Jumping in with both feet

sean@cyclegadgets.com · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:58 am Post subject: Jumping in with both feet

I run an internet-based business selling motorcycle accessories, and also travel to motorcycle shows throughout the country. I always need Internet access. I'd tried cellular Internet a few years ago but the speed & coverage weren't adequate. My motorhome has a Datastorm (HughesNet) satellite dish, and I also have a tripod-mount portable dish when I'm set up away from the motorhome.

Hearing how 3G improvements have come along, I bought an AT&T HSPDA modem a few months ago and have used it while travelling. It rocks! Even EDGE speeds are pretty good. I keep my laptop set up in our sales booth at shows, VPN and RDP into the office so that we can enter "special orders" for shipment right on the spot. I just finished 5 weeks of shows in major cities (Atlanta, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Indianapolis) and had great results with 3G speeds in all of them; smaller markets when I first got the modem (Lake of the Ozarks, Biloxi, Asheville NC) got me EDGE speeds and still worked OK.

I wanted to get a network going in my booth, though. Having to plug into a printer for receipts was annoying, and sometimes when I moved the LT around the signal would drop out. So I started playing with a desktop PC that I have set up in the booth to run PowerPoint, to see if ICS could get me where I want to be.

Fortunately, I googled "Sierra 875U ICS" to see what others had done. Through a couple of BB posts, I found a link to 3GStore.com. Call me naive, I'd never even considered that there were purpose-built broadband wireless routers on the market! I devoured all the reviews, and jumped over here to EVDOforums to read up on what others' experiences had been. Talk about an education!

Along with my travelling business needs, I'm also building a house on Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas, and there is no DSL or cable to the area. AT&T and Alltel are the only cell carriers here. AT&T is strictly EDGE at the house site, but Alltel's EVDO covers that area. So, having learned about the routers from 3Gstore.com, last Sunday I got on Alltel's website and ordered up a Pantech UM150, and got on 3GShops and ordered a Cradlepoint MBR1000. Both came in yesterday, and they work great. This setup will go at the house, and I'm going to order another MBR1000 to use with my existing AT&T 875U for motorcycle rallies.

Our shop has a T1 (no DSL or cable here either), and occasionally it goes down when someone with a backhoe fails to make a phone call. Reading about the fail-over features of the MBR1000, I'm thinking of buying a 3rd one for here at the shop, and if the T1 goes down I'll just run home and grab my UM150, plug it in, and be back up and running.

Great job, 3Gstore! The information there and here on the forums is incredible! I'm pretty well known as an authority in touring motorcycle electronic/communication accessories, my web site is pretty informative, and we try to give our customers great service and support. I know a good company when I find one, and I tip my hat to 3GStore for creating an excellent customer experience!

Label me a "3GStore Groupie" for sure!

Sean Franklin
CycleGadgets.com

firedude · EVDO Junkie Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 317

Yep, seems to be a lot of old satellite junkies like myself jumping ship. evdo coverage since my early sat days has expanded so MUCH. When it first came out it was in only 3 major cities and now look at it and things continue to expand it seems daily. Besides this place is habit forming. I need a part time job now to support all my new gadgets! Laughing

sean@cyclegadgets.com · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:34 am Post subject:

firedude · EVDO Junkie Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 317

My point exactly and to think I nearly went to DataStorm from my tripod! whew! Shocked

The $5k you'd spend on DataStorm (not to mention $99 per mo.) will buy more than quadruple what you'll ever need with evdo lol! Oh and did I mention the FAP (cap) too lol?

relic · Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:33 pm Post subject:

Sean,

I setup a failover with a CTR350 (about $150 from 3g) and a USB EVDO modem(CDU-680). I put it all in a 6" cube environmental enclosure ($10 at Home Depot) along with a D-Link PWL-P200 POE power injector/splitter.

Total cost was about $300 + contract.

The cube is on the side of the building with a single cable (POE) running to it. My fiber is being upgraded, so I'm running on the backup as I type.

3Gstore was the source for my hardware and they took the time to approve my configuration for me so that everything worked.

Feel free to drop me a line if you need some help doing this for your company.....I do expect that you'll buy the hardware from 3G of course. Wink

Regards,
relic

Alex · Site Admin Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 1754

relic · Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject:

sean@cyclegadgets.com · Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:15 am Post subject: