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What do I need for everywhere netbook?

G

Geraldo8022

Member
I think I will buy my first netbook or notebook computer. I am confused about what I need to enable me to surf while just being around town with it and not at home. Do I need one with a cardbus or Express card interface? And would it then work with my existing Clearwire wireless? You can see I don't know much. I admit it.
Thank you in advance for any help you can provide this dinosaur.
 
pretty much any laptop or netbook will have wifi built in, like wireless g or sometimes N. a lot of coffe shops, restaraunts, libraries and such have wireless connections, as well as airports and campuses. that will give you a good chance of being able to find a connection most anywhere.

if you want everywhere wireless, you need a 3g card built in, or an external adapter. there are probably options for both for laptops and netbooks. netbooks being the smaller laptops (usually 7 - 12" screens)

wireless service will vary wherever you go, and you arent going to be guaranteed a connection all of the time. the 3g stuff is operated by cell phone companies, so youd have to have an account and monthly subscription to access that in addition to an adapter.
 
thanks for reply XSauronx. Yes, many places have free wifi, but not all. So out in the middle of my friend's vineyard, for example, I would need 3G. Does 3G mean I can only download three gigs of internet per month? I have always wondered about that.
Thanks Again.
 
3G is a (I think) 3rd generation mobile phone network, and in this case refers to a modem that uses that network to connect to the internet.

As a coincidence, yes, you generally get a smallish bandwidth cap depending on your package. 3 GB a month is not unheard of. Then again, so long as you don't go mad with video and downloads, it's also quite a reasonable amount of bandwidth.

They are awesome devices. I've surfed the net in the backseat of a moving car, in the middle of an abadonned airfield, out in woods while stargazing. . . nothing quite like the feeling of being cut off from civilization AND being able to update your Facebook status.
 
3g is the type of broadband service that is used, each provider will have a cap thats usually 5Gb/month. But its still not available everywhere, as its a cellular service. So basically you need to check your area for providers, check a service map to see if they provide coverage where you want to be, and get pricing and plan information. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and maybe T Mobile offer plans, theyre not all 3G, but they do all have high speed coverage in *certain* areas.

You might find all you need on their websites, and you should definitely ask anyone you know in the area if they have high speed cellular data service and ask what they think of it, who theyre with, that sort of thing. Its worth the time so your arent spending $40, $50, or $60 a month (maybe on a contract) to get something that you cant really use the way you wanted to.
 
To help you better, we need to know if you're using CLearWire 3G, or ClearWire 4G (WiMax). They are two different technologies, and require two different modem interfaces. 3G will be alot slower, but should allow you to roam around most metropolitan cities and get 3G access (They use CDMA 3G access through Sprint), while 4G will be very fast but if very limited in rollout (only the biggest cities have them, Atlanta being one of them).

An easy way to see if you have 4G or 3G access if you don't know for sure is to look at this map. If you dont live in one of the listed cities in a green state, you don't have 4G.

Give us that information, and we can better point out what kind of card you need. If you still have trouble, try looking at your bill and mention the name of the service you're getting 🙂
 
Clearwire 3G. They say we are going to get 4G (WiMax) anytime now, but it just rolled out in Seattle and I am two hours east of Seattle over in the sticks. I would think it will be at least a year.
And I just found out that if I get a laptop with a PC Card it won't work with my desktop. Or, I guess, in other words it won't network with my wireless router so that I can use the connection with my desktops. I would have to have two separate plans. Does that make sense?
The person I spoke with thought that the bandwidth cap is five G per month. If memory serves I downloaded a little meter last year to see how much I used and I found I used about one G in a weekend. Does that sound right? I wasn't downloading torrents or anything, but I was surfing, listening to music, and emailing. I am on the computer a great deal when I am home.
I spoke with a woman today who told me her son surfs the web over his cell phone with what she called a data link. She didn't know much about it, but she swore he only has an AT&T cellphone. He had to have a certain type of phone. And she told me it didn't use his cell minutes. That is why I am highly skeptical. Did she say he plugged his phone into his computer, I can't remember.
A person can sure get a lot of misinformation even when speaking to a local rep. I am glad I can come here and get the real lowdown. Thanks people!
 
Geraldo8022 said:
Clearwire 3G. They say we are going to get 4G (WiMax) anytime now, but it just rolled out in Seattle and I am two hours east of Seattle over in the sticks. I would think it will be at least a year.
And I just found out that if I get a laptop with a PC Card it won't work with my desktop. Or, I guess, in other words it won't network with my wireless router so that I can use the connection with my desktops. I would have to have two separate plans. Does that make sense?
The person I spoke with thought that the bandwidth cap is five G per month. If memory serves I downloaded a little meter last year to see how much I used and I found I used about one G in a weekend. Does that sound right? I wasn't downloading torrents or anything, but I was surfing, listening to music, and emailing. I am on the computer a great deal when I am home.
I spoke with a woman today who told me her son surfs the web over his cell phone with what she called a data link. She didn't know much about it, but she swore he only has an AT&T cellphone. He had to have a certain type of phone. And she told me it didn't use his cell minutes. That is why I am highly skeptical. Did she say he plugged his phone into his computer, I can't remember.
A person can sure get a lot of misinformation even when speaking to a local rep. I am glad I can come here and get the real lowdown. Thanks people!
Click to expand...

That's possible. Many companies offer a tethering service either free or for an additional fee. What this means is that you use the cell phone as a modem and connect through that. I do this all the time at work for my laptop through my iphone (though it's not supported yet by AT$T).

If you already have a smart phone that will do tethering, it probably will be cheaper to simply add the tethering service rather than to buy a stand alone card / adapter for the netbook...
 
Yes, I checked into it and that is the famous "tethering" I have heard about obliquely. But as I discovered last time, I am limited to 5G per month and that just isn't going to get her done.
It seems that there is room for improvement in this service, but in the meantime I will have to stick with Clearwire. As xSaux said in his reply, I must stay close to coffee shops and restaurants when I go about town. There's worse things in life.
 
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