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Sprint 3G/4G wireless internet VS. Advanced Stream (click) wired broadband...opinions?
 by fredo on 6/5/2010 @ 6:41am |
On Monday, I'm considering giving up my Advanced Stream broadband (32.50 per month, no contract) and replacing it with Sprint 3G/4G wireless internet (60.00 per month plus tax, 2 year agreement). Geographical location would typically be north end.
Has anyone made such a switch who could give me a review of the experience? |
 by JesseHillFan on 6/5/2010 @ 9:30am | If you're looking for 4G wireless I would consider Clearwire WiMAX
about $40 per month or perhaps even comcast. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearwire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deployed_W... www.clear.com/coverage I've noticed that there are a few dead spots (at my mom's house) but at my location of the city it's pretty good. What I would do is if you wanted to switch to Wireless Internet is keep your current ISP but give Clear a try (they give you 14 days).However first look at their coverage map (it's not totally accurate though).WiMAX speeds are dependant on how close you are to the tower.If you're far away from the tower speeds could be so low that it would be like dial up or even no reception. However city wide coverage is pretty good. www.acreativedesktop.com/increase-clear-... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearwire |
by fredo on 6/5/2010 @ 10:05am | JHFan, thanks for your comment. One difficulty I've had comparing these options is that no place really wants you to test the service before signing up. They all offer to let you try the service for a period of time (clearwire 14 days, sprint 30 days) after signing up. This makes comparison shopping difficult, hence my posting. Sprint has a 25% discount for Boeing employees so that's a consideration for me. |
 by Thorax O'Tool on 6/5/2010 @ 10:05am | Giving up $32.95 with NO contract for $60 WITH a contract?
Call the nursing home. I think Fredo has gone senile. |
by JesseHillFan on 6/5/2010 @ 10:16am | I tend to avoid contacts.I myself am paying $40 per month on a month per month basis (no contact,unlimited bandwidth) with a 6m plan with clear. I am using their WiMAX dongle rather than the base unit. I did however have to pay for the USB dongle (about $65). |
by fredo on 6/5/2010 @ 10:23am | I think Fredo has gone senile TOT
heh heh an astute observation! Thorax, I need internet at home and at my workplace. A wired broadband connection for both locations is 32.50 plus 42.50, or 75.00 per month (tax included). A 3G/4G plan might provide adequate access at both locations for 45.00 per month plus tax but with a 2 year agreement. |
by JesseHillFan on 6/5/2010 @ 10:32am | You should be sure that you are not charged for exceeding bandwidth.Some providers will allocate a bandwidth limit.So make sure the plan includes unlimited bandwidth (they will slow you down if you use too much though). One should call first to see how close the nearest WiMAX towers are to your location before commiting any trial offer. Another advantage is that one can access the Internet if one goes to a park,a friends house etc. I had another offer (wireless) from comcast. Their deal was $19.95 per month for the first 6 months and then $42.50 afterwards.However their speeds seemed a little slower according to their sales sheet. The salesman was too pushy too.I didn't like that. |
by fredo on 6/5/2010 @ 10:43am | One should call first to see how close the nearest WiMAX
towers are to your location before commiting any trial offer. JHFan OK, this is a great idea. Can you suggest an accessible website with Tacomas 4G towers displayed in map form? |
by JesseHillFan on 6/5/2010 @ 10:57am | Basically I think one would just call the company on the tele and ask them the locations of the WiMAX transmitting towers.However I think that most of the locations are where cell towers are too.The nearest WiMAX base station from me is about a mile away.That clear coverage map is pretty good but it's good to know how far away the towers are.You can also type in your address in the coverage map to see if you are covered but it's not completely accurate.One also might consider just renting the dongle or base unit for the first month to see how adequate Internet access is too.If the access is perfectly O.K. then consider buying the dongle or base unit afterwards.Also they had another offer with Laptops and Netbooks with WiMAX units built into them as well. O.K. I have found something 4gforums.com/thread6853.html www.antennasearch.com/ |
by fredo on 6/9/2010 @ 10:55am | I've made the switch to Clear 4G wireless. Thanks for the inormation JHFan. They have towers at N. 36th and Proctor and N. 26th and Proctor so coverage in my neighborhood is awesome. Speed is just a little slower than click broadband. Cost is $46 per month. There is a restocking fee of $40 to quit the 2 year agreement, so that's not too bad. They'll give anybody a unit for a 24 hour no obligation trial. |
 by Altered Chords on 6/9/2010 @ 11:40am | Off topic but related. TV.
