How Good is AT&T Wireless Broadband 3G Coverage?

No pretty metaphors for you here. It's not as seamlessly smooth and interwoven as the finest Japanese silk. It's not the robust, reliable, solid as a rock Chevy that'll pull an airplane or whatever the case may be. To be honest...AT&T's 3G coverage is a bit spotty.

To their credit, the map provided is pretty good for users. It can be misleading at first. You start out with this map covered in blue. There's data coverage for as far as the eye can see. Fresh crisp blue open sea for you and your 3G jetski of a phone or broadband card.

Then you enter your street address. Lo and behold it's dark blue there too! Mobile Broadband here we come!

You're waiting for the catch aren't you?

Here it is.

If you look at a map that displays just AT&T mobile broadband coverage in blue, you'll see that only major cities are covered. Everywhere else gets EDGE, which is unbearable slow if you're used to broadband speeds.

AT&T actually says it themselves:

"The AT&T 3G / BroadbandConnect network is currently available in most major metropolitan areas and is expanding rapidly...EDGE is AT&T's national wireless high-speed data network available in over 13,000 cities and towns and along nearly 40,000 miles of highway. "

That's them putting it nicely. In other words, it's not in a lot of places but you can get EDGE just about anywhere. It's true. They just don't tell you the snail's pace that EDGE moves at.

The Verdict:
AT&T Wireless Broadband coverage is okay. Definitely not phenomenal. Considering the huge load of I-Phones flooding their network, they need to up their infrastructure in the mobile broadband department in 2009. If you live in an urban area you'll most likely be covered.

By : Marc Aarons

Connecting With Verizon Wireless Broadband

Verizon wireless broadband allows you to do the same thing as can be done with land lines. Initially, the speed in which data was transferred was a major stumbling block. Wireless phones were able to access the internet in the same speed that dial up modems could do. Because of their new technology, Verizon wireless broadband enjoys true broadband speeds. You are able to sign on to the internet faster and there are several different ways to connect with companies like Verizon wireless broadband. Customer service is what prompts companies like Verizon to constantly look for ways to improve their technology and bring even more customer satisfaction to their broadband service.

Verizon is in the market selling cellular phones of all sizes and colors. It is these phones that Verizon wireless broadband uses to connect to the internet. Verizon's cellular phones have vivid color screens and sound technology. No doubt you are familiar with Verizon's massive advertisement campaign promoting their technology. You can also listen to digital music and video which makes their phones more marketable especially with the younger crowd. With the right software and with cable, you can connect to your computer for the appropriate wireless internet connection wherever you happen to be.

If you would rather not use your phone to connect to the internet by means of your computer, then you can research Verizon wireless broadband and use their avenue to connecting to the internet. Several laptop manufacturers have been used, by Verizon, to make their computers compatible with Verizon's technology. Perhaps the most flexible means of doing this is by purchasing a PC card so that you can connect to the internet using any laptop or with the one you already have.

If you are running your own business, Verizon wireless broadband offers a means to access their network by way of a network router. The network router isn't for constant use but for maintaining network connectivity when your main line is not working. It is a backup device that will detect when your company's main service goes down and will connect to the Verizon wireless broadband network instead. You are still able to conduct business as usual without any major interruptions.

For whatever reason you use your computer, Verizon wireless broadband service has a plan for you that will be reasonably priced and will allow you to take advantage of signing onto the internet. Your phone line is not tied up and you can continue surfing the net while still engaged in a phone conversation.

Verizon wireless broadband allows you to do the same thing as can be done with land lines. Initially, the speed in which data was transferred was a major stumbling block. Wireless phones were able to access the internet in the same speed that dial up modems could do. Because of their new technology, Verizon wireless broadband enjoys true broadband speeds. You are able to sign on to the internet faster and there are several different ways to connect with companies like Verizon wireless broadband. Customer service is what prompts companies like Verizon to constantly look for ways to improve their technology and bring even more customer satisfaction to their broadband service.

