cellular wide area data coverage

E Brown <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Thu, 26 May 2005 18:53:17 -0700, Jack Hamilton <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>(VZW and Cingular have usage restrictions; T-Mobile isn't high speed,
>>and SprintPCS doesn't have a flat rate. I would consider the VZW and
>>Cingular plans reasonable at $80/month if they didn't have a bunch of
>>usage restrictions.)
>
> What's the VZW usage restriction? I had the unlimited plan for over
>a year as my sole ISP and they had no limits on MB or time. If it were
>about $30 cheaper, I'd still be using it.

Did you ever try a tethered connection through a cell phone? If so,
what was the speed difference between the PC card connection and the
phone connection (if there was any difference)?



--
Jack Hamilton
Sacramento, California
--
<> Qui vit sans folie n'est pas si sage qu'il croit.
<> François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld

---

› See More: cellular wide area data coverage

"DeeBat" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Check out this article. It has a lot of good information.
>
>http://www.nwc.com/story/singlePageF...cleID=49400836

Very interesting article, than you. Everyone will offer better services
"soon", and there's no clear winner now. Verizon works well but is
expensive. Nextel would be best of they offered their higher-speed
service here, but they don't. T-Mobile is probably the best deal, but
has slower-than-dialup speeds.



--
Jack Hamilton
Sacramento, California
--
<> Qui vit sans folie n'est pas si sage qu'il croit.
<> François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld

Ive used T-Mobile's Internet with a phone tethered to a laptop (V60 and
USB cable), connected via bluetooth (V620 and a bluetooth dongle), and
with network cards (Sierra 750 and SE GC79) and have noticed no
appreciable difference between any of them, other than the v60/USB
combo was a pain if I had to move the laptop around the desk or to
another area and wanted to stay connected. The best speed I got was 42K
while the average seemed to be around 19K-31K.

The V60/USB seemed to be the most reliable of the above combos.

The Sierra AirCard 750 was good too, but the card had the annoying
habit of resetting itself...and with my SIM lock on, meant I had to
re-enter the SIM PIN every now and then and reconnect. This card was
lost in Texas, so if you find it near San Antonio, it's yours.

The V620 via bluetooth was good too, but Mobile Phone Tools program is
a pain in the ass. I eventually decided that I wanted to get another
card so I wouldnt tie up my voice line while connected (voice calls
trumps internet).

The Sony-Ericsson GC79 seemed to be good, but I had problems getting
the software to work properly. It seemed flaky, also I would have to
disconnect and reconnect repeatedly to get GPRS to work. The WiFi part
of it was not reliable either, sometimes it would show networks,
sometimes it wouldnt unless I rebooted, and this was in my house.

Oh, for reference, Im in the Chicagoland area. Ive used GPRS from
Chicago to San Antonio, TX. The coverage on the way down (driving) was
great (great as in connectivity, not speed) except for a dead spot
between Springfield, IL and St Louis, MO on I-55, and a small no
coverage area around Muskogee, OK on US 69.

On Fri, 27 May 2005 07:15:31 -0700, Jack Hamilton <[email protected]> wrote:
>In other words, anything that actually uses all that bandwidth is
>forbidden. Also, what's the definition of "private line"? Isn't a home
>DSL line a private line?
>
>"We reserve right to deny or terminate service, without notice, to
>anyone who uses NationalAccess in any manner prohibited above or whose
>usage adversely impacts our network or service levels."
>
>Seems reasonable, but how can a user know what that usage level is? It
>sounds like an arbitrary judgment without possibility of appeal.

I see what you're saying, but the policy sounds reasonable to me,
analogous to telling someone to whom you're renting a camp-site that
he can't build a house there. I can't see someone worrying about this
unless they were planning on *seriously* abusing the service.
Emanuel

I see what you're saying, but the policy sounds reasonable to me,
analogous to telling someone to whom you're renting a camp-site that
he can't build a house there. I can't see someone worrying about this
unless they were planning on *seriously* abusing the service.
Emanuel

The policy may be reasonable from the carrier's point of view, but when
they tout "Unlimited", then set limits that aren't always clear, I
believe this is misleading advertising. No one wants to be hit with a
several thousand dollar bill unexpectedly, or have their service
cut-off because they exceeded the limits(?) of an "Unlimited" service.
I've seen several posts where people have received bills this high
(although the bill was usually resolved).

