Air card vs. DSL

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tdonline - 14 Jan 2008 03:14 GMT

Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
internet connection?

I'm trying to decide if I should go with Verizon DSL for about $45
monthly with download speeds up to 3mbps. ATT is offering monthly
service for $60 (but I'd get about 20% discount through my job), but
download speeds would be from 600 kbps to 1.4 mbps.

I'm looking at using one of these services exclusively as I can't
afford both. The pro of the air card is that I can use it anywhere, at
home, at the airport, at hotels when I travel for my job, etc. I'm
just a little worried about the download speed. I'm on a laptop right
now and the download speed varies from 400-1.3 mbps and it's kinda
annoying. The pro for DSL is that both of my laptops can go online at
the same (I plan to use WiFi) and that it would be faster.

I don't mind 400-800K speed while I'm at the airport, but would find
it annoying if I'm trying catch up on a Lost episode from abc.com
while I'm at home.

I'm also considering Verizon's Wireless for the air card.

TIA for sharing and advice.

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John Navas - 14 Jan 2008 03:30 GMT

>Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
>internet connection?
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
>I'm also considering Verizon's Wireless for the air card.

Both services are fast, but quite a bit slower than the maximum speed
quoted depending on signal quality and network load. If possible, test
both services in places you care about most, because different services
have different coverage. You can't just rely on the maximum speed
quoted.

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Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

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Thomas T. Veldhouse - 16 Jan 2008 14:17 GMT

> Both services are fast, but quite a bit slower than the maximum speed
> quoted depending on signal quality and network load. If possible, test
> both services in places you care about most, because different services
> have different coverage. You can't just rely on the maximum speed
> quoted.

AT&T Wireless will much more likely have a lower "soft cap" on utilized
bandwidth compared to DSL. So, if this person downloads any significant data,
then wireless is probably NOT the way to go.

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Thomas T. Veldhouse

America is the country where you buy a lifetime
supply of aspirin for one dollar, and use it up in two weeks.

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John Navas - 16 Jan 2008 15:40 GMT

>> Both services are fast, but quite a bit slower than the maximum speed
>> quoted depending on signal quality and network load. If possible, test
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>bandwidth compared to DSL. So, if this person downloads any significant data,
>then wireless is probably NOT the way to go.

I would agree. Mobile data is for ... well ... mobile. :) Not a
replacement for landline data.

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Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

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David W Studeman - 15 Jan 2008 11:41 GMT

> Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
> internet connection?
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> TIA for sharing and advice.

I have both actually but will drop AT&T's HSDPA as soon as I can get out.
HSDPA is viable in two situations, 1: You need mobility or 2: You have
absolutely no other broadband choice. The latency is not bad for HSDPA but
certainly nothing like my Verizon West DSL and no way can I ever get
consistent results and be able to use voip cleanly with HSDPA not to
mention it's prohibited. With a Linux router and a modified usbserial
driver set for an endpoint buffer size of at least 4096 bytes, I get steady
download throughput at barely under 1.8mbs from a 1.8mbs tower with no more
than three bars ever. With the same card in Windows with those drivers,
800kbs was the maximum I could get. Most driver writing for these cards is
sloppy.
Keep in mind that AT&T is now facing a capacity issue and will soon
implement a 5GB cap per month which may also explain why we haven't seen
3.6mbs speeds yet much less 7.2mbs. The unlimited plan is going away also
for new subscribers shortly. When I started hearing about people in some
cities that can't even get on for four hours every weekday, I knew they
were becoming oversold for the capacity. God help us if an HSDPA iPhone
ever comes out. I plan to not be a part of it when that happens. I've
resigned to leaving wireless to my N95-3 phone and continue using DSL or
FiOS when the latter becomes available in my home setup. BTW, my patched
usbserial is part of IPCop 1.4.18 (A firewall distro) and I did run my
network on HSDPA for a few years. Occasionally I slap the HSDPA card in a
pcmcia pci card and give it a go for fun but as an early adopter, I can
honestly say that the party is over at AT&T unless you just email and surf
a bit.

Dave

Dave

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Thurman - 15 Jan 2008 14:02 GMT

>> Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
>> internet connection?
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> honestly say that the party is over at AT&T unless you just email and surf
> a bit.

You kinda glossed over the fact the restraints are being imposed because of
actions like yours.

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David W Studeman - 17 Feb 2008 23:11 GMT

>>> Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
>>> internet connection?
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> You kinda glossed over the fact the restraints are being imposed because
> of actions like yours.

