Don G, what is the air card and how does it work?
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Don G, what is the air card and how does it work?
Congratulations of completing your education and obtaining your college degree. We are very proud of you. I used an AT&T Sierra Wireless card when I worked the aftereffects of the Hurricanes Ivan and Charlie in Florida and Katrina in New Orleans. They work great , have high speed and were not that expensive a month. We moved many times while in the Air Force so I know what it is like. Hang in there. Trouble does not last always.
An air card is like a miniature modem. The one I have is about an inch wide and three inches long.
Sierra Wireless
AT&T USB Connect Shockwave
Qualcomm 3G
You plug it into the USB port on your PC or your laptop and it allows you to access the internet. It has a wireless number through AT&T and they use that to send and receive internet data to your PC or laptop. You just unplug the USB connect to switch to whatever computer you are using. If you take your laptop traveling, just plug in the USB connect and you are on the internet wherever you are.
Here is a website that shows what they look like and prices or you can look on AT&T website.
http://www.sierrawireless.com/en/Sup...e_for_ATT.aspx
http://www.kikaenterprises.com/at-an...-air-card.html
It's just a small "card" that plugs into a USB port and uses cell towers for connection to internet (data as opposed to voice). I use Verizon because they have the best coverage across the country (I live in an RV, which was the deciding factor on my choice). Don't think you'll find "unlimited", and from what I understand, 5 "gigs" (I'm not a computer guy, so I don't even know what that means) is most of the providers limit....going over is like doing the same with cell phone minutes (they ding you $). That said, I spend a fair amount of time online, mostly forums (which includes viewing member posted pics), watch some youtube videos, upload & post pics to/from Photobucket, and have never come close to running-over. I'd heard the air card can be a bit fragile in a laptop, so I added a wireless router (Cradlepoint) and an exterior (Wilson Trucker) antenna, and I always have a great signal. The router lets me move around, even outside, without the worry of banging/damaging the air card into something or damaging the USB port/connection. Check-out Verizon, the 3G store, as well as some RV sites (google something like "internet in an RV") for more info than I could provide you. With the card, router, and antenna, I think initial investment was $250-300, and my monthly bill is $60. Again, not much of a computer type, but I'll be glad to offer any help I can, which would just be personal experience of using mine for a little over a year now. ETA: Sorry Ship, didn't read your post before adding mine, so I'd repeated much of what you'd already said.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappieseeker
Here's an idea of "how much 5 GB is"...........and you can decide if it'll work for you. How Much Is 5 GB & Is It Enough?
She has to watch several videos for school for the nursing program. That is what eats up the time. Not sure 5 will even be enough but it would come closer to some others I have looked at. Here is the phrase in there that scares me. "*This doesn’t include software updates that can easily blow you through your limit each month especially if you’ve got them set to automatic. As soon as you turn your back they’ll be eating up your 5 GB limit. To avoid that, you may need to turn them off or closely monitor the size of each update." I do not know if my stuff is on auto and if it is I do not know hwo to turn it off. I do not even know where to begin with that stuff. However if she bought a new laptop we could start from scratch. Can you hook the laptop with the aircard to a desktop and use a printer? Maybe I just need to go to a verizon store or somewhere and ask them. I called verizon and asked them if they had anything that would work in my area and I think I mentioned something similar to this and they said no. I guess sometimes you just have to go in a store and talk directly to them. It looks like it might get the job done, however it says if you are on the net more than 3 hours a day it wont be enough for you. She does her schooling on the net. If we could try something like this with no contract it would definitely be worth a shot. Thanks for all the info we will continue reading on it.
If she is on the net that much you might do better getting Ethernet cord and modem. Check your cable providers and see what high speed cable Ethernet they offer.
If you got that info from the link I posted, it may not be accurate (I was just giving you an idea of the 5GB would get you) since I spend much more than 3 hours a day on the internet at times. I do have my updates set so I can "pick and choose" which I download. Plus you can always take the laptop to a place with free wifi (Starbucks), and download them there, which won't affect your limit, same on the videos. Can't the wife get her videos on DVD, and wouldn't even need to be online to view? I bought a $29 printer this week for my laptop (Sprawlmart). If you can get a cell phone signal, odds are an air card would work (since they share towers), but I doubt you'll find a "no contract" plan, unless they have a pre-pay (like some cell phones), which would likely be more expensive. Google "The 3G Store", you'll get better info, and call them, they're extremely helpful (and I have no affiliation with any of them, it's just who I used).