Wireless Broadband

I have a few :?: about wireless internet on the road :?

Who do you use?
How much does it cost?
Other than a laptop, what else do you need to make it work?
Do providers do a credit check?
Do they require a contract?

Many thanks!

I have Verizon and get around 1.2mbs.
Costs me $79.95 per month
You don't need anything else other than a laptop. Just make sure you get the right card for your slot. It can either a PCMCIA or Express slot.
I'm sure they do a credit check.
They require a 1 year commitment or it's a $200 termination fee or something like that.

[Tilar]

I use the verizon for my phone and the internet. Unlimited everything. I signed a one year contract for $59 a month. As long as I get a signal on my phone, I can get online with my computer.

[REXRACER]

Another variation on this question is, how many truck stops and rest stops out there have free wi-fi? I saw a bunch of rest stops in Iowa on a road trip that had signs saying they had wi-fi. Just wondering how prevalent this is becoming?

[GMAN]

Most truck stops charge for WiFi access. Each of the major chains seem to have their own. I don't know all the states who have free WiFi access in their rest areas. I believe Texas is one, however. At least they were supposed to make it available in their rest areas.

I use the verizon for my phone and the internet. Unlimited everything. I signed a one year contract for $59 a month. As long as I get a signal on my phone, I can get online with my computer.

I think your on the lesser plan and not the Broadband. Broadband is $79 and National Access is $59 and your speed is like 150kb instead of in the MB range.

[Rawlco]

I use the verizon for my phone and the internet. Unlimited everything. I signed a one year contract for $59 a month. As long as I get a signal on my phone, I can get online with my computer.

I think your on the lesser plan and not the Broadband. Broadband is $79 and National Access is $59 and your speed is like 150kb instead of in the MB range.

He may also have a package deal. Sometimes if you have an expensive enough phone plan you can get a deal on the internet access.

[Tilar]

I use the verizon for my phone and the internet. Unlimited everything. I signed a one year contract for $59 a month. As long as I get a signal on my phone, I can get online with my computer.

I think your on the lesser plan and not the Broadband. Broadband is $79 and National Access is $59 and your speed is like 150kb instead of in the MB range.

Actually I get both broadband and National access, depending on where I am in the country. I can't pickup broadband everywhere.

Thanks for you answers

Does anyone use Sprint?

I use the verizon for my phone and the internet. Unlimited everything. I signed a one year contract for $59 a month. As long as I get a signal on my phone, I can get online with my computer.

I think your on the lesser plan and not the Broadband. Broadband is $79 and National Access is $59 and your speed is like 150kb instead of in the MB range.

Actually I get both broadband and National access, depending on where I am in the country. I can't pickup broadband everywhere.

I had the same thing with my first card and they made a mistake. When I was at home I was on National. When I went to work near Boston I had broadband. I sent the card back and got the $79 deal and now I'm on Broadband everywhere. If I'm in a remote region it reverts to National.

[Malaki86]

I've got Sprint for both the cell phone and wireless. I haven't had any problems with it. In fact, the card picks up better than the cell phone. I ran across I-77 in WV a couple of days ago, and in the 'low' section between Beckley & Charleston, I had no cell phone signal, but I was downloading at about 15k/sec.

I have EVDO signals (120-200k/sec) in every major city I've been in. When not on EVDO, it averages 15-20k/sec.

I pay $59.99 for the unlimited plan (and Sprint is truly unlimited).

with broadband and laptop than download skpye get rid of the cell.

I've got Sprint for both the cell phone and wireless. I haven't had any problems with it. In fact, the card picks up better than the cell phone. I ran across I-77 in WV a couple of days ago, and in the 'low' section between Beckley & Charleston, I had no cell phone signal, but I was downloading at about 15k/sec.

I have EVDO signals (120-200k/sec) in every major city I've been in. When not on EVDO, it averages 15-20k/sec.

I pay $59.99 for the unlimited plan (and Sprint is truly unlimited).

Do you also have to have phone service with them to get that price?

