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Wireless internet options and quality (i.e. verizon)

post #1 of 12
2/18/04 at 4:48pm
Thread Starter 
Has anyone used the wireless internet through Verizon? I am talking with the wireless cell phone signal. I know that they claim "high speed" and all, but I was wondering if that is truly the case. I do have the Verizon network available 'up here' in Montana. It would be $80 a month for unlimited service/minutes anywhere in the U.S. that has the digital signal from Verizon. Of course there are many "dead spots", (especially in the mountains) but around the major towns there supposedly is very good signal strength. Opinions.....
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post #2 of 12
2/18/04 at 5:30pm
Hey,
i have had the sierra wireless card through Verizon for about a year now. It is definately not "High-Speed" I would liken it to good dial-up when the Venturi accellerator is running. It can be VERY handy when ur in an area without wireless access & especially in a moving car. Ive experienced DL speeds between 6-30kb, but ive never actually gone and tested the bandwidth. Apparently they are coming out with an actual high-speed version, but i think it is only in Cali and a few other places right now.
-T-
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post #3 of 12
2/18/04 at 5:53pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks telemekhos.... Kinda what I thought then. The guy at radio shack was saying that it ran a speeds from 400 to 600 kbs!! LOL, I knew he had to be b.s.ing me. When I read the flyer from verizon it says that it normally runs from 40 to 60 kbs and can spike upto 144 kbs. But in real world situations it can very greatly I would think. So basically it would be about as fast as the "netzero high speed" I am on right now then? LOL.
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post #4 of 12
2/18/04 at 6:04pm
Current GPRS and CDMA wireless internet technology will soon be replaced by 3G wireless technology. AT&T is pushing 3G, and it is already in use in Japan. Perhaps 3G is the high speed service you heard about? However, providers such Sprint and Verizon will not likely to switch to 3G. Their CDMA and TDMA networks are not compatible with GSM and consequently not easily upgradable to 3G. They will likely develop their own next-gen wireless data service.
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post #5 of 12
2/18/04 at 6:11pm
I remeber seeing an article about G3 Wireless in San Francisco. The writer reported speeds comperable to DSL and Cable. There were screenshots of him playing Quake 3 with a 30 ping on a beach! I'll try to look for the article.
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post #6 of 12
2/18/04 at 7:02pm
I use my cell phone with a sprint data plan for impromtu internet, which is against my contract. . . but sprint hasn't bothered me about it (I don't really do a lot online) . Anyway, I get a solid 120kbps connection which is pretty good for basic surfing (both sprint and verizon use CDMA) the ping is fairly high though.

Now if you get a real data plan that is intended for laptops you won't get into any contract problems. Through sprint and verizon you can expect 80-120kbps and if you use a proxy that precompresses pages for you you can get even higher speeds.
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post #7 of 12
2/18/04 at 8:40pm
I wouldn't rule Qualcomm out of the game yet. Speaking as a former AT&T wirelss customer, I can say that it doesn't matter how good your technology is when your prices are higher and your customer service absolutely sucks. Finally got fed up after over 3 years with AT&T and switched to Verizon last summer. Very glad I did and sorry I didn't do so sooner. Verizon customer service is what AT&T needs to be. I know several folks who've made the same move. Granted, our cell phones aren't going to work in Europe, but how often does one go to Europe? Often enough to justify dealing with a PITA company like AT&T??
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post #8 of 12
2/20/04 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by deltawalkerl
Current GPRS and CDMA wireless internet technology will soon be replaced by 3G wireless technology. AT&T is pushing 3G, and it is already in use in Japan. Perhaps 3G is the high speed service you heard about? However, providers such Sprint and Verizon will not likely to switch to 3G. Their CDMA and TDMA networks are not compatible with GSM and consequently not easily upgradable to 3G. They will likely develop their own next-gen wireless data service.
Oooh, I have to jump in here. It is gsm that is not compatable with '3G'- CDMA is fully compatable, which is why Verizon is right now operating their 3G networks in San Diego and D.C., with a national rollout to follow throughout this year and next. CDMA2000 (3G) is fully backwards compatable with 'regular' cdma, so there is no problem in offering them both in the same bandwidth. W-CDMA (or UMTS), the 3G of choice for gsm providers, is not compatable, so you need to have extra bandwidth to offer it, which none of the gsm providers currently have.
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post #9 of 12
2/20/04 at 1:57am
Thread Starter 
You guys are all talking over my *head* right now. I have no idea what CDMA or any of that means. Maybe I should forgoe the wireless internet option for now.
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post #10 of 12
2/20/04 at 11:22am
Actually you don't have to bother with all these terms. As long as you don't plan to use your services outside of the US you will not need to worry about them.
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post #11 of 12
2/20/04 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 
^^^ Delta, I am mostly concerned at the quality/speed of the sevices available. If they are not any better than dial up then I won't bother. Maybe I will just get true high speed and get a 802.11 g router for my home and then I can be "wireless" at home at least!
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post #12 of 12
2/20/04 at 10:20pm
Well, I would get broadband at home anyway. I just went wifi when I got my f2, and it is truly wonderful to be able to sit anywhere in my house and be online.

I have heard that the verizon service is a little better than dialup, though I haven't tried it myself. By the end of the year and into next year, though, verizon will have the real, 3g wireless service running in your city, and that could be used as a replacement for regular broadband.
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