@Karan M

I’ve used the linksys Router, and have to say that they do provide a decent experience,

we used it in a temporary office and was god sent as we could not get DSL or cable, and while we did have 3G modems for our laptops, the only 3G signal available was near a window in one corner of the building. Using something like that allowed us to work elsewhere in the office, while the router, and in turn the modem was placed to get the best signal, and in turn speed.

The problem we ran into was it worked too well, we went through our included bandwidth superfast, as we no longer had the dashboard feature keeping track, and with 4 laptops, a Vonage box, Skype, etc. running its hard to keep track.

And that my main concern with using 3G as a replacement for permanent replacement of a DSL or cable line. Most of us when we get going fail to realise how much bandwidth we actually use on a daily basis, and the way 3G plans are usually structured, you end up with a nasty surprise at the end of the month.

See:
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1175242816711&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=1671139789B07

I don’t have any experience with them, but they do look interesting.

I’ve never had anything other than a 3G connection at home, as the tech gets better, the price goes down. I’m on 5Gb for $30 australian a month. Nothing at all really. The only loss is if the weather gets bad, signal drops, but it’s usually ok! :)

Some operators are positioning their HSDPA service as an alternative to ADSL here in the UK, and offering prices that in some cases are lower than ADSL broadband. I’ve heard of people in London going for this option.

My own experience is that it’s not a viable alternative. I used HSDPA in a coffee shop today in an urban area. I got 1.2 Mbps download and a miserable 60 or 70 Mbps upload. I find these speeds very variable (mostly below these), and I’ve never had anything near the speeds that are advertised. As I live near an exchange, the ADSL gives a pretty respectable service. For me, HSDPA is a useful supplement to ADSL, but I couldn’t see it ever being a replacement.

I’m sceptical about Wimax transforming the picture. The idea that you’ll get wi-fi speeds while you’re out and about seems to me far-fetched.

I would definitely go over that 5GB cap that most providers have here in the US in no time at all. Podcasts are my form of entertainment. If it weren’t for that I could probably swing it though. Ever since work picked up I haven’t been so geeky in my exploration of linux distros and such, as someone mentioned in a previous comment, grabbing those ISOs will eat through some bandwidth.

If it weren’t for the wife and kids I’d drop my ADSL and be quite happy with my HSDPA modem (and my home phone for that matter). But I need to keep it for them. A time may come, however when it’s better to have a HSDPA modem for each of them and no ADSL or landline at all.

Gordon

yeah i use evdo everywhere i’m at. if i need fast broadband i go to a coffee shop. why would i pay for internet at home when i have evdo? i’m not rich.

I’m surprised no one has commented yet on the need to support the whole family’s needs. If I had EVDO or another like service I’d want to take it with me when I travelled but my wife also uses our home network connection. Our cable internet connection is less expensive than EVDO or similar so if I need fulltime home connectivity AND mobile connectivity I’m still going with cable or FIOS for home.

My friend in Ireland has O2 HSPA (via USB notebook adapter) for 19 euro per month with a 10GB soft limit. It runs fast — really fast, as in 3+MBps down and 1.0~2.5MBps up. We haven’t been able to choke it yet while doing simultaneous screen sharing, skype, big FTP uploads/downloads, etc.

Just another way the US is behind other parts of the world, in terms of:
1 – price
2 – speed
3 – data transfer limit

Oh well…maybe “someday” will come along one of these days…

I saw the other day that Three in the UK are now offering mobile broadband with a 15GB limit for £15 a month to existing mobile/broadband customers, looks like you could use that for a home setup really easily if you get a good signal. I’m with them currently and I get 3 gigs of bandwidth for £7.50 a month, which is good for when on the move, but they’re really ahead of the curve if they’re now providing a limit as high as 15GB.

I’ve been using EVDO at home for about half a year now. Works fine for the most part. Speeds range between 700-2.5 (got 2.5 last night!). Sometimes a little bit sluggish. Video takes awhile to load at times. Overall though, not bad. If you’re doing media intensive surfing at home, it’d be a struggle. NYC is getting FIOS though! May be time to jump onboard…by 2012.

I’ve been using EVDO at home for about half a year now. Works fine for the most part. Speeds range between 700-2.5 (got 2.5 last night!). Sometimes a little bit sluggish. Video takes awhile to load at times. Overall though, not bad. If you’re doing media intensive surfing at home, it’d be a struggle. NYC is getting FIOS though! May be time to jump onboard…by 2012.

*Time Out!*

WTF is that graphic illustrating that post?!!? Where do you dig up these things?!

James,
I just bought a 3G USB modem for the times when I’m away over the summer months, its Pay As You GO and a lot cheaper than using my phone as a modem. I have to say that in areas where I get good reception I have been very impressed. I live in a rural location and depend on a community wireless project as I am too far away from the local telephone exchange (like a lot of people in my area). Unfortunately, its 2G only here so the community project is a lifesaver. However, last week whilst visiting friends in the west of the country I learnt that they have a similar problem excpet they have 3G coverage. They use the exact same modem as me for all of their broadband and are very happy with it. Granted they mostly email and browse the internet but I still think its great that they can enjoy a similar experience to most other homes in the UK all be it through a different technology.

Don’t forget the terms of service. I think Verizon used to explicitly forbid streaming audio/video for example, so video conferencing is probably a no-no! Also, don’t forget that you may need to download larger quantities… e.g. an ISO image. That may eat up your 5gig limit very fast. In fact, I think they had a description that even said it was not meant to replace a wired internet connection, but don’t remember if that was formal or descriptive.

I’ve been using a Verizon Aircard myself recently (gee, I suppose I should check the TOS), but mine is a corporate account which I think doesn’t have a specific gb limit.

Still, I have to admit I’ve thought about wireless connection only, but the thought passes quickly when I think about total data limits, and the difficulty of sharing across the home with other users.