Newbie Needs Direction

Stringer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

Hi,

I am in need of a wireless broadband connection for a laptop computer while I am on the road. It is work related and would help me out a great deal. I know next to nothing about these things.

Alltel is the only provider that works well in my area so I assume I will stick with them. I do not even have a laptop yet, but I am probably going to purchase some kind of thinkpad very soon. I called Alltel already and was told this service was 60 dollars a month for unlimited access, which seems reasonable. The person I spoke with said that the "green" areas on Alltel's coverage map indicate a broadband area. I had to ask because their website doesn't say what colors mean what, which I found very odd.

I was also told they have 4 different cards available ... how do I know which one to choose? I dont mind waiting a little bit if a newer, better card is just over the horizon. I dont know what to look for in a card, though Question

What sort of interface would these cards plug into, so I can make sure the laptop I choose has this type of port?

Do i need some kind of antenna as well? Some areas I will be in are considered very rural.

What does a router do and would I need one of those?

What sort of speeds can I expect from this service? I have DSL at home and that seems plenty fast enough for me.

Thanks in advance for any help! Very Happy

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 5:50 pm Post subject:

When you say you need this for use "on the road"...
where exactly do you mean? a small area? nationwide?

Stringer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

Sorry,

I meant locally ... countywide. This county is big though, its the size of rhode island. I would need this for all of Marion County, Florida.

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject:

hmm...

first, i looked for something to represent the county and found this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Map_of_Florida_highlighting_Marion_County.svg

from which i made this cropped/smaller image:

and then i found the same area on sprint coverage maps, and created this:

and if you ask me, that sprint coverage looks way better than alltel in same area, based on this:

http://www.alltel.com/corporate/media/downloads/usmaphires.jpg

FYI, if you go with Sprint you will be able to roam on Alltel if needed, but i doubt you would need to.

In case it doesn't make too much sense to you, the dark orange area in sprint coverage map represents the fastest possible EVDO available, known as "Rev-A" (which alltel does not even have yet).

{warning: blatant sales pitch approaching}
The EVDO Experts at 3GStore.com have helped thousands of people select the best EVDO Gear for their application.
We're ready to do the same for you. Wink

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 7:35 pm Post subject:

PS: putting together that sprint composite, the names of several cities had me thinking of the NYTRNG folks i used to deal with.
you associated with them in some way?

Stringer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

Wow thanks for the help.

But it seems that sprint map has a ton of no coverage area here. You see where it says silver springs shores? That huge green/no coverage area to the north, east, and south. This area is super important for me.

I tried to post a picture of the alltel coverage map but it got flagged as spam.

Stringer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

No sorry I have no idea what NYTRNG is.

Stringer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

Oh and I'll definately check out 3gstore.com out, thanks.

I cant post url's or images but man, that colossal green area on the sprint coverage map is a deal killer for sure. The alltel map i cannot post shows way better coverage.

And if its anything like the phones, alltel works the best around here.

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject:

Green on sprint map does not represent their "no coverage" area.
It represents 1xRTT coverage area which is slower than EVDO.
Speeds in 1xRTT area are still 3-5 times the speed of dialup, or about 40-140kbps.

i found the alltel map you were trying to post:

in that map, there are different "shades" of coverage.
i am pretty sure the darker shade represents alltel's EVDO Rev-0 coverage,
while the lighter shades represent alltel's own 1xRTT coverage.
(which looks to me, about the same as sprint's green/1xrtt coverage)

How much faster is EVDO Rev-A? with good signal, Rev-A downloads are 800-1500kbps and uploads are 300-800kbps.

Rev-0 on alltel is more like 400-1000kbps down and capped at 150kbps up.

1xRTT speeds are going to be about the same on both networks.

Stringer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

Ok this is starting to make sense Smile

Ok on the alltel map the REV-O coverage is countywide here. And I understand that its faster than 1xRTT so unless im reading it wrong (could be) alltel seems the way to go.

i wonder if todays alltels cards will support rev-a when it becomes available.

i also what standard DSL speeds are so i could put this all into context. sorry for being such a pain Wink

Stringer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

I just clicked on my dsl connection icon and went thru a menu and it says im connected at 100mbps.

I wonder if thats faster or slower than this alltell deal. and how much faster/slower it is.

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:24 pm Post subject:

you're not being a pain. you're learning. so am i. alltel is not something i've researched before.

for reference. typical DSL is 800-1500kbps down, and 123-384kbps up.
if you are on DSL connection, go test it at speedtest.net or similar.

now, here's what i found out about alltel coverage maps.

the darker shade is their ABB coverage, and lighter is AML coverage.
here is the description of those coverages in terms of speed:

Q. What is Axcess Broadband (ABB)?
A. Axcess Broadband is Alltel's premier wireless mobile data solution that provides access to data at speeds comparable to DSL with the convenience of mobility. Average speeds are 400-700 Kbps with burst up to 2.4 Mbps.

Q. What is Axcess MobileLink (AML)?
A. Axcess MobileLink is a wireless Internet service with speeds up to 144 kbps. Your actual speed will probably average 40-70K. These high speeds enable devices such as wireless phones, smartphones and laptops to deliver more robust applications to you.

so basically, ABB is EVDO Rev-0 and AML is 1xRTT.

and no, that "whole county" is not ABB. much of it is AML, just as with sprint. (i wish i could see a larger alltel coverage map to prove it)

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject:

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:27 pm Post subject:

one more thing i notice while staring intently at alltel coverage map.

you see those white areas above and below ocala?

those are areas where alltel has NO coverage.

the same areas are definitely covered by sprint.

at least, to my old eyes they are.

Alex · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject: