USMC Friend needs internet on his laptop; how would 5 gb hold up with Skyping?

[alfa147x]

Hey guys,

A friend of mine is in the Marine Corps. he currently is in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. He needs internet on his laptop so I recommended a USB760 AirCard Modem USB $80 - $90 on ebay. I was thinking since he probably will be stationed at a different base in a couple of months buying a modem right out would be best for him, right? This way he can cut his contract with verizon at any time.


Let me know if their is a better route.

Thanks guys,
Alfa147x

This is the right section right?

 

[sjwaste]

Probably best to buy the equipment, yeah. But it'll also probably be carrier-locked if its CDMA anyway.

Verizon is going to charge him the activation fee every time he wants to activate.

 

[alfa147x]

Probably best to buy the equipment, yeah. But it'll also probably be carrier-locked if its CDMA anyway.

Verizon is going to charge him the activation fee every time he wants to activate.

Do you know how much the activation fee is? We both are AT&T guys so CDMA is a bit different for us

He would have just teathered his BB Bold to his laptop but no one gets data but Verizon :\

Also the Verizon package is 5 gb a month, how would that hold up with a whole ton of skype'ing ?

 

[boomhower]

Another option he might want to consider is Virgin Mobile. It's prepaid so he can just get what he needs. Their 5GB package is the same a VZW and if he needs less he can pay less. From what I gather they use Verizon towers so the coverage should be the same. The modem runs $100 so that isn't much different either.

 

[sjwaste]

Do you know how much the activation fee is? We both are AT&T guys so CDMA is a bit different for us

He would have just teathered his BB Bold to his laptop but no one gets data but Verizon :\

Also the Verizon package is 5 gb a month, how would that hold up with a whole ton of skype'ing ?

I think it's $36. One option is to replace his BB with the Palm Pre Plus on Verizon. It comes included with mobile hotspot, so he can tether it without paying extra.

 

[alfa147x]

I think it's $36. One option is to replace his BB with the Palm Pre Plus on Verizon. It comes included with mobile hotspot, so he can tether it without paying extra.

That's a no go, he would never drop his Blackberry plus he's in on a contract

 

[bonkers325]

5gb would get eaten up quickly if he is skyping a lot (i assume he's video skyping?). if he is doing video, the quality will be terrible. if he is voice skyping, its actually free since u can use skype on blackberries and calls using skype do not use vzw minutes.

 

[alfa147x]

What route would be the best for this situation?

 

[sjwaste]

I think your options are in this thread at this point. You said he won't switch phones and Verizon is the only choice for data.

Verizon's max plan is 5GB iirc.

 

[alfa147x]

Any way to get the Palm Pre Plus with just a data package (if he were to ebay the phone)?

 

[sjwaste]

Any way to get the Palm Pre Plus with just a data package (if he were to ebay the phone)?

Nah, I don't think Verizon sells consumer plans w/o voice minutes. Many corporate plans are data + pay per minute, but I don't think that's a legit option for your friend.

Bottom line - if he's trying to minimize cost, he needs to ditch the BB and get the Pre Plus w/ free tethering. It's still limited to 5 GB iirc, but it's the cheapest option. If not, he needs a BB plus a separate Verizon modem and plan ($60/mo).

 

[sjwaste]

Just to be clear, the Pre Plus requires a data plan too. It'll still run you like $70/mo for minutes and data on that. I'm just assuming that's cheaper than the separate BB on one carrier and the modem on the other.

 

[alfa147x]

Ah thanks... no way would he or I give up our BlackBerry's for a Palm Pre :\
Looks like he's going with Virgin Mobile... Depending on their activation fee