Gobi, WWAN, usefull o just a sink of money?

I just looked at how much I would have to pay for WWAN internet.

at a 5 gig limit and speeds that can't rival the slowest cable (IN MAJOR CITIES), once you are outside of major cities, aka broadband coverage you drop down to speeds that are well unimaginable to me. This all would cost me 60 bucks a month.

Now I can't hardly imagine when this would come in handy, because 99% of the time I am at home or work or a friends house, all of which supply me with WiFi.

Please let me know what your data plan costs and limits you too (BTW, unlimited doesn't exist, there is always fine print!).

And more importantly let me know what you use it for and why it is useful to you, and what situations you encounter or can imagine where it would be handy.

As of right now all I can think of is that it is a cool toy, but at 500 for the WWAN sled, and 60 a month, this cool thing would cost me a whopping 2 grand in the first two years. Very hard to justify.

thanks - Dominik

 

Can you perhaps pay the extra for WWAN and realize the savings elsewhere? For example, I have internet service on my phone plan, for an extra ten bucks a month I can use my phone as a modem, which allowed me to cut my cable internet at home ($60/mo), so I end up saving money. And the internet really *is* unlimited, at least with tethering...I've downloaded multi-gig ISO files no problem and have HS EVDO in the BFE, literally hours from the nearest population centers.

Is it tactical and built in and cool? No...but I can internet wherever I want, lol. It's up to you and how built-in a solution you want. Even some of the major Toughbook users don't go the WWAN sled route...one big, unnamed state law enforcement agency uses off-the-shelf Cingular PCMCIA cards in CF 29's and 30's connected to an external antenna. I'm sure there's many more.

This may not have answered your question, but I hope that maybe it gives you some ideas to have the mobile internet -and- save a few bucks.

 

808... You bring up a great point. Most providers (I think) at this point do not allow tethering per se... But they will in the near future. With that said... It is easy enough to do. I used to keep Motorola Phone Tools on my laptop for the times that I couldn't pull over to sneak wifi somewhere. Or when I was over at my In-Laws before they got a wireless router. (I actually bought a tiny little travel router for when we visit there or when I stay in a hotel that doesn't have it.

It is easy enough to tether... But unless you have broadband on your cell (I don't) you are stuck at 300kbs (or thereabout)... At least on AT&T... I refuse to pay the $40 - $60 per month for something I would rarely use... But If I was a road warrior... Believe me... I'd work it in on the expenses!

 

I have been very happy with my ability to tether my blackberry to my cf-28 via a $20.00 mini bluetooth dongle. I think I pay an extra $35.00 a month for the privilage, and there are times that I need to access my work email while in the field. While my WWAN is not in the laptop perse it is always on my belt so it works for my situation.

 

If you are in certain cities, you can get 4G from Comcast, and they bundle it with their home internet too. Not a bad deal (I think it's $50-60 a month for both home and mobile). Downside, it's USB only.

 

so what I am gathering from all of you guys, is that those of you who do use WWAN do it by tethering your phone. and those of you (TB) that actually have a WWAN sled, don't use the service at all ?

mhhh..., all of this puts me to ease with my decision to look for one without the WWAN sled.

thanks guys - Dominik

 

About the tethering...that may be so for some providers, but if you have Sprint this was released today:

Sprint to Ban Tethering on Smartphones Next Year, Other Plans Revealed

Written by Humberto Saabedra on October 29, 2009

Sprint executive David Owens has confirmed that the carrier will ban tethering on smart devices next year as a part of its future smart device development plans. The ban will be placed on smart devices activated on the carrier’s current lineup of Everything plans.

Other plans include Android OS updates for the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment, Android device with a built-in MiFi style router, BlackBerry Tour with Wi-Fi and other Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry devices, testing of Windows Mobile 6.5 updates for the HTC Touch Pro2 and other Windows devices “plan for early 2010″ and WiMax phones.

 

It all depends on your needs. This is like asking someone that sits at a desk all day and never moves his laptop off his desk. Would that person really need to spend the bucks for a rugged laptop?

I have an embedded Verizon in my CF30 MK2, and Gobi in my CF30 MK3. I am not in an office where wireless is available very often. I am in alot of different cities, countries, etc. With the Gobi, I simply log on to AT&T if Verizon is not there, or Sprint.

At my house I am hitting about 6Mbps, usually averages around 4.5. In real time usage, surfing the net, doing light stuff, the speed is not all that different. It's not like day and night. At home I hit enter and it is instant. On Verizon it is maybe 1.5 seconds for the page to fully load. I have always been extremley suprised at the speed and the fact that it maybe will lose connection once a week for a moment.

It's all in what you need. From your description of always having either yours or your friends internet service available to you, I could not see where you would need it. I don't believe Gobi was made with you in mind.

 

ahh wow, that was funny I actually loled.

You are right, if only they had me in mind they would have full US coverage of broadband speeds for 20-30 USD...

but really, thanks for all the input. Now that I know how some of you use it, I can better evaluate my needs, and it is clear to me that it won't be necessary at all.

thanks again - Dominik

 

You are very welcome. That is why we are here, to fill your mind up with so much stuff you will be spinning. Some true, some B.S stuff though.

 

I always use WWAN on all my laptops. I have a grandfathered AT&T laptop connect plan that is $79/month but is not capped to 5g. I often use it on the trains and at airports or when I go to places without WIFI. I would NEVER pay for WIFI (except on an airplane) and since I travel a lot it is very handy.

It is also a very cheap way to get internet when traveling overseas. Just buy a prepaid sim, put it in and you are good to go. I think the connection with the built-in 3G is more secure than trusting some free wifi hotspot. But perhaps that is just my paranoia.

Being able to work outside or at the beach is a nice option for me. I just hate having things stick out like the USB modems. However, Toughbooks will start having a WIMAX internal 4G option so if anyone is in a WIMAX area that might be another option in the future.