best is being able to work from our place on Nantucket during the summer. The connection is always iffy there, but much better than hogging the telephone line with a dial-up connection.

The unlimited monthly is expensive: $79/month. I got it down to $44/month when I was using a Verizon based smartphone to do the connection, but until recently Verizon did not have a phone that offered their BroadbandAccess. They have recently added the Audiovox XV6600 to their lineup. It apparently includes the modem necessary to connect with BroadbandAccess. I might give that a try.

Anyway...enjoy!

Bill Armstrong

The thinkpads.com roving reporter sent me an article reviewing the new verizon cellular wireless data service..

as i posted it on thinkpads.com (http://www.thinkpads.com/EvDO.htm) i had to read parts of it..

so, after an afternoon outing with the spousal unit, she allowed me to stop at circuit city to look at the toys..

there just happend to be a verizon booth there and after parting with a few bucks and agreeing to a two year contract, i went home with the card and a CD..

plugged the CD into my T42p (Q1U) and followed the directions, more or less blindly..

the result is that, even though i am out of the fastest coverage area, here i am on line and on the open forum, via this new service..

in short, if you want fast internet connectivity on your thinkpad and if you live or travel in any of the 31 service areas, get one..!

there is a two week try out period so if you don't like it you can get out of the contract..

for me, i'll keep it..
and probably use it on an X40 when i do NOT need the power of the T42p, 2373Q1U..

[BillMorrow]

remember, i am in a fringe area..

but i went to www.dslreports to run the throughput tests..

search on zip code 34990 and/or 34994 (i think)..
anyway, the best i got was 88 down and 44 up and the worst was 6 down and 4 up..
worst was in my house which is very fringe area..

but i returned the EvDO to verizon because the $80/month is a bit heavy when i don't have much real need for it..
its NICE, but for me, just not worth it at this time..

i will rethink this when we have the fast service available here..

[jdhurst]

I have a Sony Ericsson card which runs on a slower service than you are talking about. I can still get 100Kb down in many areas of Toronto. I moved from the Sierra Wireless Air Card (very slow) to the Sony Ericsson (reasonable) and will consider something like the EvDO when the service comes here. ... JD Hurst

[BillMorrow]

i thnk EvDO does 500 down in its main service areas..

for me, i will get one (and keep it) when the service area arrives here AND they drop the monthly cost to $50..
i think $50 is the tipping point.. for me, at least..

[Leon]

I've had it for a while. I get much faster than Dial up speeds in "fringe" areas, and have gotten close to 1 Mb in NYC!

[JHEM]

I've had it for a while. I get much faster than Dial up speeds in "fringe" areas, and have gotten close to 1 Mb in NYC!

In NYC I just access the nearest Verizon public WAP and get 3M throughput!

https://www33.verizon.com/wifi/login/lo ... remote.jsp

Regards,

James

[jdhurst]

What I like about these cards is the ability to use my laptop almost anywhere. It works in most any stationery location, in my car (someone else driving) and on local transit (although not in the subway).
... JD Hurst

[JHEM]

It works in most any stationery location

So, it only works when there's paper around?

Regards,

James

(Ducking and running!!!!)

[warmstrong]

With the previous version of this card, i.e., prior to BroadbandAccess, I could drive the route from our place in NYC to the Steamship ferry to Nantucket in Hyannis, MA, and keep the live news report of the Tour de France the whole way. Seeing as I was giving up watching it live on the TV to make the drive, this was significant. Yes, there were some dead spots along the way, but the Northeast is pretty saturated with cell service.

I now have the X40 laptop that Bill Morrow used to start this topic and will give you some periodic reports on the speed of the connection using Verizon's BroadbandAccess. In the short term they will be primarily from NYC, but as we get into Spring and Summer I should have some opportunities to check from other locations.

Best regards,
Bill Armstrong

[tselling]

T-Mobile is alot cheaper (but slower). I have their unlimited service for $30 per month. I use it mostly for emergencies when my cable modem service is down and I have to work from home. Every time I think about cancelling it, seems like I have to use it. Unfortunately I can't justify the expense of the faster services even though I'd like to. Hopefully someday they will come down to around $30 per month.

[EVDOguy]

On the average, I get 300K - 500K download speed, usually in the 400k - 700K range. Last week, a new EVDO tower was turned on by my house. I was in a 4 bar EVDO coverage area and here is what DSLReports reported:

http://www.evdoinfo.com/cary_evdo.jpg

A PC 5220 card, 4 bars, no external antenna, no signal amplifier, no venturi.

That is the faster that I have ever seen with EVDO. It is also faster than my T1 line! This is not typical (but was done over EVDO).

[no_man]

My Verizon unlimited service, using it with a Kyocera KPC650 card on my T30, gives the Cleveland area (with only National Access), downloads typically at 90kbps and often peak at 144kbps. The Columbus (Ohio) area has Verizon Broadband coverage and speeds equal to T-mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi of around 500kbps. I will be in Naples, Florida soon and hope they are set-up for National or Broadband.

[EVDOguy]

NationalAccess will give you the speeds you are seeing. Once, you go into a BroadbandAccess area, you will get the much faster speeds.

The good news, is that Verizon will be announcing the completion of Phase 4 EVDO rollout and many new cities AND many cities that already have coverage will get additional coverage. Cities getting coverage include: Detroit, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, St. Louis and many more. We are starting to get reports of new coverage at:

http://www.EVDOforums.com