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Review by can0lard 
UPDATED: 32 days ago
member for 71 days, 2 visits, last login: 17 days ago
 Derry,Rockingham,NH
 $26 per month (24 month contract)
 "Wide coverage"
 "High Latency, this is pretty much standard with any wireless I guess..."
 "SERO makes my world go round"
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300Kb/s down and 120Kb/s up in southern NH. love being able to connect my laptop to my 3 year old A900. Wireless tethering really wears down the batteries though 
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 Review by powerspec88
UPDATED: 33 days ago
member for 2.6 years, 1278 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Harrisonville,Cass,MO
$50 per month (24 month contract)
 about 3 days
"Much faster than 56k"
"Price, it could be a little cheaper"
"Beats 56k any day"
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Update (10/18/09)
My tower has been upgraded to 2 T-1 lines so now I get on avg ~2.5Mbps down and ~600Kbps up. Only had 1 major EV-DO outage but besides that and tower load its been great! Still on a unlimited plan doing ~50GB a month and have yet to be told to stop.
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First review
Well my dad has been wanting something faster than 56k for awhile now but they live 10miles from the cloestest town. So a few months ago my friend got Sprint Mobile Broadband for his house (he lives out the the country to) and i thought this would be great for them (and me when i home)
Ordered all of it all online, i got the Sierra aircard 595 with the linksys router. I get great speeds Last Result:
Download Speed: 1141 kbps (142.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 156 kbps (19.5 KB/sec transfer rate)
I can hit 1.3Mbps late at night most of the time.
They love it, now they can surf the web, check email, etc so much faster and not wait for stuff to load. They will be canceling the 2nd phone line and the 56k provider.
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Review by fenix_jn
UPDATED: 52 days ago
member for 2.8 years, 639 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Miami,Miami-Dade,FL
$10 per month
about 1 days
"Comparable to DSL"
"It is OTA data..."
"Reliable connection if a tower is nearby"
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09/29/09: Well still using as backup connection, just in case. I test it just to see how sprint is keeping up... well it is working! 1.4 Mbps to 2 Mbps in good days, about 800 - 600 Kbps / 512 Kb upload average. Latency... well... very high but that is expected from a OTA connection. So it is good for file upload and download, web browsing and email.
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Currently I'm using this connection as backup. Of course, the slow connection can be due to the fact that the modem used is a cellphone (a treo 700p) and not an actual broadband card. The maximum speed reached is about 250 - 290 Kbps and about 128 Kbps upload. I'm sure a broadband card can reach about 1 Mbps.
The low price is a bundled solution. Install is basically limited to connect a cable on the phone (USB) and running the application on the phone. So far, a few disconnections, as expected from wireless access. So far, I'm happy with the service.
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Review by dslkjm
Posted: 99 days ago
member for 3.3 years, 17 visits, last login: 99 days ago
Los Altos,Santa Clara,CA
$65 per month
"Reliable wireless connection with reasonable speed; unlimited data"
"Maybe the cost, but otherwise can't think of any"
"If you can afford it, this is a great way to get internet connectivity for your laptop"
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I have been using Sprint Mobile Broadband on my laptop (with a Pantech add-in card) for three years now. Anywhere I've gone (Silicon Valley, San Diego area, Colorado Springs, Tahoe), in the middle of customer and supplier buildings, I've always gotten a reliable connection. Most of the time I can get 1 Mbps download (using broadbandreports speed test). Even when I'm in an area where my Verizon cell phone gets weak coverage, I'm still getting 500+ kbps.
It was pretty easy to set up, as I recall.
Since I haven't had any problems with the service, I have never had any need of tech support, so I can't rate them on that.
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Review by Mediocrates
UPDATED: 114 days ago
member for 1.4 years, 449 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Raleigh,Wake,NC
Contract price not specified.
about 5 days
"Price competitive, 'free' unlimited service on your cell phone"
"Device is expensive, not shipped with proper configuration, call quality is uneven, security is bizarre, can interfere w VoIP"
"The advantage of having ONE phone for everything must be weighed against some of the problems"
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I am a Sprint Cell phone customer on 5 line shared line plan. I decided to install Airave with which is Sprint's femtocell appliance/service. This creates a local cell where the device is installed and it directs all calls in and out, to your broadband connection. The advantage is that for a flat rate you get unlimited cell minutes while connected regardless of your plan.
I ordered device, it's an appliance that plugs into your router. After 2 days of trying to get it to work, I called support who immediately realized it had never been configured or provisioned correctly prior to shipping. Once this was fixed, the device did function.
When you're connected you get a double ping dial tone; this tells you you're connected to the device. The device is able to support 3 simultaneous calls @ about 40kbps per call for a maximum of 130 kbs in both directions.