[uglymutt]

I am sending this on the verizon broadband, I am in the middle of nowhere and I have phone service I get internet.... I only pay 59.95 per month and its because I got 5 phones on a family plan, I can send text messages to any phone from my laptop which is also included with verizon....I cacn recieve text messages on my laptop as well, I heard good and bad about sprint card so I decided to get verizon since we have a family plan with them, in a major city its fast enough I download videos, I can watch news casts with no lag at all, its the best thing unless your in the middle of texas where there is no cell towers but I bet sprint wont work there either...

[terrylamar]

I am sending this on the verizon broadband, I am in the middle of nowhere and I have phone service I get internet.... I only pay 59.95 per month and its because I got 5 phones on a family plan, I can send text messages to any phone from my laptop which is also included with verizon....I cacn recieve text messages on my laptop as well, I heard good and bad about sprint card so I decided to get verizon since we have a family plan with them, in a major city its fast enough I download videos, I can watch news casts with no lag at all, its the best thing unless your in the middle of texas where there is no cell towers but I bet sprint wont work there either...

In the middle of Texas? Some houses and business even have indoor plumbing! Just last week we upgraded our phone system from the tin can and string system to the crank telephone system. The Metro Austin has a population of well over a million and growing.

[dk132]

I am sending this on the verizon broadband, I am in the middle of nowhere and I have phone service I get internet.... I only pay 59.95 per month and its because I got 5 phones on a family plan, I can send text messages to any phone from my laptop which is also included with verizon....I cacn recieve text messages on my laptop as well, I heard good and bad about sprint card so I decided to get verizon since we have a family plan with them, in a major city its fast enough I download videos, I can watch news casts with no lag at all, its the best thing unless your in the middle of texas where there is no cell towers but I bet sprint wont work there either...

In the middle of Texas? Some houses and business even have indoor plumbing! Just last week we upgraded our phone system from the tin can and string system to the crank telephone system. The Metro Austin has a population of well over a million and growing.

As I type This I am literaly in the middle of Texas BFT as some people call it. Verizon Broadband aircard is much faster than the local dial up. I also drive all over Central Texas. My job requires me to use my laptop for data entry the only time it wont work is in a good ole Texas thunder storm.

[nrvsreck]

How 'bout Cingular service? Anyone use that?

[n6bvz]

I have four cells on Cingular, do email and text from mine. It's worked nicely for me most everywhere.

Lately I've considered a Cingular card for my notebook. The cost is about 50 per month and the speed is suppose to be pretty good in most metro areas, okay in other areas where there is phone service. The card cost is 200.

An alternative is through Sirrcomm, which supports the wifi connects at petro, pilot, love, and some others. It's cheaper and uses existing wifi built into the notebook. Limitations are having to be in range of the truck stop.

There are free wifi at many places, but they're not secure at all--and not always where you can park easily in a truck unless you drop your trailer.

All the best, Tee

[bigtimba]

. . there is another thread on this subject around here, somewhere. The user/poster got a termination letter from his carrier/provider, I believe it was Verizon, because he was exceeding his bandwidth allowance.

When I'm at a Flying J or T/A, I can IM, webcam, watch news, listen to audio, up and download movies, etc. with no problem. Can you do the same with the phone services? The above referenced poster found out the hard way that he could not.

Allow me to take a swipe at Sirricom, while I'm at it . . Flying J is generally excellent, T/A is generally very good and Sirricom (Pilot, Loves, Petro and A M Best) absolutely sucks. Even with a decent signal and high (supposedly) transfer rate it is ridiculously slow, predictably unreliable and more expensive than the other two . . as bad as dial up, if not worse. Use it at your own risk and only as a last resort.

[downsouthdriver]

How 'bout Cingular service? Anyone use that?

I'm curious about them too. I have my cell though Cingular and have been looking at there PC Cards. My only problem is that their best plan offers 50mb a month. And I'm not sure how good or bad that is. Mos of the others offer unlimited at the same price per month.