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The Kitchen Table

Wireless internet card ?

16 years ago

Have any of you used a wireless internet card through your cell phone company? I have been doing some research so I can get one for my laptop, but I haven't really found all the info I would like to have. Didn't Flamey get a card?

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Comments (5)

vannie
16 years ago
I have a new wireless laptop but I have no idea what's in it! My GDs both have wireless laptops and they spoiled me. It's so nice. It tells you when it's time to go plug it in so it can charge. Pure luxury!
maryanntx
Original Author
16 years ago
Vannie, I am talking about a card that you purchase and plug into your laptop. Then you have to sign up with a plan from a cell phone company for the service and pay a monthly fee. That way you can get on the internet no matter where you are as long as the cell phone company has service in that area.
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I'll try to answer several of your questions. Yes, you will need a special router, but I would NOT buy the one the salesman is pushing on you. I have one made by Cradlepoint (the CTR350) which I bought at Amazon.com and did not pay nearly that much for it. It is very small and I plug the wireless "card" (modem) into a USB port on the router. Then I connect my desktop computer via Ethernet (cat 5 cable). I connect my laptop via the wireless signal sent from the router. It is very easy to set up the security on the router. In addition, I also use software firewalls on my computers. The built-in wireless in the laptop is not the same thing as what you plug in. It allows the laptop to receive and use wireless signals, and all new laptops come with this. Now whether this would be faster than your DSL is questionable. Sometimes my service with Verizon is quite fast, but at busy times, mostly evenings, it slows down quite a bit. With DSL you have a dedicated line, so your speed should remain constant. I went this route, because I cannot get DSL or cable, and I suffered over 2 years with satellite. Then Verizon's 3-G (EVDO) became available to me. You need to be fairly close to a tower to get a good, strong signal also. If your cell phone service is good, chances are the wireless Internet would be good, also. I was able to buy a used "card", which is really a modem, so that I was not locked into a contract and I can end the service at any time without penalty. So it's your call. If you are unhappy with your DSL, you might give it a try. Do they have a trial period during which you can return anything and only owe for the usage you had? If not. . . . .It's your call.
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FlamingO in AR
16 years ago
MaryAnn, I could have gotten the card to plug into my tower or done it thru my cell phone. I opted for the cell phone, because in order for it to be cost-effective, I needed to give up the land lines and go cellular, so since I was going to have to get the cell phones, anyway, I got one that was Alltel Axcess compatible. And it doesn't count against any of my cell minutes, either.

What company are you considering? I think Cingular offers it, too.
maryanntx
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Flamey. I use Sprint for my cell phone and they ofter two card plans. One is $39 for 40 MB and the other is $60 for unlimited. I was hoping to get something cheaper because I want to keep my internet service at home like it is. I was wondering if the cell companies like Pocket or Cricket offer the card plans. I need to check out their websites.
I would love to get rid of my land line because we use our cell phones for most calls, but I have to fax Jammer's time sheet in every day and I need the land line to fax. Or is there another way to fax???
bigfoot_liz
16 years ago
nextel/sprint is THE best for coverage in my experience. from 2006-late 2007 i used their aircard in my laptop while on jobsites all day w/o ever once having coverage issues not to mention i sent massive files. my co-workers got stuck w/ verizons' card and emailed me their design files to forward to their clients because verizon was toooo slow. nextel/sprint used to have cheap plan that linked into your regular cell minutes back in 2005-06 but now they don't do that. i think their cheapest plan is $60 which is not bad, i'm not sure of the allowed minutes thou. ~ liz

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