Verizon Air card for laptop

[clintchism]

Has anyone had any experience using the Air card from Verizon wireless to access the internet with a laptop?
Thankis
Clint

 

[Tom]

I haven't used Verizon's air card but I have used t-Mobile's air card for several years. Coverage across most of the U.S. and eastern Canada has been far better than I could have dreamed. One limitation with t-Mobile was their speed, but I've recently upgraded to their Edge technology which is 4x the speed of their prior GPRS technology at the same price.

I have to assume that Verizon's system will work fine in their coverage area.

 

[Clay L]

Has anyone had any experience using the Air card from Verizon wireless to access the internet with a laptop?
Thankis
Clint

I have one and it works anyplace a digital Verizon signal is available. There are a few places left where an Extended Network will not allow it to be used, but those are few and far between in my experience. We travel all over the US so get pretty good exposure to a lot of different areas.

Right now the Broadband Access is the same price as National Access -$59 per month.
That means that where Broadband is available you can get super speeds - like broadband cable - and where it isn't you get ExpressNet which is faster than dial-up and as fast as many DSL connections.

 

[Pat]

Tom:  Was the Edge upgrade hardware, software, or service?

--pat

 

[Pat]

Clay:  Is this $59 in addition to the monthly fee for cellphone service?  What's the difference between "broadband" and "national?"  I understand that Verizon has a fast internet service in about 20 major cities only.  I'm probably never in any of them.

I've been using my cellphone and dialup for years.  You're right, in some extended network locations there's nothing.  Yakima for one, last time I was there.

BTW, what's included in the $59?  Does it have a package name?  What kind of hardware do you use to get those speeds?

--pat

 

[Tom]

Pat,

I had to buy the Sony Ericsson GC89 card to replace the Sierra Wireless card (bought it at Fry's Electronics) and moved the SIM card from one to the other.

 

[Jeff]

We use Verizon data as backup when located where the sat is not a good option or I don't feel like climbing yup on the roof for a short stay but I have come to appreciate how many times we are on the extended network and have no data service around the country, especially out west and the lower midwest and Texas.

 

[woodartist]

I use the mobile office with Verizon and get free internet (where available) after 9 and on weekends. Slow, 14.4, but fine for email and when in a pinch. No additional monthly fees.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

What's the difference between "broadband" and "national?"  I understand that Verizon has a fast internet service in about 20 major cities only.  I'm probably never in any of them.

It's over 180 cities now, Pat, but they are still cities rather than areas where most of us are likely to RV/camp.

Broadband (EVDO) is the 3rd generation of CDMA cellular data service and offers speeds up to 2 megabits/second.  As a practical matter, typical access speed is 300-500 kbps.  National Access is Verizon's name for their second generation data service, which is technically known as 1XRTT and offers speeds up to 144 kilobits/second. Typical speeds on 1XRTT networks are in the 60-80 kbps range (better than a land line).

 

[Pat]

The absolute, all-time worst Verizon service I've gotten, including all remote areas where only analog was available, was where I lived in downtown Chicago.  Too much interference, I guess.  The second worst is Phoenix valley.  I'm skeptical that their National Access could be any better.  I find the dialup is adequate for email and small downloads, and I've learned to use the night and weekend times.  Also, I learn to disconnect quickly after zipping out during the day to check email. 

I'm thinking of getting a PCMCIA card for dialup to Verizon Wireless and wonder if they can activate both the card and the phone. 

When the wifi works in this campground, which is about 10% of the time, it's pleasantly faster than the 14.4 or less Verizon dialup. 

Is there any reasonably priced satellite internet that does not require a TV subscription and provides internet service all over the country and possibly Canada?  I have a satellite dish mounted on my roof with a couple boxes in a storage bin that auto focus the thing and receive signals.  The dish is unused. 

--pat

 

[Clay L]

//Clay:? Is this $59 in addition to the monthly fee for cellphone service?/ /
Yes it is.
//What's the difference between "broadband" and "national?" //
As RvRoamer said, Broadband is much faster than National access - but at this point they both cost $59 per month. Broadband used to be about $70.
National Access is about as fast as DSL and is faster than dialup. You default to it when broadband isn't available - if you have Broadband Access . If you just subscribe to National Access that all you get anywhere.
Verizon is expanding the broadband area rapidly so it will continue to be found in more places.

//BTW, what's included in the $59?? Does it have a package name?? What kind of hardware do you use to get those speeds?//
It's called Broadband Access and includes broadband where available and National Access where it isn't.? Right now they offer an Aircard that plugs into your laptop for $50 with a $50 rebate so it doesn't cost anything. You do have to have a qualifying Verizon voice plan.
Since you are using a card with it's own phone number you are not using your cellphone when you are on-line.

 

[Tom]

Is there any reasonably priced satellite internet that does not require a TV subscription and provides internet service all over the country and possibly Canada?

HughesNet (previously known as DirecWay) is one such service. Service cost will be close to the service cost of an air card, but initial equipment cost will be significantly higher.

I have a satellite dish mounted on my roof with a couple boxes in a storage bin that auto focus the thing and receive signals.

