Verizon Test Drive Report... Fringe Area Help Please

Peter B · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 4:01 pm Post subject:

Michael & Alex:

Thanks very much for the email recommendations...

I need to 'sleep on it'. It's only been a week since I even learned EVDO might be available to me at all, and I've been trying to bring myself up to speed ever since.

I'm still struggling with the very slow 'black box' of my mind...

So bear with me for another few.

I'm sure I'll be back.

Thanks again.

Peter B.

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dondrm · EVDO User Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 64

How gozit Peter B? Anything you want to talk about?

Peter B · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:39 am Post subject:

dondrm:

Just noticed your post this morning...

I've kind of 'dropped out' of the EVDO game for the moment, though I will likely return to it sooner or later.

The perceived need for broadband was so that I might do some fairly intensive online work for my employer. But the job itself may only last another few months, and my personal needs don't demand broadband... or a two year service contract with Verizon. I'd also have to buy some additional equipment (besides the EVDO device) to get a decent signal indoors. Not grousing, just apparent truth after my testing.

There is a possibility the job may continue... but until that question clarifies, I've decided to pass.

By the way, Verizon _did_ switch out the USB720 and I was able to connect again and do some more testing... which only confirmed my initial trials... I've since cancelled service.

My experience with Verizon support was pretty spotty, I have to admit, and I think having the 3Gstore 'in your corner' would definitely be worthwhile. I'll shop at the 3Gstore if I decide to go ahead with EVDO in future.

So... end of (my) story for now.

--

Sounds like you're having some decent luck with your own setup, and I'll be curious to hear more on your thread when you've got the external antenna up. I never got as far as trying an external... and *might* have been able to get away without an amp, but as mentioned above, I'm waiting to see if the job situation justifies the expense.

Peter B.

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dondrm · EVDO User Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 64

Ah, quite understandable. I sympathize. It seems I'll be having another month or two of dialup myself; I might PM you on the OT of dialup accelerators. Iwonder if you have any experience with any that actually go faster when used on a mac. ;-)

Jerry Van Ness

I too live in a very poor signal area of south central WI, and am chalenged to have my desktop operate at reasonable speeds.

My signal stength is either no bars or 1 bar, and according to 2Wire.com I'm running anywhere fro 80Kbps to 550kbps, but I rarely if every drop the connection. Occasionally I drop clear down to 28kbps such as right now with it snowing. I using the Verizon USB 720 hooked up to my desktop via a USB connection, and take it with me when I travel. I did install a Wilson (or Welson) antenna which is having little effect, and I tried a amp which made no improvement at all so I removed it.

I have had Verizon for about a month, and even with the slowness it is a vast improvement over dial-up.

Peter B · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:41 am Post subject:

Jerry:

It actually sounds like you're doing pretty well, given the circumstances. I think I might have 'settled' for an (apparent) 275 Kbps average.

In my Verizon trial with *neither* antenna or amp, I was able to get NationalAccess indoors... but (I think) only averaged 30-50 Kbps. An improvement, yes, but not what I was looking for... not fast enough for the online work I was hoping to do.

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dondrm:

OT - I'm afraid I know nothing about dialup 'accelerators'.

My history with Internet use has all been dialup... beginning in '96 with a (very) painfully slow 100 Mhz PowerBook and a 14.4 Kbps modem. It's hard for me now to believe I used the web at all. Last year, I bought one of the last PPC PowerBooks available, with a decent CPU speed and a V.92 modem, and am pulling all of 24 Kbps as of this moment.

(Wow, huh?)

My recent (partial) 'answer' was to write an AppleScript to load all of my usual 'morning crawl' sites. I can run the script from a single bookmark in Safari, hide Safari, then go on about other things until the pages are all loaded.

But the work I had in mind involves repeatedly accessing very slow sites... and without broadband, it would just be an agony.

Anyways.

Peter B.

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Irishman99 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 6

Do u get charged for doing that??