Verizon Wireless Internet

Chimp, I encourage you to try Verizon. You can always go back to Sprint later if you decide. I would think a personal comparison in your case would be a very good idea.

Good Luck

 

also chimp, if you want to go down to mexico a lot, Verizon has "north america's choice", where you can call from mexico and pay no roaming/loong dist. Might be worthwhile.

 

North America's Choice also includes Canada for free by the way
But I agree with Gonz; check out VZW's coverage maps and try them out; as Gonz said, you can always go to Sprint again later, Verizon gives you a 15 day Trial to try out their service.

 

Looks like Verizon will be offering an EV-DO Handset!

http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=6223

It's possible that VZW is just giving away express net (nationalaccess) for free now due to the release of EV-DO.

However, found a place on the VZW website that says otherwise...

Internet Access:
Use of Mobile Office Kits, PC Cards, PDA's or other wireless modem devices for Internet access requires subscription to select NationalAccess plans.

BS!

 

I did some research into getting on board with Verizon's unlimited National Internet access ($79.99/month). Some guy claims the free trial period is 30 days. (the SprintPCS multimedia phone Samsung MM-A700 is only 14 days, I already used the 14 day grace period to upgrade from a Toshiba vm4050 -- camera stills were only 640x480. The MM-A700 comes in at 1.3Mpixel)

The sales guy told me that Verizon Wireless includes BOTH land-line & wireless. He sounded confused, when I asked him if the $29.99 (cost/month for DSL over land-line) could be applied towards the $79.99/month..which would make the Verizon DSL package VERY attractive! Anyone know? I.e., any current Verizon wireless-DSL users have a landline-DSL monthly subscription?

I'm currently on Earthlink DSL, performance is very high bandwidth..no complaint there. Only complaint: the dang thin gis $60/month!! Heck, if the above is true ($79.99 for BOTH landline-DSL & wireless-DSL), then I'm switching over tomorrow!! I really could use the wirelss-DSL for my travels in the SouthWest Desert, & abroad in US. Has anyone tried Verizon wireless-DSL in Mexico? (or any other foreign country?)

The salesguy told me Verizon took over GTE, the latter which I know is a crummy company. I went thru a Verizon sales guy at the store, sales guy on 1-800 number..THESE CLOWNS ARE JUST TELEPHONE MONKEYS!? They couldn't answer my question..the 1-800 guy (TWO of them), just flat out hung up on me when I started asking technical questions that got them stumped. I actually think this is an OVERALL problem with wireless carriers -- I went thru HELL over the weekend with SprintPCS store. I went thru a 3 hr fiasco, where these "marketing types" fed me all sorts of bull..when they tried to fix a problem with my cellphone. On Monday, I called into 1-800 SprintPCS support & the girl solved my problem in 1 minute!! I told her of my problems, & she totally agreed with me: she told me she & other customer-support found that the SprintPCS stores flat out failed in addressing customer's needs. It seems to be a "growth" problem, where they are expanding too fast & not giving these store-types the proper training. I filed an official complaint, & she send me a confirming email with tracking #.

Anyway, sorry for the distraction. It doesn't bode well for a potential subscriber to Verizon like me, when customer-service flat out fails so badly.

I did some research into Direcway, the DirecTV partner for DSL over satellite. They have 2 plans: one of them is $99 initial fee, $99/month (for first period of months, to cover the cost of the dish & receivers..then it goes back to $60/month). Not bad, since you get satellite Internet access from virtually anywhere (eliminates the "dark areas" some Verizon users have been reporting). However, you couldn't use it from a moving bus! I was told by a dealer, it's not really good for mobile use (in the sense of carrying it around on a RV), although they have clients who use it that way: RV'ers & scientists. It's a 3 ft wide dish, weighing 30 lbs. So, it's not as "portable" as a Verizon wireless solution: Audiovox card + Laptop. But, it DOES have anywhere-coverage & guaranteed high bandwidth (although the uplink speeds are compromised).

This is a classic trade-off one always sees in the engineering profession. 2 solution paths, with no clear cut winner. Depends on your application. The rock-band guy definitely would be better off with the Verizon wireless solution, since he's travelling on the bus all the time. (he couldn't set up a 3ft wide 30lb dish in Hartsfield airport in Atlanta!?) However, a scientist like me who's mostly out in-the-boonies (Arizona desert, among the cactus), needs the Direcway connectivity. BTW, my battery got drained by my camera/video battery chargers -- yep, I was alone without a jump for a frantic 15 minutes (coulda been way longer)..but I lucked out since I had a 18 amp-hour gel cell which I placed OVER my car battery to jump-start it!! (note that no jumper cables were used!!). This demonstrates the nature of my travels -- middle of nowhere. I just got a Honda EU2000 whisper generator, so I'll never be stuck with a dead battery. It can also power a Direcway satellite system.

I just got this in from a friend:

"For Baja, there are a number satellite based systems that can be mounted on
a car or RV. They would provide that much closer to real time uploads you
wanted, but are pricey. A perfect example is George & Ms TiogaRV who posts
his adventures in Baja directly from location using a mobil uplink. He
apparently has a broad enough bandwidth to accommodate photographs & I’m
guessing probably could edit & upload web page updates.

