I'm going to be moving out in the country and as such will loose my highspeed internet. I am looking into options other then dialup because we (the family) work from the computer and 56k is just not an option... so I am wondering if any of you have any experience with highspeed options outside of the standard cable or DSL. Verizon and Hughes are both options in this area, so I thought I'd ask if any of you have any experience with either of these things. Verizon Mobile Broadband $59.99 Stay productive, responsive and connected while on the go, right from your laptop at average download speeds of 600 Kbps – 1.4 Mbps and at average upload speeds of 500 Kbps – 800 Kbps.* Hughes Both packages have a $300 set up, or rental of $9.99/month 1.0 Mbps/128 Kbps $59.99 or 1.2 Mbps/200 Kbps $69.99 In the past when I looked into Hughesnet they had some issues, which I'm not sure if they have cleared up, if they are good now, I'd not mind spending the extra $10 on them (including whatever the setup fees are)... but ONLY if they are worth that extra cash. I've never used Mobile Broadband, so am clueless about it... I'd be interested in testimonials into either network, or even additional options. Thanks! Q
I would use HughesNet because the Verizon internet is based on cell phone tower quality and has a 5 g cap per month. so no youtube or anything like that.
I came across this thread because I'm actually looking into getting rid of HughesNet. If you haven't made a decision yet then I would try everything to stay away from satellite. The speed is very often equivalent if not less than dial-up. Not to mention when the weather is bad you will lose it easily. Even easier than satellite TV for some reason. On a side note, if you are getting satellite TV then directv is awesome. The HD signal goes out easier than standard in bad weather. Just make sure your dish has a clear view and strong signal when its installed. Back to the initial question about which to choose. If you get a strong 3G signal at your new house then your speeds should be acceptable with MiFi. The only problem comes down to data usage. Clearly if you are a family that web browses all day and streams video (youtube, etc.), listens to internet radio, downloads music, etc. then MiFi is not acceptable as a primary connection. If you use it lightly for checking email, occasional downloads and such then the 5GB limit should be okay. An added benefit is that if you go on a family vacation, say driving a long way, you can take the MiFi with you and have a "quiet" ride. But consider your other options. Verizon DSL continues to expand and it may be worth checking into. The other thing you may consider is using both MiFi and dial-up. A lot of dial-up connections now only cost $10/month. Use the MiFi for web browsing and light multimedia usage and use the dial-up connection to download files when you don't need to use the phone. Either way it sucks not being able to get a broadband connection with speeds that match what the provider advertises. At least with Verizon MiFi you get a reliable connection. I can't tell you how many times I've really needed to do something online and HughesNet wasn't working. It's very annoying. Not to mention their customer service really doesn't care if your speeds and connection suck. They make you stay on the line for about half an hour running all of these stupid checks such as clearing your cache and deleting your internet cookies. They look at their own service as being the last possible reason for poor speeds. With all that being said... good luck!
I rambled on in that previous post. My simple recommendation is to at least try Verizon's mobile internet first. Usually there is a 30 day return policy where they will fully refund your money. Track your data usage and determine if 5GB/month is going to be sufficient.
I actually did quite a bit of research today on the issue. Check out Millenicom. They are a secondary company that uses Verizon and AT&T towers. They offer unlimited MiFi through AT&T for I think $79.99/month. I don't get AT&T where I live but I'm still considering their 10GB plan through Verizon for $59.99/month. I also read on another forum somewhere that a guy called Verizon to complain about his overage fees using MiFi and informed them that he was going to switch to Millenicom and Verizon told him they would upgrade his account to unlimited data usage for no additional fee. I'm going to try that first and see if they budge. If they don't then I will probably go through Millenicom.
I do not have much of a choice but to go with satellite or something similar, I live someplace just south of BFE and my choices are pretty much dialup (which sucks as I have a cell phone not a landline) or something that costs a bit more... so comcast is NOT an option. Thanks for that!
Apparently you didn't check it out. Comcast is cable and I said nothing about it. Millenicom is a company that offers MiFi. You also apparently have no idea what that is. Let me break it down to you. Millenicom is a company that pays Verizon and AT&T to use their CELLPHONE towers in order to provide internet service. The same 3G signal that you get on your cellphone can be converted into a WiFi connection in your home or on the go via a small pocket size box that can fit in your pocket. The device initially has to be plugged into a computer via USB in order to install it. After that you can use a USB power adapter to plug it into the wall and use it like a modem and router all in one just like you would with normal broadband. The benefit here is that you don't have to have any major equipment installed or cables run into your house. You can also just unplug it and put it in your pocket and have internet everywhere you go as long as there is cell phone service. Millenicom's unlimited service uses AT&T as their carrier, so if you get AT&T cell phone reception at your new home you theoretically should be eligible. It doesn't matter if you are an AT&T customer or not. Now if your cell phone signal isn't very strong you always have the option of buying a 900mhz grid antenna, some LMR 400 cable and an amplifier to boost your signal. This would benefit your cell phones as well as the MiFi. I would suggest that if you come to the internet looking for suggestions then you should at least take the time to fully read and consider the responses you get.
And FYI the Millenicom 10GB MiFi plan is the exact same thing as the Verizon mobile internet that you originally posted the question about. The difference being that Verizon puts a 5GB/month cap on your data usage and Millenicom doubles that cap. They can do this because they pay Verizon to use their towers, not for the actual data usage. Same thing goes for AT&T cell phone towers but somehow they can offer unlimited data usage through them. Apparently AT&T doesn't monitor the amount that other companies use their towers. Or because Verizon is killing them so badly with sales they have to offer unlimited usage in order to compete.
I know... that is why I put that BEFORE your quote No, but I will (and had full plans to do so)... thanks again for the info.
You're welcome. I hope something of this nature works out for you because I'm also hoping it works out for my parents lol.