Easy EVDO by EVDOinfo.com |
| Wednesday, 28 February 2007 | |||||||||
Easy EVDO by EVDOInfo.com If you want help, you can always contact us and we will be happy to help you. Q. I want a broadband cellular connection that can provide wireless internet access to my computer wherever I am! What do I need and what does it cost? A. You'll need a few things:
1. The carrier The first thing to do is check which carrier has coverage in the area you want to use the service in: The coverage maps may not be too current, so we started a web site for EVDO users to share their EVDO coverage sightings and speedtest results: EVDOmaps.com The two most popular EVDO carriers are Verizon and Sprint. Both provide service with two year contracts at a rate of $59.99/month. On Verizon, a 1 year contract is available at the $59.99 rate, but the initial hardware cost is $125 more than it would be with a 2 year contract. Sprint's 1 year contract is currently $79.99/mo. (for most people, its smarter money to sign up for a 2yr contract and pay the early termination fee after the first year. it saves you money!) Verizon's current data plan provides 5GB of data transfer and has overage charges. 5GB is a lot of data and most customers would never come close to using that amount of data per month. Sprint's current data plan is unlimited and comes with no overage charges. Both Sprint and Verizon have national roaming agreements and no roaming charges apply for use in the United States. However, both Sprint and Verizon DO have international roaming charges for Canada and Mexico. 2. The EVDO device... EVDO Devices come in several form factors including PCMCIA cards (PC Cards), ExpressCards, and even USB modems. There really is no performance advantage among the different form factors, and they only exist in different forms to accommodate the various laptops on the market today. EVDO devices currently range anywhere from $0 to $320.00, with the lower prices usually based on mail-in rebates, discounts, and service credits given when you sign a service contract. A two-year contract typically offers twice the discount on the hardware as a one-year contract and usually comes with lower monthly service fee as well. The device you select will depend on a few factors: which carrier you go with based on the coverage, what type of input your computer has (PCMCIA, USB, Express Card), and whether or not you want to use a router (some cards do not work in routers, other cards only work in one particular router, etc.). Here is a link to our EVDO Card Comparison chart so you can decide which currently available Sprint or Verizon EVDO device best suits your needs: 3. The antenna The long answer is here: http://www.evdoforums.com/thread3136.html Here is a basic guideline on the five antennas we stock: (all except Marine use FME connectors)
4. The 3G / EVDO Router When installed on a computer, an EVDO device provides connectivity to only that computer. Additional computers can share the access provided by your EVDO device if you use an EVDO router. Attach the EVDO device, configure the router, and then use WiFi or ethernet cable to connect multiple computers to the router. We carry a few different EVDO routers that can accomplish this for you:  The incredibly popular Cradlepoint MBR1000 EVDO / HSDPA router is simple to set up and very powerful. The MBR1000 is the first 3G router to provide a native ExpressCard slot and to utilize WiFi N radio for amazing wireless range away from the router.
 Designed to work mainly with Sprint products the Linksys 3G WRT54G3G-ST EVDO Router is easy to use, doubles as a cable/DSL router, and provides a unique failover feature that makes it attractive to home and office users alike. The router can be set up to serve up connectivity from a typical cable or DSL connection, and upon detecting a failure on that connectivity, it will automatically switch to serving connectivity from an installed EVDO card.
 Mac OS Support / Issues EVDO is cutting-edge technology that few people truly understand, and if you are a Mac user you need to understand what you will get and what you won't get from the carriers. Verizon has a Mac OS X native connection manager called VZAccess Manager that works on all G3/G4/G5/Intel Macs running OSX 10.3.9 or later. This software allows you to do the first time activation of the card, PRL Updates, determine if you are operating on a Rev-0 or Rev-A network, and visibly determine your connection's signal strength. Sprint does not yet have a Mac OS X version of their connection manager or provide quality technical support for Mac users. Some of the device manufacturers provide drivers, but these drivers typically have not allowed for deviceactivation (needed to make the card work), signal strength, or display what network you are on. Even with these drivers, you may still have to insert your card in a Windows PC to get it working intially and to update information stored within it (or use BootCamp/Fusion). Apple recently released a software update that allows their Intel-based laptops to use an EVDO device that has already been activated on a PC. However, Apple doesn't provide EVDO support and Sprint does not provide Apple support. At EVDOinfo.com/3Gstore.com, we have used Macs for YEARS, and we have been providing Mac EVDO solutions since 2005. We use Macs daily. We use EVDO daily. As the Mac + EVDO Experts, we know how to make them work together. More importantly, we also provide free support for our Mac customers. This means that when you buy your Verizon or Sprint EVDO device from us, you get to call us for support. Don't have a windows computer to avtivate your device? No problem. We will activate our customers EVDO devices and provide a Mac CD with drivers and our PDF with step by step directions. We don't charge our customers extra for our activation services, but there may be an additional shipping charge if the device has to come to us first. Why buy from us? The 'long version' is explained best in this blogpost: "Why Buy From 3Gstore.com" Our EVDO device prices are typically going to be lower than walking into a Sprint or Verizon Store. The biggest difference between buying from us and buying directly from Sprint or Verizon is that when you buy from us, you get our superior customer support... Why? Most of the store personell live in urban cities where cable/DSL is commonplace and as a result, the employees have typically NEVER even used an EVDO data device. They know their cellphones well, but data devices? not so much. Many customers describe their EVDO needs as being unique. They tell us the want to outfit a vehicle, or their house/office is in the middle of nowhere, or their company has unique network requirements. The EVDO Experts at 3GStore.com have helped thousands of customers put together an EVDO solution that suits their exact needs -- and are ready to do the same for you! We can provide you with a complete EVDO solution, even if it requires external antennas, amplifiers, or EVDO routers. MOST IMPORTANT is that after the sale, our EVDO Experts will also be there to support the solution we've sold you. Most salespeople working in a carrier's store sell phones all day long, but may have never even used an EVDO device. They certainly are not likely to have experience with as many EVDO devices as we have. Nor are they likely to be familiar with what their competition offers. Don't even bother asking them about external antennas, amplifiers or EVDO routers! We understand EVDO. We use EVDO devices and accessories every single day. We're in contact with EVDO manufacturers, evaluating products that haven't even been released yet. We are the EVDO Experts.Our Sites
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 22 March 2008 ) | |||||||||
The CradlePoint "Cellular Travel Router" CTR-350 is the smallest 3G/EVDO Router we've ever used. At just 3.6" x 2.8" x 0.8" (92 mm x 70 mm x 19 mm) it is just a bit larger than a deck of cards! It's small size targets the same mobile audience that broadband cellular service was designed for, and is hardly larger than many of the devices that will attach to it. The CTR350 will be a big hit for the RV crowd that is always looking to save space wherever they can. | < Prev | Next > |
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Mac EVDO
