[Novalug] OT: CLEAR for on-the-go-wireless (greg pryzby)
Roger W. Broseus
rogerb@bronord.com
Sat Sep 18 12:27:16 EDT 2010
Greg,
I go to a lot of our-of-the-way places and want connectivity. Over the
years I have found that Verizon has the best coverage. So, in
anticipation of a trip to Florida in our RV - where charging excessively
for WiFi in campgrounds is rampant, I sprung for a Verizon MiFi 2200.
It's an "aircard" that also functions as a WiFi hot spot for up to five PCs.
I think the connectivity issue is than just being out in the woods: as
many know, connectivity in NYC and other locals is problematic for AT&T
customers because of capacity issues due to the popularity of iPhones,
etc. My daughter switched from Verizon because she got an iPhone and
calls drop a lot - she's in Brooklyn. It don't happen to me there.
I get connections with the MiFi 2200 where I can not get a connection to
complete a voice call, e.g., in the "mountains" of West Virginia, where
I got one "bar," if lucky, on my cell phone and most calls were dropped
but I could count on the MiFi connection. It connects via on its own,
dedicated cellular "phone" number.
I manage to stay under the 250 MB monthly data limit for the $40/month
service; 5 GB costs $60. I setup T'bird to exclude large downloads,
leaving them on the mail server.
I also suspend service when I am not using the card. They charge $15
(jerks) for suspensions and they are limited to 90 days each and 180
days per year; suspensions extend the contract.
The downside to the MiFi: you must set it up under Windows, using the
USB connection, in spite of the claim of Linux compatibility. And, it
must be stand-alone (not USB-ed) to function under Linux, working in
WiFi mode. OK: I compromise my principles and use Windows for this -
after all, we must be flexible, adaptable, etc. (My main, travel laptop
is a Thinkpad T42 dual booting Ubuntu and Win-7).
I'm drooling over the Android HTC Incredible. As I understand it, the
same functionality is built-in to this and some other smart phone, i.e.,
data + WiFi functionality. The pricing plans are different.
--
Roger W. Broseus - Linux User
Email: RogerB@bronord.com
Web Site: www.bronord.com
> 6. OT: CLEAR for on-the-go-wireless (greg pryzby)
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