Mobile Data Questions

[Nick Parker]

Ok, one last thread for me and i'll hush for the year.


Im curious about the data plans offered by the various carriers and am looking to invest in it for the 2008 season. However, I have a few concerns...

1) Just exactly how much is "unlimited? I've read Verizons "terms" and they say anything over 5GB a month is unauthorized. Now, I will be running Gr3 and GR2AE (not at the same time of course) and do not want to foot a cancelantion fee. I can't seem to find anyone else's terms on use like Alltel or Sprint.....

2) What are the exact speeds everyone is getting? Im looking into this for another reason as I am leaving the STL region and moving back home to the So. ILL region and would probally try to use this connection as my main "high speed" option. (Most parts around there are far from getting broadband outside of a DSL setup) All I care about is radar data, looking at verious webpages, and of course email.

Any replies with experience on this stuff would sure be appreciated.

Nick

 

[Andrew Revering]

The Sprint unlimited data plan with data card will fulfill all your needs without any worries.

You can (without worry) use a sprint data card, get a router for the card and share the connection between all your computers in your home as full time internet if you want. Many people do this. The thing to worry about is if you download a lot of MP3s or videos or things of that nature. That would be the only concern.

Speed is very nice. Downloads are comparable to DSL, and uploads are 2-3 times that of your typical cable upload speed. This is in EVDO Rev A area, which would cover all the area you're talking about.

Cost is $59 a month.

 

[Mark Sudduth]

Agreed, Sprint is the way to go. I have used them since 2001 and like their coverage and their speeds very much. Also, WiMax is coming out not too far down the road and that will be a huge leap in speed, but for now, Sprint EVDO Rev A is perfect for storm chasers within their (Sprint's) coverage areas.

 

[David Mikulec]

Throwing this out as an FYI alternative; AT&T now offers Unlimited MediaNet with their GoPhone prepaid PayAsYouGo service. I use it with an LG CU500V (along with GRLvl3 & Spotter Network client on the laptop) that I purchased separately. Works like a charm on the road.

 

[Nick Parker]

I worry a bit about Sprint. Some people around here say that they can't get much signal when they are away from the interstates.

Also, I just noticed today that Verizon is up to something. I was driving through an area that just recently got a new tower (out in the middle of nowhere) and was picking up an EVDO signal. Since then, i've noticed multiple other places (Cape Giradeau, north on I-55 all the way to Perryville) with Evdo signal. Hopefully they will be doing all the towers around here that way shortly. Verizon seems to have a "monopoly" in these parts. Ah well....

Thanks!

Nick

 

[David Drummond]

I worry a bit about Sprint. Some people around here say that they can't get much signal when they are away from the interstates.

Also, I just noticed today that Verizon is up to something. I was driving through an area that just recently got a new tower (out in the middle of nowhere) and was picking up an EVDO signal. Since then, i've noticed multiple other places (Cape Giradeau, north on I-55 all the way to Perryville) with Evdo signal. Hopefully they will be doing all the towers around here that way shortly. Verizon seems to have a "monopoly" in these parts. Ah well....

Thanks!

Nick

That surprises me since I've been getting signal with Sprint (either Sprint or roaming data) in some of the most rural areas of the plains this season. Of course the really rural stuff is regular CDMA and not EVDO, but it's still data on the road.

 

[Andrew Revering]

Sprint has contracts with Verizon and AllTel. So if you have good verizon coverage but not such with sprint subscriptions, my guess is people aren't updating their PRL regularly. You should have coverage identical by either provider.

 

[Dan Cook]

I'm thinking of using this service when I go on my chase vacation in May:

http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/602/61/

 

[Brett Adair]

Sprint has contracts with Verizon and AllTel. So if you have good verizon coverage but not such with sprint subscriptions, my guess is people aren't updating their PRL regularly. You should have coverage identical by either provider.

Call me dumb, but what is PRL? Also, who does AT&T have contracts with? I had pretty good reception in KS with AT&T and T-Mobile this past may.

 

[Mark Sudduth]

Yes, the roaming agreements expand the Sprint network vastly. As an example, along the NC Outer Banks, there has never been a good wireless data signal available from Sprint until this season- now it is everywhere, even down to Hatteras. Anyhow, if you look at this link:

http://www.sprint.com/business/products/products/evdoEnterZip.jsp

It shows pretty good coverage maps by city area. Notice the light green areas- that is the digital roaming which should give you at least decent (early 3G) data speeds as opposed to none at all. When I was out in late April in TX, OK and KS, my Sprint card worked very well everywhere I went including the Nickerson event, although I arrived AFTER the tornado and right at sunset...none the less, it worked as well as I could have expected. Check out that coverage map as it will give you a very good idea of where you can expect mobile data with Sprint.

 

[Mick McGuire]

I've used Alltel for a couple of seasons with most of my time spent in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska. A brief trip into the OK panhandle area and into S. Dakota without any problems. When I signed up with Alltel, the plan was $59/mo for unlimited data. As far as I can tell, unlimited=unlimited and I have downloaded data for several days in a row using GR2 and GR3 and surfing the web. The speed is sufficient and I know several others who use Alltel without any problems. Hope that helps.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I have a new plan for next year to save atleast $100 on my mobile data over the chase season. I use Alltel's phone as modem through my Samsung U-520. It is normally $25 a month, but during October I would call them up and turn it on, chase, then turn it off online the next day and it would come out to $1.61 for one day of unlimited use. That is a hard deal to beat, only downside there is no data coverage across NW OK . It is decent speed across most of OK and northern TX Panhandle, but it uses EVDO around Lubbock and also across most of KS. I doubt there is a cheaper way to get mobile data anywhere.

 

[Tyler_Costantini]

I used sprint for a few years and had issues with the coverage so I switched to a at&t (cingular at the time 2005) data card the speeds may not be as fast in some places but i have used it all over the plains from Texas to Iowa and it has worked well. along interstates and in decent cities it is fast ~1mbit.


I also have a motorola razr I tether from time to time and it works well at&t as well. I have been wanting to try sprint now that they roam to alltel < i think

A friend of mine and chase buddy used a sprint palm and gets more or less the same coverage that I do.

We are both using high gain external antennas with the cards / phones / palm.

 

[Andrew Revering]

I'm thinking of using this service when I go on my chase vacation in May:

http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/602/61/

$200 a week? You're almost better off getting a card for half a season, canceling and paying the early termination fee.

In 2008 Sprint is changing a lot of their 'rules'. One is that cancellations will be prorated so your cancellation fee isn't as bad. They are coming out with a bunch of incentives so people aren't so afraid to sign up for service and then leave. They said in their press release they want to make it easier for people to change plans or terminate plans with the idea that having that option will get more customers to have trust with Sprint. They also are rolling out a lot of incentives for long term customers.

 

[Andrew Revering]

Call me dumb, but what is PRL? Also, who does AT&T have contracts with? I had pretty good reception in KS with AT&T and T-Mobile this past may.

PRL is Priority Roaming List. It's a firmware update that gives your device the latest list of roaming partners. Without an updated version its possible that you may have a data tower next to you at full strength, but you'll get no bars because your device doesn't know it can use that tower.

AT&T basically has no partners. The only GSM companies that I'm aware of are AT&T and T-Mobile. T-Mobile is a 'relative' joke in coverage area, so without good investment in putting up their own towers, expansion by GSM networks is going to take longer than CDMA (sprint, alltel, verizon).