Wireless broadband at home, do you do it?
I have used wireless broadband since back in the old 1xRTT days, the slow precursor to the EV-DO Rev. A I currently enjoy. There’s something to be said for the ability to jump online no matter where you are, and today being able to do that at high speed is even better. I have been thinking a lot about my EV-DO connectivity lately and wondered if it’s something I could live with at home. The speeds are nowhere near the cable broadband I have at home but more than fast enough for everything if push came to shove.
Just last week Kevin and I were trying to troubleshoot a network problem we’ve been having using iChat for video and to test it out we had several video chats using EV-DO. We both use Verizon’s wireless service and we were both blown away how our video sessions were indistinguishable from the super-broadband equivalent. That’s about the hardest thing you can do to tax the wireless service and it held up admirably, even when we were using it on both ends of the call. This drove home the fact that if either (or both) of us decided to drop the expensive broadband and stick with the EV-DO service at home we could easily do so. It’s not something that I’m likely to do, I loves me some broadband for sure. It does gets me to wondering though, do any of you use 3G only even at home? If so leave a comment and share what your experience has been. Sometimes mobile comes home to roost, you know.
UPDATE: GigaOM looks at this issue today in response to a survey that shows there are in fact quite a few folks using 3G at home.
If you and Kevin do this James, I hope you’ll post your experience and insights.
I’ve thought about going all EV-DO, but I’ve worried that with streaming, downloading, and other bandwidth-intensive activity, I’d be over the 5GB limit very quickly.
I’ve also wondered if it would turn out to be a hassle to keep a live signal going to multiple Tivos, Slingboxes, computers 24/7, even when I’m not home.
I do have EV-DO, but there is no way I could go EV-DO only.
3 servers, 2 desktops, 1 laptop, 2 Tablets, 2 XBOX 360’s, and the occasional family member visiting. I couldn’t share all of that on just a EV-DO connection.
I was considering dropping my cable internet and living with my EVDO at home (I have a router that converts the EVDO to WiFi) when Sprint unilaterally changed my service from unlimited to 5GB/month. If I can’t trust my carrier to honor a contract I can’t rely on it to be my sole source for internet access
Having used a 3G Modem as a my sole internet connection for over a month , I have to say that current speeds and prices are no where near enough to tempt me to do that full time.
While 3G ability to get you online everywhere and anywhere in enviable, the price and Data limits are not.
The 3 to 5Gb bandwith limist are nowhere enough unless the only thing you are dooing is email and web surfing, and that to not too much at media heavy sites like You Tube.
And what about when you need to do some installation and /or troubleshooting.
Just from and example, trying to do a windows update for a machine I just reinstalled resulted in about 700-800 Mb of downloads.
And as we move more and more towards the cloud, what happens when you want to backup you files to a online backup service, or when you need to redownload it.
What about when you want to consume content from the net, may it be You Tube, iTunes, Netflix, Pandora, etc, they all consume bandwith.
Also, what about other people in a house. are they going to share the connection or are they going to have to get their own connection. not to mention Kids.
What I feel is that because you often use our home DSL or Cable connections for the heavy stuff, you may be underestimating how much actual bandwith you actually use.
I have HAD to use it sometimes when the signal went out (as you did, when your cable was out for a month, uh few DAYS.
The EVDO in my mogul powered everything, web sessions, slingboxes, VUDU even, and internet surfing of course for a home worker and another worker. I COULD rely on it, but prefer to have more BW for more services.
Your video chats were good because they probably cap out at 200kps MAX for streaming. Most video uses even less than that for normal video conferencing, so your DEMAND was low. IF you pilled on a VUDU, server, webex session, email and anything else, the whole thing would most likely just come to an end.
A lot depends, as many have said, on what it is you’re actually doing, and whether the carrier sticks to their plans and does not change the rules mid-game.
Back in 2003, I was using Verizon mobile internet with a pcmcia card. The speeds were slower than EVDO, but for $80/month I had unlimited access and could do WHATEVER I wanted.
Today the scenery has changed. While prices have come down to around $60, most providers will only give you 5-20GB to use per month, cheerfully slapping on the excess charges thereafter. I don’t know if there still is an option for an unlimited plan out there, but this is again another “two steps forward one step back” approach the telco companies have decided to follow.
I would use EVDO at home only as a back-up access if the primary lines went down. A friend of mine just installed EVDO wifi in his RV and it rocks! I’ve been seriously thinking of doing the same on my Escalade.
Interestingly, if you have a phone with T-Mobile, you can add a data plan for just $20/month, and it gives you “unlimited” downloads. Great if you have an EDGE device that you can tether to your laptop and want to get online, or decide to pop the SIM card into a PC card modem.
I think if people had meters to see how many GB they in fact use every month with their DSL/Cable, the numbers would shock a lot of us.
I have used a Sprint 3G card and router hooked up at my home network for about a year and a half now. It is the only service I can get other than satellite which I refuse to sign up for. It works well most of the time but now that Sprint has changed their “unlimited” plan to “5 Gig max” I have to be more careful about what I use it for. For heavy downloading I trot down to my local library with my x61T and get what I want. Can’t wait till Wimax gets here.
Don’t forget the terms of service. I think Verizon used to explicitly forbid streaming audio/video for example, so video conferencing is probably a no-no! Also, don’t forget that you may need to download larger quantities… e.g. an ISO image. That may eat up your 5gig limit very fast. In fact, I think they had a description that even said it was not meant to replace a wired internet connection, but don’t remember if that was formal or descriptive.
I’ve been using a Verizon Aircard myself recently (gee, I suppose I should check the TOS), but mine is a corporate account which I think doesn’t have a specific gb limit.
