Wireless PC Card companies

KvPhoto

I am thinking of getting a wireless PC Card for my laptop. A lot of places I go to and want to use my computer at don't have a WiFi connection. Can anyone give any reccomendations on companies? I know that Verizon and Tmobile both offer it but is there anyplace else?

TIA!:D

Rhuarc

I think Sprint also has a mobile broadband solution, but you would want to check and see which company has the most coverage in the area you will mostly be in. I know that right now it is still hard to find, because a lot of cities haven't been added to their broadband networks yet.

LuckyBob

From personal experience:

• ClearWire: fastest by a large margin (~1.5Mbps+), cheap @ $30/mo, horrid coverage, laptop card "in the works".
• Sprint/Nextel: can be quite fast (~1Mbps) in certain areas. Expensive @ $80/mo. Coverage isn't the best but way better than ClearWire.
• Verizon broadband: Fanstastic coverage (relatively), fairly fast (256Kbps). Expensive @ $80/mo. Limited use contract.
• Cingular: Decent coverage, usable speed. Dunno about price; used it on a client's machine.
• TMobile: Cheap @ $30/mo. Slow as dirt (~36Kbps), mediocre coverage.

I (and a few other guys in my company) currently use TMobile since they're so cheap, but often times it's painfully slow. We're experimenting with ClearWire devices tied to a wireless access point with an AC inverter; one of our guys dropped his DSL at home to use ClearWire exclusively. All in all, Verizon's the best deal with coverage/speed in mind from what I've seen. If you're strictly in urban areas, ClearWire (if you're lucky enough to get it) or Nextel offer much better speed.

I should note that my experiences are limited to the greater Seattle market, and Rhuarc's right; coverage is king. It's a LOT better than it used to be - Verizon's coverage is at the point that the only major holes for their wireless internet coverage are parts of eastern Montana, eastern Oregon, and a good hunk of Nevada.

Pupator

Cingular: Decent coverage, usable speed. Dunno about price; used it on a client's machine.

I use Cingular and like it a lot. Instead of buying a PCMCIA card and paying for the expensive service, I just got a phone with BlueTooth and tether it to my laptop. This means that I can use the $20/month Media Max 200 Bundle for unlimited bandwidth. I'm sure if my data usage got too high they'd probably call me on it, but for what I do it's fine.

When I'm in a 3G network area the speeds are outstanding (1MB), when I'm in a EDGE area they're still faster than dial-up.

dangin

Pupator wrote:

I use Cingular and like it a lot. Instead of buying a PCMCIA card and paying for the expensive service, I just got a phone with BlueTooth and tether it to my laptop. This means that I can use the $20/month Media Max 200 Bundle for unlimited bandwidth. I'm sure if my data usage got too high they'd probably call me on it, but for what I do it's fine.

When I'm in a 3G network area the speeds are outstanding (1MB), when I'm in a EDGE area they're still faster than dial-up.

i'm an advocate of cingular as well - so long as you can get 3G network coverage where you're at. otherwise, go verizon. in my "day job" i'm the IT director of a chicago suburb and we got a dozen or so cingular aircards (sierra wireless model 875) in the field and the coverage for the most part has been very good. if you've got 3G coverage, expect speeds between 384kbps - 1.5mbps down. EDGE speeds vary depending on which class of EDGE you're connected at. slower EDGE speeds are about ~ 14.4 dialup

also, regardless of whichever provider you go with, check with them to see if there's a corporate discount available. i can get 18% off with mine.