Is that a satellite TV antenna or a satellite internet antenna?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'm skeptical that their National Access could be any better.  I find the dialup is adequate for email and small downloads, and I've learned to use the night and weekend times.

But Pat, National Access is dial-up, just like you know do with the low speed Q2N (aka QNC). It dials the same #777 number but connects at the faster rate if you logon onto NA service rather than Q2N. In other words, if one works, so will the other, as long as you are in a Verizon digital service area (not the Extended Network). And a suitable pone, of course. Not all phones are capable of MA or EVDO speeds.

I'm thinking of getting a PCMCIA card for dialup to Verizon Wireless and wonder if they can activate both the card and the phone.

The PCMCIA card "dials" the same number as the phone and gets the same service, i.e. whatever one you logon to. If its Q2N, its slow (14.4 kbps). If MA, its 140 kbps; if EVDO its 2 mbps. It doesn't do any better or any worse than a phone doing the same thing.

The PCMCIA data card has its own phone number and is separately activated. It shares nothing with the phone service and you can still use dial up on the phone just as you did before. The $59.95 unlimited  data plan for the PCMCIA data card also gets you access to data services in some Extended Service areas, mostly areas where Altel is the regional partner.

 

[JerArdra]

Pat,

We are currently in Canada (St. John's Newfoundland now) and we can connect using our Verizon phone.  Here is what we did, for $20/MO more you can use your Verizon phone, at no extra cost per minute, up to whatever number of minutes are on your plan.  Next, in Canada you can no longer let the phone dial *777 to connect to Verizon so we used the WIZARD that is on the Verizon set up disk to set up a dialer that dialed our ISP (Earthlink) through the phone number that I use in my hometown.

It works good at 14,400 BPS

JerryF

 

[Pat]

That's mainly what I wondered.  The $60 monthly fee is for unlimited access. 

I have a Verizon dialup package for the cellphone.  I also have a data connectivity kit, which basically turns the cellphone into a modem.  I use CompuServe (aka AOL) to dial up. 

You're saying I can dial a 777 number and connect to the internet and not use cellphone minutes?  And the setup for this is on the connectivity CD?  Speed is a pleasure but is rarely important.  I try to do downloads and updates when I have access to a land line or wifi.  Do I use Windows Terminal to accomplish the dialup, or does the connectivity CD have some other dialup software?  I have installed only the minimal from it, because I can't see loaded a bunch of unneeded software and settings that could interfere with my other software. 

--pat

 

[JerArdra]

Pat,

Your phone dials *777 now to connect you to Verizon.  Using your connectivity disk you can set up a second complete set of Verizon dialers and when Verizon completes that task it asks, "do you want any of your other dialers configured  so they will work with the Verizon phone".  If you say yes it will find any other dialers you have and make a copy so they will work with your phone.

Therefore, you must already have a dial up dialer set up that will dial the local or 800 phone number for CompuServe and connect you.  The configeration disk will change that dialer so it works with your Verizon phone.  It will not change the current dial up dialer you have.  It makes a second copy with the same name but adds (wireless) to that end of that name.  By doing this you will be calling CompuSrve directly using their phone number instead of calling Verizon using the *777 number.  I had to set it up this way in Canada because the Canidan telephone company would not accept *777.

BTW, the *777 does not connect you to the internet directly, it connects you to Verizon.  In all cases you will be charged minutes.

JerryF

 

[Clay L]

You're saying I can dial a 777 number and connect to the internet and not use cellphone minutes?

It will still use your minutes but if you have unlimited off peak and night time minutes you can use it then with out using your day minutes.

When you connect to the Verizon data network you can either connect to Quick2Net or ExpressNet. If you install the Venturi software both will be much faster. Venturi intercepts your web site request and routes it through a server with broadband access which actually goes to the web site and gets the data which it compresses it and sends it to your computer where it it is decompressed.

Several years ago Verizon advertised that you could connect to Quick2Net with most voice plans. Connecting to ExpressNet has always required a National Access plan.

New voice plans specifically say that data access is not included. Apparently they don't have a good way to keep people from accessing their data nets and many people connect anyway. I have heard there have been some cases of people getting some large bills when Verizon found out, but I have no personal knowledge of that happening.

You can get a lot of info on the whole process at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InternetByCellPhone/

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You're saying I can dial a 777 number and connect to the internet and not use cellphone minutes?

Yes,  but only if you purchase a separate Verizon data plan in addition to your voice minutes. The standard "unlimited" use data plan is $59.95 per month. There are less expensive plans but they provide so little online time/dollar they don't make any economic sense for anybody who does more than a few emails per week - and you don't need a data plan to do that. If you do not have a data plan, you always use minutes. However, those minutes may be "free", just like voice minutes are free at certain times.

 

[Pat]

CompuServe/AOL comes with software that is installed that is the dialer.  I think it makes any other means of dialup unworkable.  Unless I have a project going, I manage with my monthly 450 minutes and the unlimited evenings and weekends. 

I just thought if there's a 24/7 minutes-free Verizon number that gives quicker internet access, I could dial with Terminal or something.

--pat

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

For what its worth... I have the Compuserve 2000 software installed and can still dial with other software.