 Review by caribconsult 
UPDATED: 1.7 years ago
member for 6.6 years, 963 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Mayaguez,Mayaguez,PR
 $49 per month
 about 7 days
 "No FAP, no contract, low cost of equipment, portable"
 "not quite as fast as DSL, but way better than satellite"
 "The New York second has arrived!"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I was a disgruntled Hughes customer, and I had a big investment in gear. Here in Puerto Rico we don't get the same discounts statesiders get. I had all the normal complaints about HN, and I always said I'd dump it in a New York second but there was no alternative except dialup.
Finally I found out about Sprint's wireless service and how much it had improved. I got a Sprint account with a Sierra 595 Aircard and began playing with it. Since Sprint offered a 30 day-"no questions asked" return policy, I had some time to evaluate it.
Speeds: speeds can vary, depending on how which Home Agent you select, how many users and how deeply they are hogging things, but even at the lower speeds like 200-300, it has way more 'snap' than HN. I ran some 'page loading' tests and a webpage that loaded in 31 seconds (lots of graphics) took almost 2 minutes on HN. When the speeds jump up to 600-800 and up, things move really nicely. According to Sprint's coverage map, I'm just inside the good coverage area.
The latency is way less, but maybe still not fast enough for gamers, but that's not what I do. Streaming video is important to me since that's how I get to follow my Yankees. MLB TV coverage here in PR is a joke, even though this island has produced many major leaguers (Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Jorge Posada, etc). So I really need the streaming video to work nicely and that's what I've been testing. Quicktime seems smoother than WinMedia Player. I'd say the smoothest video was in using Windows Media player inside IExplorer.
Since it was working correctly, I ordered the Millenicom kit - a Franklin USB device and an MBR-400 router, all preconfigured by Millenicom. It was up and running on my laptop in minutes, and after tinkering with settings for a while, I setup the router and within an hour all 3 of my stations were on line, at very nice speeds in the 500-900kbps range, a few topping 1mbps. I then returned the Sprint package, paying only about $30 for 15 days of service.
It's way snappier than satellite. I had some streaming video on my laptop while browsing other sites on my desktop and there was no apparent slowdown - the video ran smoothly. Another curious effect: speedtest are faster with the device in the router rather than in my laptop! Strange, but actually beneficial
I like the versatility of the USB/Router combo. When I go stateside I just take the USB device and plug it right into the laptop and I"m on line. That alone could save us about $500 a year in hotel charges for highspeed internet.
The Millenicom deal is also an excellent buy in many other respects - no contract, no taxes or fees, $49..99 per month and that's it. Works out to about $20 per month less than either Sprint or Hughes Pro. Also, it's pretty easy to get a live English-speaking techie on the phone at Millenicom.
I'm liking this a lot. It's such a better deal, it really works nicely, and very importantly, the three companies involved, Millenicom, Franklin (mfg USB device) and Assent Wireless (router) all answer their phone, and return calls and emails. They seem eager to please. I rate this service overall as 8.5 on a scale of 10, but customer support is 10.
Wireless broadband is a very viable alternative if you can't get DSL or fast cable.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Sprint Mobile Broadband |
|
Sprint Mobile Broadband
(18)
(49)
·