Still, I have to admit I’ve thought about wireless connection only, but the thought passes quickly when I think about total data limits, and the difficulty of sharing across the home with other users.
James,
I just bought a 3G USB modem for the times when I’m away over the summer months, its Pay As You GO and a lot cheaper than using my phone as a modem. I have to say that in areas where I get good reception I have been very impressed. I live in a rural location and depend on a community wireless project as I am too far away from the local telephone exchange (like a lot of people in my area). Unfortunately, its 2G only here so the community project is a lifesaver. However, last week whilst visiting friends in the west of the country I learnt that they have a similar problem excpet they have 3G coverage. They use the exact same modem as me for all of their broadband and are very happy with it. Granted they mostly email and browse the internet but I still think its great that they can enjoy a similar experience to most other homes in the UK all be it through a different technology.
*Time Out!*
WTF is that graphic illustrating that post?!!? Where do you dig up these things?!
I’ve been using EVDO at home for about half a year now. Works fine for the most part. Speeds range between 700-2.5 (got 2.5 last night!). Sometimes a little bit sluggish. Video takes awhile to load at times. Overall though, not bad. If you’re doing media intensive surfing at home, it’d be a struggle. NYC is getting FIOS though! May be time to jump onboard…by 2012.
I’ve been using EVDO at home for about half a year now. Works fine for the most part. Speeds range between 700-2.5 (got 2.5 last night!). Sometimes a little bit sluggish. Video takes awhile to load at times. Overall though, not bad. If you’re doing media intensive surfing at home, it’d be a struggle. NYC is getting FIOS though! May be time to jump onboard…by 2012.
I saw the other day that Three in the UK are now offering mobile broadband with a 15GB limit for £15 a month to existing mobile/broadband customers, looks like you could use that for a home setup really easily if you get a good signal. I’m with them currently and I get 3 gigs of bandwidth for £7.50 a month, which is good for when on the move, but they’re really ahead of the curve if they’re now providing a limit as high as 15GB.
My friend in Ireland has O2 HSPA (via USB notebook adapter) for 19 euro per month with a 10GB soft limit. It runs fast — really fast, as in 3+MBps down and 1.0~2.5MBps up. We haven’t been able to choke it yet while doing simultaneous screen sharing, skype, big FTP uploads/downloads, etc.
Just another way the US is behind other parts of the world, in terms of:
1 – price
2 – speed
3 – data transfer limit
Oh well…maybe “someday” will come along one of these days…
I’m surprised no one has commented yet on the need to support the whole family’s needs. If I had EVDO or another like service I’d want to take it with me when I travelled but my wife also uses our home network connection. Our cable internet connection is less expensive than EVDO or similar so if I need fulltime home connectivity AND mobile connectivity I’m still going with cable or FIOS for home.
I use AT&T HSDPA full time, exclusively, and never have a problem with it. But, I don’t do all that much video, etc., so I have rarely if ever cracked 5GB in a month.
yeah i use evdo everywhere i’m at. if i need fast broadband i go to a coffee shop. why would i pay for internet at home when i have evdo? i’m not rich.
If it weren’t for the wife and kids I’d drop my ADSL and be quite happy with my HSDPA modem (and my home phone for that matter). But I need to keep it for them. A time may come, however when it’s better to have a HSDPA modem for each of them and no ADSL or landline at all.
Gordon
I would definitely go over that 5GB cap that most providers have here in the US in no time at all. Podcasts are my form of entertainment. If it weren’t for that I could probably swing it though. Ever since work picked up I haven’t been so geeky in my exploration of linux distros and such, as someone mentioned in a previous comment, grabbing those ISOs will eat through some bandwidth.
Some operators are positioning their HSDPA service as an alternative to ADSL here in the UK, and offering prices that in some cases are lower than ADSL broadband. I’ve heard of people in London going for this option.
My own experience is that it’s not a viable alternative. I used HSDPA in a coffee shop today in an urban area. I got 1.2 Mbps download and a miserable 60 or 70 Mbps upload. I find these speeds very variable (mostly below these), and I’ve never had anything near the speeds that are advertised. As I live near an exchange, the ADSL gives a pretty respectable service. For me, HSDPA is a useful supplement to ADSL, but I couldn’t see it ever being a replacement.
I’m sceptical about Wimax transforming the picture. The idea that you’ll get wi-fi speeds while you’re out and about seems to me far-fetched.
I’ve never had anything other than a 3G connection at home, as the tech gets better, the price goes down. I’m on 5Gb for $30 australian a month. Nothing at all really. The only loss is if the weather gets bad, signal drops, but it’s usually ok!
Not sure how well these work, but I would say having these mobile broadband wifi routers also helps make the experience at home much better since you could share with multiple computers.
See:
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1175242816711&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=1671139789B07
I don’t have any experience with them, but they do look interesting.
@Karan M
I’ve used the linksys Router, and have to say that they do provide a decent experience,
we used it in a temporary office and was god sent as we could not get DSL or cable, and while we did have 3G modems for our laptops, the only 3G signal available was near a window in one corner of the building. Using something like that allowed us to work elsewhere in the office, while the router, and in turn the modem was placed to get the best signal, and in turn speed.
The problem we ran into was it worked too well, we went through our included bandwidth superfast, as we no longer had the dashboard feature keeping track, and with 4 laptops, a Vonage box, Skype, etc. running its hard to keep track.
And that my main concern with using 3G as a replacement for permanent replacement of a DSL or cable line. Most of us when we get going fail to realise how much bandwidth we actually use on a daily basis, and the way 3G plans are usually structured, you end up with a nasty surprise at the end of the month.