These days, you often don’t have to travel far to find wireless Internet access. But some hot spots carry steep prices, and you can’t always count on finding one when you need it.
So, if you need Internet access on the go, try cellular service. All major cellular providers offer Internet cards for your laptop. They slide into a PC Card slot, much like a Wi-Fi card.
The cards give you Internet access anywhere you have cellular coverage. The concept is simple, but deciphering the pricing and technical details can be confusing.
These days, cellular providers tout broadband-like speeds. Certainly, the cards are far faster than dial-up. They fall short, however, when compared with cable and DSL speeds.
Some networks are faster than others. So it helps to understand the differences.
First, there is EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution). EDGE is a high-speed Internet service that is considered to be 2.5G, that is, between second- (2G) and third-generation (3G) cellular broadband services. It is provided by wireless phone companies that use GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology. Users typically experience speeds of about 200 kilobits per second for both downloads and uploads. This average speed falls shy of the 256Kbps promised by a low-end DSL plan.
EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) is more advanced. EV-DO is a third-generation (3G) high-speed Internet service provided by wireless phone companies that use CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology. The average download speed is between 400Kbps and 700Kbps.
Upload speeds average 300Kbps to 400Kbps. Still, it doesn’t compare to cable broadband’s average download speed of 7 megabits per second.
Laptop cards generally cost about $200. But you can get steep discounts when you sign up for a one- or two-year agreement. I recommend that you stick with your current provider because billing will be simplified and you may qualify for additional incentives.
Now, let’s look at which providers offer which services and how much they charge.
Sprint offers EV-DO laptop cards. For
$60 a month, you’ll get unlimited access to the Internet from your laptop.
Verizon also uses EV-DO technology
with its BroadbandAccess service. Unlimited data usage runs $80 a month. When the service isn’t available, the card uses Verizon’s NationalAccess service. This provides download speeds of 60Kbps to 80Kbps with bursts up to 144Kbps.
T-Mobile‘s laptop cards use EDGE. For
$50 a month, you’ll get unlimited data access. You’ll also get unlimited access at thousands of T-Mobile HotSpots.
Cingular cards can use an EDGE net-
work. They can also access Cingular’s HSDPA network, where it is available.
Cingular’s plans are more complicated than those other providers offer. You can purchase plans that offer limited data access. You can also purchase plans that include access to wireless hot spots across the country.
A wireless laptop card will provide you with greater mobility. But it isn’t a magic bullet. Just as you experience dropped calls, you could run into problems with cellular Internet access.
Contact Kim Komando at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.