My Direct TV bill jumped up and I'd like to switch. It's $88/month. That's for 2 remotes and 2 of their boxes. Hi Def but w/ no special channels. They'll take $10.00 off if I commit to 2 years with auto bill pay. Still seems way to high. Is Click a good deal for someone who needs 2 TVs hooked up to it? |
by JesseHillFan on 6/9/2010 @ 11:46am | Click is a good deal.They have different plans the ones with less channels are inexpensive (somewhere about $30 maybe a little more for a few extra channels).I turned in their extra boxes though because I see no need to use them.Heck I had 2 TV's hooked up and 2 PC's hooked up with TV Tuners built into them. |
by Altered Chords on 6/9/2010 @ 1:36pm | Direct TV is rediculously expensive. I do not recall what drove that decision other than expedience. It was all bundled w/ Qwest but then I switched from Qwest to Integra for phone and Internet and left the Direct TV piece in place. I still have 6 months to go on my direct TV contract. |
by JesseHillFan on 6/9/2010 @ 4:04pm | I had (still have actually) Qwest DSL with MSN over at my mother's house.Mom's house is in a rare area where Clear wireless doesn't work (bad reception).Mom's neighbor's have Qwest DSL but not with MSN (I had to go there because they had computer problems).I am still keeping it(paying for it) because I go over there a lot.One thing I like about Qwest DSL and MSN is I've never had any complaints about using up too much bandwidth (and I do use hordes of bandwidth streaming videos,monster downloads etc. probably over several hundred gigabytes per month).Many other ISP's are quite restrictive about using too much bandwidth.In fact some ISP's offer faster Internet at a higher price yet limit bandwidth quite a bit (what sense does that make?).
Oddly enough on Clear's wireless reception area Pt. Defiance park doesn't seem to be covered which is a shame as that would be an enjoyable place to browse the Internet. Fredo enjoy your wireless Internet. |
 by KevinFreitas on 6/9/2010 @ 10:39pm | Great thread and really useful info! Interesting approach to connectivity but a wise one if the price and signal strength is right! I'm currently contemplating the 4th gen iPhone when my T-mobile is up in Aug but am just not sure if I want to take the smartphone plunge. I know I'll use the heck out of one but do I *need* to or is my iPod touch good enough? Ugh -- stupid technology tempting me! |
by JesseHillFan on 6/10/2010 @ 11:59am | I have heard that the new iPhone (as well as the old one) can utilize wifi networks to minimize monthly data costs plus most wifi networks are faster as well.Many people are afraid of incurring higher monthly costs with too much data usage (videos etc) as the average costs are about $2,000 for 24 months of service with AT&T.One way to get around this would be to run a wireless router with a 4G WiMAX dongle (4G ISP service).Many people have their vehicles nearby (especially at home,many at work and of course on the go or at a restaurant).In addition having a 4G device service in a car with a wifi router can also be used with computers at home,possibly at work(if your car is close to you) etc.You get the idea.Plus one would have a lot more data usage available,faster at a lower cost with an iPhone. In other words use 2 services with the iPhone AT&T and a 4G WiMAX wifi mobile network. |
by fredo on 7/25/2010 @ 8:18am | Reporting back on my experiences:
The Clear 4G service I subscribed to is pretty fast, maybe a little slower than advanced stream and occasionally have to reboot. The price is about $46/month including taxes. I was afraid I might be using too much service because the computer stays on the internet for about 18 hours a day and I would get a big bill, but the charge was just what I have noted. I would like to thank JHFan for his postings. If I hadn't discovered Clear I would probably be on the Sprint 3G/4G service at an increased cost. This discussion is really a testament to the power of local discussion forum like Kevin has provided to our city. Kudos once again to Kevin and his feedtacoma.com |
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