Total newbie to EVDO seeking answers

JanZtax · EVDO Newbie Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 1

I have a Lenovo x60s with built-in EVDO. I didn't think much about it (didn't buy it for that reason) as I have A T & T broadband in my Oakland, CA home office. Now that I'm understanding a TINY bit more about EVDO, I'm wondering how I might be able to make it work for me.

First of all, I thought that Cingular was mentioned in regards to the EVDO when I bought the computer. But I just see Sprint and Verizon mentioned in the forum.

Next, is there any kind of prepaid plan (like Tracfone or T-Mobile To Go)that one can buy to use with EVDO only when traveling? (as opposed to signing up for a separate monthly plan). My main travel location is zip 96740 (Kailua-Kona, HI) and I don't know what coverage is like there.

Next, could the Verizon or Sprint EVDO 2 year plans take the place of my A T & T broadband connection? The broadband connection is used for 2 desktop computers in addition to my x60s. Could I use one of those new USB cards on each of the desktop computers? If I could do that, would I be giving up a lot of speed to switch from A T & T?

I appreciate that this forum exists and look forward to learning more about this technology. Thank you in advance.

clarkgable · EVDO User Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 89

Most of your questions can be answered by visiting Sprint's and Verizon Wireless' websites.

If you want to share one EVDO connection among multiple computers, you need a router. (Each EVDO modem requires a separate subscription, so if you want 2 EVDO modems for 2 computers, you'll need 2 subscription plans -- that's why it's more economical to use a router).

Aloha!

deparson · EVDO Junkie Joined: 30 Aug 2006 Posts: 248

First, make sure you know what service provider your embedded card is for as you likely will be locked into either Sprint OR VZW.

That said, there are no pre-paid plans available from any of the major wireless broadband providers that I have ever seen. And, as for replacing your cable/DSL serving 3 computers I would advise against it.

While you can get very good results with EVDO Rev A it is not normally as stable as a wired solution and there can be times when you don't get much bandwidth at all due to tower utilization, etc.

-D