Jack Hamilton wrote:
> "Dr. Rastis Fafoofnik" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>> "Jack Hamilton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> "Phil Schuman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I guess I was looking for info on the speeds & feeds of the
>>>> offerings along with what can be layered over which existing
>>>> TDMA, CDMA, CDMA2000, or GSM network
>>>> using old CDPD, 1xRTT, or the newer EV-DO...
>>>
>>> As far as I can tell, no one offers a high speed unrestricted flat
>>> rate data plan for laptops - VZW, Cingular, T-Mobile, and SprintPCS
>>> don't, anyway. Is there a wireless company that offers a DSL
>>> replacement service at a reasonable price?
>>>
>>> (VZW and Cingular have usage restrictions; T-Mobile isn't high
>>> speed, and SprintPCS doesn't have a flat rate. I would consider
>>> the VZW and Cingular plans reasonable at $80/month if they didn't
>>> have a bunch of usage restrictions.)
>>
>> Jack....I don't know where you got the info that there are
>> restrictions on VZW's data rate.
>
> Not on the data rate, but on your usage. See <
> <http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobileoptions/nationalaccess/importantInfo.jsp>.
>
>> I have a PC-5220 Card with 1X-EVDO service in the Los Angeles area.
>> I pay the $79.95 rate with NO RESTRICTIONS at all.
>> I use it all the time, stay connected for hours,sometimes days. I
>> download tons of info, watch a video server at my home, VPN into a
>> network.
>> I have NEVER been dinged for any other charges for anything, I have
>> used it all over california, nevada and hawaii....
>> Restrictions.....I dont think so.
>
> Even if they don't enforce their policies, I'd prefer a service where
> the policies aren't even there.
>
>
>
> --
> Jack Hamilton
> Sacramento, California

Are you really as stupid/dense/dumb as your messages make you sound??:

Hey DUMMY.... THERE ARE ***NO*** RESTRICTIONS
WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And guess what, there is no need for policies when there are **NO**
restrictions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Come to think of it, reading your first post where you list VZW as having no
plan when there is one, (and has been one for several years now), no wonder
you are so confused, and have to make up stuff to cover your lack of facts,
and have no clue...
Oh well, stupid people that can't read or understand stuff shouldn't use it
anyway

While I haven't been following Verizon's or other carrier's usage
policies, I've found the following regarding Cingular's usage policy
restrictions on the "Unlimited" data plan - in
particular......................

Data Service sessions may only be conducted for the following purposes:
(i) Internet browsing; (ii) e-mail; and (iii) corporate intranet access
(including access to corporate e-mail, customer relationship
management, sales force automation, and field service automation
applications). The Services cannot be used with server devices or host
computer applications. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to,
telemetry applications, automated data feeds, continuous jpeg file
transfers, Web camera posts or broadcasts, other machine-to-machine
applications, and voice over IP. These Services are not intended to
provide full-time connections, and the Service may be discontinued
after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive
usage.

I found the above by going to 'Shop Cingular', then 'PC Cards', then
'Plan Terms'. You can read all the 'fine print' there.

I just copied this off of Verizon's website this morning at the
following link:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/m...ortantInfo.jsp

Unlimited NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess:

Unlimited NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess data sessions may be used
with wireless devices for following purposes: (i) Internet browsing;
(ii) e-mail; and (iii) intranet access (including access to corporate
intranets, e-mail and individual productivity applications like
customer relationship management, sales force and field service
automation). Unlimited NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess cannot be
used with server devices or with host computer applications. Examples
of such prohibited uses include, without limitation, web camera posts
or broadcasts, continuous jpeg file transfers, automatic data feeds,
telemetry applications, automated functions or any other
machine-to-machine applications. Such data sessions cannot be used as
substitute for private lines or frame relay connections. "Always On"
capabilities and static Internet Protocol addresses are not available.
We reserve right to deny or terminate service, without notice, to
anyone who uses NationalAccess in any manner prohibited above or whose
usage adversely impacts our network or service levels. We also reserve
right to terminate service upon expiration of Customer Agreement.