Verizon is in the market selling cellular phones of all sizes and colors. It is these phones that Verizon wireless broadband uses to connect to the internet. Verizon's cellular phones have vivid color screens and sound technology. No doubt you are familiar with Verizon's massive advertisement campaign promoting their technology. You can also listen to digital music and video which makes their phones more marketable especially with the younger crowd. With the right software and with cable, you can connect to your computer for the appropriate wireless internet connection wherever you happen to be.

If you would rather not use your phone to connect to the internet by means of your computer, then you can research Verizon wireless broadband and use their avenue to connecting to the internet. Several laptop manufacturers have been used, by Verizon, to make their computers compatible with Verizon's technology. Perhaps the most flexible means of doing this is by purchasing a PC card so that you can connect to the internet using any laptop or with the one you already have.

If you are running your own business, Verizon wireless broadband offers a means to access their network by way of a network router. The network router isn't for constant use but for maintaining network connectivity when your main line is not working. It is a backup device that will detect when your company's main service goes down and will connect to the Verizon wireless broadband network instead. You are still able to conduct business as usual without any major interruptions.

For whatever reason you use your computer, Verizon wireless broadband service has a plan for you that will be reasonably priced and will allow you to take advantage of signing onto the internet. Your phone line is not tied up and you can continue surfing the net while still engaged in a phone conversation.

By : Cindy Heller

Choosing the Right Wireless Broadband Mobile Card

A wireless broadband mobile card is available from several service providers offering a variety of wireless networking services for personal, home, office and mobile needs. Most of these wireless cards offered by these vendors have basically the same technology used on their products and offering them at reasonable prices.

The question lies is in which broadband card vendor to use. For current users, the determining factor would be on getting the best service from their wireless cards.

The following describes a comparative testing procedure that can be used to check products from various vendors. This is the same simple procedure used by consumer testing labs when trying out new products. What you need is a notebook or a Tablet PC which you can bring is different areas to test a wireless broadband mobile card in a non-rigorous trial.

What to Test

The best way is to test several broadband wireless cards that you can get your hands on. Starting with the most popular ones would be a good choice. It would take a week of constant use to get good data from the test. Another alternative is to test the products in different locations to see how they response. Some of the more popular service providers providing a wireless broadband mobile card include Sprint, Cingular and Verizon. Previous tests made have shown that most if not all of these wireless cards performed well when used in a metropolitan area. The real test occur when they are taken to rural parts 40 miles or more away from urban locations.

What Method to Use for Testing

A non-rigorous testing for the wireless broadband mobile card can include a Flash speed test. The Broadband DSLReports website is a good resource for such tests, including the Flash 8 Plug-in Based Speed Test featured in the website. There are links to other platforms as well, but this particular speed test can do a good job. The test is done by running the Flash speed test on a server located in one area, then running it again on another server at a totally different area. If this is done from East Coast to West Coast then the results would be better.

Previous tests showed that most vendors’ wireless cards performed the same when downloading data. However, some cards like the one from Verizon showed faster speeds when uploading. This would be beneficial for those who perform uploading activities as much as downloading. With very little difference in the performance of the cards, the selection process moves on to software and service.

Testing the Software

Each wireless broadband mobile card provided by a vendor comes with the necessary software that is proprietary to the service provider. This software is needed to establish a connection between the wireless card and the service station.

The testing procedure for the software includes the ease of use when performing the basic functions which include: installing the drivers; configuring the device; access authentication process; and establishing the connection with the provider.

The Type of Service Provided

Most wireless broadband mobile card vendors have their own websites where you can access their services like managing your account, paying bills, and coverage maps that show where services are available. With performance basically at par with each other, these vendors can only excel from one another in terms of the ff: coverage area, reliability and customer service.

The other thing to consider when choosing a wireless broadband card vendor is their readiness to handle new technologies coming in the near future, such as Wi-Max and LTE. They should be ready to compete with these new technologies or adapt them to their own existing services.

By : Kevin Wynn