4G Mobile Internet Hotspot Anyone?

[Maurice]

I just saw an ad for a Sprint 4G/3G mobile hotspot. $59.99 a month.

I currently use Verizon 3G, and would gladly pay the extra $ for 4G with the speeds they advertise.

I realize its pretty new, but does anyone have any experience with this product or seen any reviews? Or competing 4G products?

Here's the link: http://now.sprint.com/nownetwork/4G/#/product_overdrive?ECID=MA:AB:20100301:MBB:DWN:VID:V2:300x250

 

[RonBoyd]

This may be one of those "don't get ahead of the curve" situations.

Verizon confirms 4G plans: 25-30 markets in 2010, speeds 5x faster than 3G

I am taking a "wait and see" approach to this issue. (I am, nonetheless, quite interested in pursuing it aggresively.)

 

[donheff]

I take it you have to buy a new 4G phone or are they talking about software updates?

 

[Maurice]

This is a mobile internet connection, Donheff, think of it as a Wifi router with a 4G cellphone built in that it uses for connectivity. Its not relevant for your phone unless your phone can connect via wifi like an iPhone, in which case its just an alternative connection mechanism.

Think of this as broadband for the RV crowd, or for people who travel, or for people who for whatever reason don't have access to other broadband internet sources.

 

[donheff]

This is a mobile internet connection, Donheff, think of it as a Wifi router with a 4G cellphone built in that it uses for connectivity. Its not relevant for your phone unless your phone can connect via wifi like an iPhone, in which case its just an alternative connection mechanism.

Think of this as broadband for the RV crowd, or for people who travel, or for people who for whatever reason don't have access to other broadband internet sources.

It isn't a new version of wifi like the iPod has (I have one of those). It is an upgrade from the current 3G cellular broadband. I have a 3G Blackberry Storm. I use it for browsing and email on the phone and to tether a laptop at my weekend place. A major speed boost is interesting. Unless it needs a new chipset it seems conceivable that a software upgrade could do the trick.

 

[RonBoyd]

This might help explain:

4G - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

or by rummaging around here:

4g Wireless Evolution

or even this:

What you need to know about 4G

 

[donheff]

Thanks for the links RB. It sounds like this will be too different from 3G to simply upgrade the phone firmware. It will take a new phone. On the plus side, I should be eligible for a phone upgrade by the time it is widely deployed.

 

[scrinch]

Seems like a good deal to me, as long as you're spending most of your time in areas that have WiMax coverage. If most of your time is in or around NYC, then you're good. If you're out in the country most of the time, then the modem will revert to 3G speeds, and you won't gain much of anything. See if you can get a map from Sprint showing where it is deployed relative to where you live and travel. So far they are definitely ahead of any of the other carriers in 4G deployment. I'm going to give it a try when it gets deployed here.

 

[RonBoyd]

So far they are definitely ahead of any of the other carriers in 4G deployment.

Which explains my "ahead of the curve" caution. The "early bird" doesn't always get the worm.

Why just in my lifetime: 8-track vs Cassette, VHS vs Betamax, BluRay vs(what was it again?). This 4g thing just seems to fit that category.

(I have always been a "low serial number"-type of person but I am trying to quit.)

 

[ls99]

Which explains my "ahead of the curve" caution. The "early bird" doesn't always get the worm.

Just remember, it is the early worm that gets caught.

 

[scrinch]

So far as I remember there haven't been any extreme cases of orphan systems in the wireless telecom business (unless you count satellite-based Iridium). I think someone will always operate the network now that it has been installed. It may not end up the most popular system, but that may be a blessing, given all the grief AT&T is suffering with its iPhone-induced network problems.

I bought a multi-system (Blu-Ray and HD-DVD) drive for my new PC a couple of years ago for $329. The next week HD-DVD went belly-up, and the same drive sold for $179!

 

[donheff]

See if you can get a map from Sprint showing where it is deployed relative to where you live and travel. So far they are definitely ahead of any of the other carriers in 4G deployment. I'm going to give it a try when it gets deployed here.

Checking the maps is a good idea. Before I popped for 4G I would make sure the coverage justified the investment. On 3G, I tried a Sprint aircard at my weekend place and couldn't get it to work. At first Verizon wouldn't either but then they extended their high speed network to cover that area. In addition to the weekend place I use my phone to stream Internet radio to my car stereo while traveling. It worked great with Verizon's network from Key West to DC. The last time I looked at the Sprint map they did not have as much coverage as Verizon. The question isn't really who starts to deploy 4G first but how quickly the carriers build out a good network.

 

[scrinch]

The question isn't really who starts to deploy 4G first but how quickly the carriers build out a good network.

....in the area you're interested in.