Info on his equipment is at http://vagabonders-supreme.net/datastorm.htm &
http://www.internetanywhere.us/pages/883501/index.htm

Proof of concept could be to rent/pay services from someone who already has
this system (but before approaching George, read his intro
http://www.internetanywhere.us/pages/883501/index.htm + he appears to be
scheduled to come back to the US before the San Felipe 250). The interesting
thing is that it is doable & he’s already transmitting daily from Baja! "

They're using the DataStorm satellite system (which I assume is a competitor to Direcway, they sound very similar in performance). I know someone who is using this for offroad racing coverage in Baja..the dish is mounted on top of their Dodge 4x4 roof! I could go for something like this.. on my Dodge 4x4 van. See http://www.airextreme.com/4x4van/4x4van.html

 

Maximum Signal,
Will you still give us a discount on amplifiers? I have a tri-mode Verizon Samsung SCH-650. I'm looking at the SBA-800 and SBA-819... What's the difference, they both work with all types of digital and analog (I need CDMA and Analog), and CDMA at both 800 and 1900 MHZ, right?

I'd be looking to spend about $100 for a setup of amp and adapter cable, and mabey about $140 tops with the extra kit of antenna/power adapters... What type of power adapter does the amp come with by itself?

 

Down here in PR, Verizon is not that good, Sprint works great

 

I've had EVDO here in Dallas for about a month and really like it. The freedom takes it to a new level, 400-500kb anywhere in town is a new experience. I'm seriously considering dropping my land line.

From what I understand, I can get a PCI card converter for my desktop and then use the wifi on my laptop to access it and run both off the 5220.

There's a new card called the Novatel V620 and my dealer has agreed to swap my 5220 for one next week because it came out while I was still in my two week "look see" period, it's supposed to be a faster card and also, the antenna doesn't have one of those damn flaps.

I've heard the "Rev A" will be released this year which is supposed to have 3000kb DL and 768 UL, this will still be on the data channel and will support VOIP!

 

While I do not recommend doing this while driving, those reading this thread might find the link below of interest. We did a real time 2 way video chat while someone was driving. Pictures and a QuickTime movie at:

EVDO iChat 2 Way Video at 60 MPH

EVDOguy
EVDO Info :: EVDO Forums

 

Warning to Dell Latitude 600 Series customers:

DO NOT try the Sierra Wireless card in your Dell. The bus voltage of the PCMCIA slot is slightly different, and it will hose you like a fireman on a burning house. We called Verizon, and they said "oh, that's a known issue". Known issue.......ummm.....I never saw it ANYWHERE on the web site.

So, we've got some of the Novatel cards on order, we'll see if that doesn't work a little better. We'll let you know if the Dell likes them any better.

 

If they knew this I would think they would have this somewhere so they don't get sued??

 

what is the story on Verizon customer service?

I bought 2 Samsung a890 (EVDO, 1.2M pixel, Vcasting) from Verizon last month, after I confirmed with a Verizon "coverage rep" that they would work in Baja/Mexico.

http://www.jumplive.com/sanfelipe05/index.html

Well, they didn't! (I had to resort to an upload via a landline, for same day pics/videos). Neither, did my SprintPCS phones (analog roam mode, but when I tried to call out I got a busy signal..other SprintPCS users had this problem). the only phones that worked down there, were the AT&T..& they could only get incoming calls..outgoing calls didn't work. AT&T are GSM compatible phones, so what is the story for Mexico & US carrier cellphones?

If it's a thumbs up, then I might try AT&T phones in a few weeks for the next offroad race down there. How is Cingular/AT&T for service, & is there a modern phone that I can use to do 1.2Mpixel picture/video emailing, plus a little EVDO & Vcasting?

 

We share out a Sprint 1xRTT over WiFi, and it works very well. We run a mobile hotspot on a commuter train in Seattle.

 

I just got a satellite-DSL setup for my 4x4van, & I plan to run a WiFi (Linksys, either G or the new SRX extended-range) network. So, I can access the Internet from a PC laptop (inside van), or a HP 4705 ppc (PocketPC) which has WiFi (& bluetooth).

 

You could also put a nice 5 or 8dBi magmount omni on your vehicle, and give yourself quite a bit of coverage outside your vehicle. It would at least give you a few thousand feet assuming nothing was in the way.

 

I too travel with a band fairly often and it's been great to connect to the net with my kyocera 7135 and mac laptop. But I've had trouble when I'm on the extended network (like Arkansas this last week). I can't connect via quick 2 net with my computer. The odd thing is that I can connect with my phone but not with my computer. But another guy in the band has no trouble connecting via quick2net with his pc laptop. And yes I can connect to the quick2net from my computer when I'm home (chicago) so I know my login and pw are right. On a previous trip I called verizon and they told me that quick2net wasn't available when not on the verizon network. So, in other words they were telling me I'm on my own. Anybody have any idea what is wrong?

 

This might be quite late to get to you being that I just signed up today. Anyway, I also have the Verizon card and it works great. Key thing though is make sure you have the latest Venturi Client. If you can't get it from Verizon, it's best to contact Venturi Wireless (www.venturiwireless.com) themeselves and they are very willing to help you in obtaining the latest client. I knjow what is packaged with the Verizon cards are older Venturi Clients. This clkient will definately get you a boost on either on Verizon's 1xRTT or EVDO networks.

 

Has anyone actually ascertained whether or not National Access is billed to your air time minutes? I used it, and nothing showed up on my bill. Upon calling verizon they told me I wasnt subscribed to the Megabyte access plan. How ever the National access does work. I really would like to know since Verizon cannot give me a straight answer. I am currently using the Q2N and it is the slowest thing on earth.

Thanks in advance.

SR

 

A few weeks ago, Verizon lowered the prices for NationalAccess (1XRTT) to $59.99 for unlimited. BroadbandAccess (EVDO) is still $79.99 for unlimited. More info at:

http://www.evdoinfo.com/The_News/La...erprise_Customers_As_It_Launches_20050516281/

 

I understand that, however I am asking is the National Access billed to minutes if you dont have it as your data plan.