So it's my fault? How convenient. Always looking for someone to blame rather
than a fragile network. Broadband is broadband, unlimited is unlimited
regardless of delivery method. The restraints don't apply to me or anyone
on an existing plan as well as anyone now or in the future on a business
plan. Keep in mind that AT&T helped Junxion and others fine tune their
routers to work with this network to be used as a backhaul for businesses
not to mention that AT&T will tell you where to buy such a router on the
website. I'm on the Boeing AT&T plan btw.

Dave

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John Navas - 18 Feb 2008 16:42 GMT

>>>> Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
>>>> internet connection?
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>than a fragile network. Broadband is broadband, unlimited is unlimited
>regardless of delivery method.

That's nonsense. When a small fraction of users consume a greatly
disproportionate amount of expensive resources they are being unfair to
other users and effectively subsidized by them, spoiling it for everyone
in the long run.

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Mahlon Wagner - 15 Jan 2008 14:05 GMT

>> Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
>> internet connection?
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> a bit.
> Dave

How does the Aircard compare to the Sony Ericsson GC89 card?

And how do the data plans for AT&T and T-Mobile compare?

Finally, can the Aircard SIM (or the GC89 SIM) be replaced while in
Germany with one purchased there, for use there?

Thanks
Mahl

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David W Studeman - 17 Feb 2008 23:19 GMT

>>> Anyone using ATT's air card service extensively or exclusively for
>>> internet connection?
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
> Thanks
> Mahl

Apples and oranges, The gc89 card is EDGE as well as WiFi. In both cases an
unlocked card will accept a sim from elsewhere but the gc89 card while
using EDGE will top out at around 200kbs, The newer HSDPA cards are likely
to get 1.8mbs or more depending on locale but will revert to edge if that's
all that's available. The wifi portion of the card is irrelevant for this
discussion since wifi is easily attainable but geographically limited and
will outperform any cellular data by a large margin as long as you are
within a short distance of a coffee shop etc.

Dave

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John Navas - 18 Feb 2008 16:44 GMT

>... The wifi portion of the card is irrelevant for this
>discussion since wifi is easily attainable but geographically limited and
>will outperform any cellular data by a large margin as long as you are
>within a short distance of a coffee shop etc.

Not necessarily -- my HSDPA service often outperforms overloaded Wi-Fi
services.

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John Navas - 15 Jan 2008 17:40 GMT

>I have both actually but will drop AT&T's HSDPA as soon as I can get out.
>HSDPA is viable in two situations, 1: You need mobility or 2: You have
>absolutely no other broadband choice. The latency is not bad for HSDPA but
>certainly nothing like my Verizon West DSL and no way can I ever get
>consistent results and be able to use voip cleanly with HSDPA not to
>mention it's prohibited. ...

Well duh -- HSPA isn't a replacement for DSL! That said, it does
compare quite well to DSL and other forms of broadband. I often get
better performance with AT&T HSPA than on Wi-Fi hotspots.

My own take is that AT&T HSPA is excellent for mobile use. I get
DSL-like speeds with good latency all over the greater San Francisco Bay
Area and other California metro areas, backed up by usable EGPRS(EDGE)
service in remote areas.

> Keep in mind that AT&T is now facing a capacity issue and will soon
>implement a 5GB cap per month which may also explain why we haven't seen
>3.6mbs speeds yet much less 7.2mbs. The unlimited plan is going away also
>for new subscribers shortly.

These are just rumors that should be taken with a grain of salt.

>When I started hearing about people in some
>cities that can't even get on for four hours every weekday, I knew they
>were becoming oversold for the capacity.

While there will always be apocryphal stories with every carrier, I've
seen no persuasive evidence of a capacity problem at AT&T Wireless,
which is actually well positioned in terms of megahertz per subscriber
as compared to other carriers (notably Verizon).

>God help us if an HSDPA iPhone
>ever comes out. I plan to not be a part of it when that happens.

It almost certainly will happen, probably soon, and I'm not in the
slightest concerned, in part because the iPhone also uses Wi-Fi.

>I've
>resigned to leaving wireless to my N95-3 phone and continue using DSL or
>FiOS when the latter becomes available in my home setup.

Well duh -- wireless isn't intended for home use!

>BTW, my patched
>usbserial is part of IPCop 1.4.18 (A firewall distro) and I did run my
>network on HSDPA for a few years. ...

Thank goodness you're leaving!

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Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

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