NVR: Does anybody know anything about Cellular PC Cards for the computer?
Posted by SnowQueen690 on Sep 10, 2007 · Member since Jun 2005 · 1569 posts
I hate the cable company, they have terrible customer service! That is why I don't want to get a cable modem, I don't have a land-line phone service (I use my cell phone), plus dial up is too slow, so not knowing what else to do I am thinking of getting a PC data card for the computer from my cell company Cingular (AT&T now).
Does anybody have one of these? How do they work? Would you suggest it for your home source of internet access?
I have no personal experience. I may be the last person, walking the planet, without a cell phone.
From what I've read, the coverage is quite good... allowing you the capability of accessing the internet from anywhere that you can get a cell phone signal.
However, the performance does not measure up to cable. Even the "high speed" plans are sometimes more comparable to the speed of dial-up connections.
This may have changed, since I read the review. I'm sure if you do a search, you'll likely find new tests/comparisons that have been done since. There may be better technology, now, enabling faster speeds.
I would definitely look into who funds the website or who is the source of the review/info, though. (~_^)
(These cell phone corps are /very/ tricksy.)
I'm not the most computer literate person, but I looked into this about a year and a half ago and it was pretty pricey to get. It cost about $200-300 up front plus the monthly fee of about $40 or more. It's supposed to work anywhere the cell company has coverage. Maybe the plan costs have dropped since then though. And you had to have a cell phone account with them, too, of course. Check with each of your local cell companies to compare the costs and coverage and don't hesitate to ask them lots of questions. They should be happy to explain how it works.
I actually have a Verizon PC card for my laptop that I use for internet. I've had it for a couple years since they first came out. Thankfully, the price has went down, but it's still expensive. Initially, it was $79 per month, and I think it's $59 now. Don't forget, you also have to buy the card. Mine was around $100 I think, but now I'm guessing they're cheaper if not free. As far as the speed of the internet connection, it depends where you're at. Where I currently live, I only get the National connection and internet is pretty slow. However, when I'm in larger areas, I get the Broadband connection and internet is pretty fast.
I had this for a month while on vacation with no internet connection (cape cod) I was verrrrrry slow but thats compared to COX services at home. I would have kept it but my dad returned it because it was too much money in the end.