Review by Mce Saint Location: Saint Louis, Saint Louis City, MO, USA Cost: $59 per month (24 month contract) Flexibility - can be used for home network or take it with you Consistency of experience depends on cell signal Better than satellite and mobility has lead to unexpected uses.

Pre Sales Information: Install process: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

Moved from Hughesnet (HN) to Sprint Mobile Broadband (SMBB) because employer had started allowing telecommuting. At the time, HN had a data "cap" on using their service, SMBB did not (that has changed, though). Was not sure how telecommuting would play out with a cap, and SMBB at our house was EV-DO rev. A. (i.e., the fastest possible). So we made the sweith

In general, SMBB provides a good (not great) internet experience at our home. We have "bad zones/break-up areas" in our house with our cell phones - due to hilly topography and cell tower locations. So there are "bad zones/break-up" areas in our house with SMBB. Some parts of the house get good talk/data connections to the cell tower, others not so much. Not so bad, though, that it would motivate us to buy an external antenna. We also live hear a fairly, major highway that gets a lot of commuter traffic so during peak commuting time (morning and evening) SMBB tends to run a bit slower that it does the rest of the day. At less than "full bars," though, running a virtual private network (VPN) for telecommuting over SMBB CAN be on the slow side.

At home, we run a wireless b/g network off the SMBB by hooking it up to a Cradlepoint router. (the Cradelpoint also feeds a Netgear router with rangemax to extend our wireless coverage).

Often, I'll take the SMBB to a nearby coffee shop or the library and get "full bars" on signal strength. Then it rocks - no complaints whatsoever. Often just as good - if not better than - using the coffee shop's or library's free wi-fi.

As mentioned above, Sprint now has a 5GB per month cap. With that, you're not going to be downloading HD movies over the internet or using video on demand (VOD) from places like DirecTV (which we also subscribe to).

The mobile part of SMBB let us have internet connection on a family driving trip to Chicago - which was great for keeping our child entertained (less "are we there yet?" comments). One added feature is that the SMBB Connection Manager lets you use the GPS capabilities of your SMBB card to find your current location (displayed on Google maps) and, if you choose, locate nearby services (gasoline, restaurants, etc).

Between our "casual/recreational" use of the internet (2 adults; 1 second grader - Webkinz rules!!) mainly web page browsing and posting in forums like this; and youtube stuf and our "work related use" (2 adults; 1 telecommuting 2 to 3 days per week) - our monthly useage is about 2.5GB to 3.0GB . . . well under the cap.

clynx @spcsdns.net clynx Anon 2008-Nov-14 9:54 pm Don't sugar coat it. I have been a Sprint BB user for a while and the data caps are horrible. I signed a contract for unlimited data. Now i have to check my usage daily and all i do is web surfing and updates and I go over or very close before billing cycle is over. I pay $60+ a month so I don't have to check the meter every day. It is horrible customer service to do data caps. I can't wait for a class action law suit to join over the ridiculous practice. Why is it okay for cell phone company's to treat good paying customers like trash. 2008-Nov-14 9:54 pm: · hey mods ·
	Mce Saint Premium Member join:2007-10-03 Saint Louis, MO Mce Saint Premium Member 2008-Nov-16 10:29 am Re: Don't sugar coat it. Not sure what I'm "sugarcoating." My experience with SMBB is exactly that: MY experience. The useage numbers in my review reflect accurately MY useage. To repeat, I've never, ever, come close to the cap based on the useage described in my review. So the "cap" effects me not - or, put differently, being moved from "unlimited" to "cap" didn't cause me to change my pattern of useage. Of course, YOUR useage - and, hence, your experience with the cap - may be different. But, I wouldn't go to YOUR review and call your useage "excessive"" or "overstated." It's unclear to me why you'd come to MY review and say it's "sugarcoated." But, hey, I guess that's what makes the world go 'round. BTW, Sprint's user agreement allowed it to change the terms of service anytime it wanted. So it had the contractual right to change your "unlimited" service. Does that suck for people who - like you - used it more than 5Gb a month? No doubt. But, get this, I'm not YOU. Also users were given PLENTY of notice about the shift from "unlimited" to "cap" AND, if I recall, you could have dropped SMBB without an early termination penalty. Would I use SMBB more than I currently do without a cap? Might I, for example, try to use DirecTV's Video on Demand (VOD) service and attempt to download HD-quality movies? Maybe, I'm not sure. A high-definition movie is about 5 to 7 Gb . . . even at the fastest SMBB download that I get it could take several hours to get it downloaded. Right now, I view such things (like DirecTv's) VOD as being wholly optional or tangential uses for my internet connection. It is not a "core" or "main" use. As such, I don't care whether or not I can download a 6 Gb high-definition movie. Of course, YOU may. If so - as my review suggests - then SMBB is NOT for you. 2008-Nov-16 10:29 am: · hey mods ·
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