I just copied this off of Verizon's website this morning at the
following link:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/m...ortantInfo.jsp

Unlimited NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess:

Unlimited NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess data sessions may be used
with wireless devices for following purposes: (i) Internet browsing;
(ii) e-mail; and (iii) intranet access (including access to corporate
intranets, e-mail and individual productivity applications like
customer relationship management, sales force and field service
automation). Unlimited NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess cannot be
used with server devices or with host computer applications. Examples
of such prohibited uses include, without limitation, web camera posts
or broadcasts, continuous jpeg file transfers, automatic data feeds,
telemetry applications, automated functions or any other
machine-to-machine applications. Such data sessions cannot be used as
substitute for private lines or frame relay connections. "Always On"
capabilities and static Internet Protocol addresses are not available.
We reserve right to deny or terminate service, without notice, to
anyone who uses NationalAccess in any manner prohibited above or whose
usage adversely impacts our network or service levels. We also reserve
right to terminate service upon expiration of Customer Agreement.

Peter Pan wrote:

> Hey DUMMY.... THERE ARE ***NO*** RESTRICTIONS
> WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blatantly incorrect. Try running a server or a bandwidth-sucking app on your
EVDO connection; you can't. Well, you might be able to, but it's not allowed.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / [email protected] / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

On 28 May 2005 16:08:29 -0700, "DeeBat" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>The policy may be reasonable from the carrier's point of view, but when
>they tout "Unlimited", then set limits that aren't always clear, I
>believe this is misleading advertising. No one wants to be hit with a
>several thousand dollar bill unexpectedly, or have their service
>cut-off because they exceeded the limits(?) of an "Unlimited" service.
>I've seen several posts where people have received bills this high
>(although the bill was usually resolved).

The limits, as far as I've seen, are on the type of use, not the
amount. "All you can eat" doesn't mean you can stock up to go, nor
does "free refills on coffee" mean "back up a tanker truck and haul
away as much as you can," but there will always be people that test
this.
I doubt the examples you cite involved people that were innocently
surfing the web and checking e-mail a lot; odds are VZW wouldn't
notice you unless you're tying up an IP address for 24 hours straight.
Emanuel

Emanuel wrote:
> I doubt the examples you cite involved people that were innocently
> surfing the web and checking e-mail a lot; odds are VZW wouldn't
> notice you unless you're tying up an IP address for 24 hours straight.

I am sure you are probably right. If you are a professional, and all
you use the "Unlimited" service for is web browsing and checking
e-mail, VZW will be perfectly happy. But what if you get involved in
online gaming, or downloading music (legally of course), or internet
radio, or watching video clips of news (or other things)? These things
are bandwidth intensive, and what broadband is really made for in the
opinion of many (including myself). Are these things a violation of
VZW policy? If you read their "Unlimited" data service policy, it
seems like a gray area to me. You may argue that users should use a
land line for this, but some of us (myself included) do not have a land
line available for much of the time. If a land line was available,
that's what I would be using. Why pay $80/month if you don't need to?

"DeeBat" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> downloading music (legally of course)

Who's their Usenet server and does it have unlimited GB downloads from
alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.(your favorite genre here)?

Usenet's legal, ain't it??.....(c;

On 29 May 2005 15:49:32 -0700, "DeeBat" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I am sure you are probably right. If you are a professional, and all
>you use the "Unlimited" service for is web browsing and checking
>e-mail, VZW will be perfectly happy. But what if you get involved in
>online gaming, or downloading music (legally of course), or internet
>radio, or watching video clips of news (or other things)? These things
>are bandwidth intensive, and what broadband is really made for in the
>opinion of many (including myself). Are these things a violation of
>VZW policy? If you read their "Unlimited" data service policy, it
>seems like a gray area to me. You may argue that users should use a
>land line for this, but some of us (myself included) do not have a land
>line available for much of the time. If a land line was available,
>that's what I would be using. Why pay $80/month if you don't need to?

I don't think online gaming would be practical - the broadband
network is fast for e-mail, usenet, and web browsing, but has terrible
lag. I used it with Real Player Rhapsody, though, which has audio
streaming; no problem.
Emanuel

Emanual wrote:
> I used it with Real Player Rhapsody, though, which has audio
> streaming; no problem.

I guess my point is that, if you do something like audio streaming,
while it works, is it a violation of VZW policy? If the connection
software you are using reports Bytes sent and received, you will notice
that you can rack-up many megabytes of service in a rather short period
of time while streaming audio. Could this be considered a
"machine-to-machine application" or an "automatic data feed"? Is this
'abuse' of the service? I would hope not, but I am not sure what VZW
would think, or how they might act. I guess that I would rather have
"Unlimited" service without any worries. But as we all know, this is
not a perfect world, and VZW as the provider has every right to choose
what they want to offer. We as consumers can accept the service as
provided, not accept the service, or complain. I just don't like gray
areas (fine print) that can come back to bite me.