Any recs on unlimited internet access in cab that is not unbearably slow for us internet fiends who will spend every load waiting moment online? Sprint unlimited is one but heard the speed is painful. Thanks

 

I used Sprint when I was OTR. It depended on where you was at and if they had 3G (high speed) access or not. On a 3g connection, the speed is comparable to DSL. When not on 3g, it averaged about 15k/sec download speed.

The more population in the area you're at, the better the chance they'll have 3g.

 

There are only 2 options that are viable. Sprint, and Huges Net.

Sprint:

Pros:

Cheap
Portable
Works nearly anywhere
Descent Speeds

Cons:

Can be painfully slow at times
There are dead spots
Currently a 5gb a month limit

Huges Net:

Pros:

Works everywhere

Cons:

Very expensive
Hardware installation required (satellite dish, and modem)
Speed is not very good


And that is it.

Yes other carriers have internet cards or internet capable phones, but none of them match sprint for speed, and nearly all of them have capped monthly limits just like sprint as well.

Sprint should be rolling out WiMax technology soon, which will really up the speed, from 2mbps to 10mbps (In download speed that is roughly 150KBps vs 2.25MBps, which is faster then most in home cable modems.)

 

While doing a little research on mobile broadband after reading this post and making my own, I came across this interesting passage on a wikipedia page:

So we should soon see the 5gb caps and prices go down.

 

I have been using sprint with my blackberry and a usb cable to my laptop. The speeds are very good on most areas, and better than dsl in a lot of places! Of course I am only using it in areas where there is a large population, so I am sure it is usually on the 3G network.

I have an unlimited data plan for my Blackberry, and have not had Sprint placing any restrictions on my data usage.

 

Yeah thats what I do but with a different phone. For most users 5gb would be very hard to do in a month, even with a laptop. There is no cap on phone as modems as far as I know, the 5gb limits are on the USB and PC card modems made just for laptops.

 

I went over the 5gb cap one time in 2 years. They sent me a warning letter about it and that was it. Unless you're watching streaming video, you won't have a problem. Normally I was averaging right around 1gb per month total transfer (in & out).

 

They sent me that same stupid letter as well, despite me having an 'unlimited' plan, which is why they haven't given me any static since then. I usually rack up more than 5GB weekly on that thing, too.

 

I use AT&T and for the most part I'm happy with it. But of course I also remember the days when modems were 300 baud and used acoustical couplers for the phone.