Qwest misled me about DSL availability - Who's tried Wireless Broadband?

[LakeCleElum]

Well - I started building my retirement home in the Summer of 2004. A Qwest telephone person promised me DSL would be at my property line by spring of 2005.

Fast forward to now, wife has retired and we're gonna move when the house in town sells. Ready to hook up a phone line, Qwest sez they can only do dial-up. No current plans to run DSL out to my new house on 3 acres, 6 miles from town.

So, I look at options. 2 local outfits claim they can get me high speed Wireless. BUT, I have to be line of sight to their tower on 2 different mountains. One wants $300 for equipment and hookup, the other wants $800.....I have a great mountain view, but not either to either mountain their towers are on, too many trees in the way.

So, now I'm looking at Verizon wireless broadbrand. A friends uses it in my area when she comes from Phoenix to visit her mother that lives by me. Claims it's high speed and works great. $100 for the box and $60 a month if you already have a Verizon phone (I do). BUT, if I do this, I don't want to deal with Qwest for even a land line and instead use a cell phone and a Skype Phone.

The Verizon fine print sez: Unlimited, but you cannot download movies, use Voice over Internet phone, etc.....

Anyone have opinions on Verizon Wirless Broadband? U use anything like a Skype or Vonnage phone with it? I checked and I'm in an area with coverage....Thanks...

[Seahawk]

I went with this plan for my consulting work.

http://b2b.vzw.com/broadband/bbapccard.html

I find I use it at home as well. The interesting thing is that they let me take one home for a month for the cost of the 5gb monthly service. I was hooked.

[Scott R]

My backup work connection that I use on the road is a Verizon Wireless BB card. Honestly I only use it as a last resort as its slow, and not very stable when you need to have a persistent connection to something. Surfing the web is fine though.

[Ronbo]

Have you considered satellite broadband?

[red-beard]

Wild blue is pretty good

http://www.wildblue.com/getWildblue/doServiceAvailabilitySearchAction.do

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by Ronbo

Have you considered satellite broadband?

I thought that's what I was talking about. I'm still learning all this, tell me more!

[ZOA NOM]

I use Sprint Wireless Broadband, and I can't tell the difference between it and my cable modem speeds. Love it, and I even get good signal inside at work, and I work in an air traffic control center.

[jwasbury]

We had this at a business I worked at in the past. It was absolutely horrible. Perhaps the technology has improved, but five years ago it was slow as molasses. We actually had better performance from an ISDN line, which was supposed to only be a few times faster than a regular dial-up connection.

[djmcmath]

I used a Sprint card on my last business trip. It gets connection like a cell phone, but allowed me to get a digital connection at times that it would have been completely unavailable. It's not as fast and reliable as, obviously, a wired connection, but it's not that bad. I'm never traveling without one again.

[masraum]

My job bought me an ATT 3G card. It works great.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

I thought that's what I was talking about. I'm still learning all this, tell me more!

I have Hughesnet...works like a charm but they aren't giving it away.

[tcar]

I have Quest wireless broadband for my home service. Like it better than DSL (usually faster - have DSL at the office).

I got rid of my land line alltogether, use Quest cell one-number service. It's great.

Have not had a problem at all (aol yes, wireless broadband no)

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

I thought that's what I was talking about. I'm still learning all this, tell me more!

By "wireless broadband" I thought you were referring to a land-based system like 3G. Satellite broadband is completely different, and as red-beard mentioned I've heard Wild Blue is good, and there are alternates provided by DirecTV and Dish Network. Your location might make 3G impossible.

[LakeCleElum]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I was asking about Satellite Wireless Broadband, as I don't have "line of sight" to the land based towers.

In checking some websites, I should have good coverage with Verizon and Sprint. I have a friend that's new to WildBlue, he just moved out in the sticks 100 miles north of me. He claims it doesn't work at all 10% of the time and is not much faster than dial-up (he chose the middle of the 3 plans regarding speed).

Please tell me move about the Qwest wireless and maybe direct me to their web site; I tried the Qwest website for wireless and just went in circles. How much a month for Qwest and how much to set up?

I appreciate all the input.....I don't want to get signed up to an expensive system and have slow speed.....

[tcar]

Do you have a cell signal there? Sort of sounding like you do not.

[jackobleep32]

Originally Posted by Scott R

My backup work connection that I use on the road is a Verizon Wireless BB card. Honestly I only use it as a last resort as its slow, and not very stable when you need to have a persistent connection to something. Surfing the web is fine though.

I've got one too. Ditto on the above. It would be frustrating to have to use it full time.

[vash]

my bro uses the verizon plan you mentioned. his system is friggen fast.

[slakjaw]

Sprint allows you to use your wireless internet for anything including voip or movies. Satellite does as well. I am not sure Skype would work well over satellite though.

I am curious if Clearwire has coverage in your area. Have you checked them yet?

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by vash

my bro uses the verizon plan you mentioned. his system is friggen fast.

Yes - I have good cell service - I'm 200 ft. off the I-90 freeway. Just called the local Verizon Wireless store about their sat. broadband. He's swinging by next week on his way home. Will have his laptop and I'll have mine. I can see the speed before I sign up. He sez he's done 2 in my area and both are happy.....

Thax for all the input - I was on the phone with Qwest today for an hour. No progress, no promise of future DSL.....The won't get my land-line business, will work off a cell and Skype.....

Some here say the Verizon BB card is fast and some say slow....I think the difference is if you're in an "enhanced" area signal area or not. I know I am....

[red-beard]

We've been trying to use a wireless broadband connection in Romania for our guys. No signal at the site. It is CDMA based, and the coverage just does not hit that valley.

I've been looking into a Sat connection for the next site, but the prices in Europe for Sat internet is much higher than here, like double.