One problem is that if you limit access to a specific set of phones, then ANYONE who's a Sprint customer who's not on that list CANNOT get cell phone service unless they are out of range of the device. And the range of the device is quite good. It's built to support a 5000 sq ft area. There's no middle ground. Phones have to be registered to the Airave the first time by keying *99.
Secondly, call quality is highly dependent on the quality of your broadband connection. If it's clear, has few or no dropped packets, congestion, noise then you're good to go. If you have a lot of traffic on your line, a lot of latency then you are going to be MISERABLE. It will be unusuable if the broadband is saturated enough.
Next, while I don't have numerical data to support it, I suspect there is something about it which can interfere with other VoIP services you may have. I often hear people at home complain that Vonage stops working when Airave is on. You can simply turn off the Airave device when this happens but it takes about 15 minutes to reconnect when you need it.
But overall when it works it works acceptably well. In addition the ability to drop your home line and have unlimited cell phone minutes from your house OR wherever you plug the device in, and having only one phone number is a nice feature to have and very convenient.
The Airave appliance is $100 OTC, the service $5/month. To put ONE phone number on unlimited minutes is $10/month. To put more than one phone number (shared minutes) on unlimited minutes is $20/month. So to put your family plan on unlimited minutes costs $25 month. Roughly the same as most of the unlimited VoIP services like Vonage.
Followup comments:  
WiFiguru
Formerly jnethostman
Premium
join:2005-06-21
Lodi, CA | QoS Have you messed with QoS on your router at all?
It might solve the congestion issues. | |
| | Mediocrates
join:2008-05-27
Raleigh, NC | Re: QoS Yes I have, it's hit or miss. Airave seems much more sensitive to broadband throughput and SNR than any other VoIP I've ever worked with. | |
| nevtxjustin
join:2006-04-18
Dallas, TX
| Anecdotal femocell story This is anecdotal...
I was told a city manger moved to a new home and his city supplied Sprint phone had poor coverage. He bought a femocell and installed it in his office and didn't tell anyone to register their phone to his device.
All the city Sprint contract phones lost coverage in the city hall and the city went with AT&T.
The irony was AT&T had *no* coverage in his new home. | |
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 Review by TKJunkMail
UPDATED: 129 days ago
member for 7.7 years, 4981 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Ocean City,Cape May,NJ
$70 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Service & features on Palm Pre excellent; monthly price very good for included features; sales staff at Sprint store excellent"
"Coverage inside house poor on voice & EVDO; but free Airave femtocell offsets that; customer service willing but mediocre"
"Good phone; good voice quality in my area; good contract price for services"
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Bought a Palm Pre on 1st Saturday available at a Sprint store. Phone was provisioned and phone number ported from Verizon within 2 hours. Store sales & support was excellent.
EVDO & voice inside the house was marginal at best. Ordered the Airave femtocell to improve voice coverage inside the home. EVDO coverage inside house not an issue because Palm Pre has WiFi capability and that is preferable to EVDO speeds anyway. Sprint gave a credit for Airave femtocell when I asked for it.
But here is where Sprint's much maligned customer service came in to play. They lost the initial order for the Airave and when I checked 2 days later, they didn't know anything about it. After an hour on the phone, it was reordered and shipped overnight. It arrived next day and setup was painless. It was working in about 30 mins and voice coverage in the home was now 5 bars all over the house. Sprint gave me an additional $25 credit for the hassle. Sprint customer service has been very nice and very accommodating and goes out of way to please. But their backroom systems stink and their competence is still mediocre.
After receiving second bill, it was fouled up because of all the credits and the Airave purchase. After 2 hours on phone and getting dropped calls twice on transfers to another department, that got straightened out. I got an additional credit for the hassle again.
So, to sum up:
Phone is great
Voice quality excellent
Cell connections good in areas I travel in(mostly South Jersey and Philly metro area)
Store staff excellent
Cust Svc very willing and accommodating
Back room systems & personnel still mediocre
Phone Speeds:
1200 kbps download on EVDO
4000 kbps on WiFi
Wireless plan(Single everything data) for $70 includes:
450 mins voice calls
Free calls after 7 P.M. & all weekend
Free Sprint to Sprint calls
Unlimited text msgs; unlimited internet(5 GB/mo in TOS); unlimited email; unlimited picture uploads
Sprint navigation(GPS)
Sprint TV
Pandora music streaming
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Review by keason
UPDATED: 131 days ago
member for 7.5 years, 1656 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Ann Arbor,Washtenaw,MI
$37 per month (24 month contract)
about 30 days
"Rock Solid connection, reasonably good latency, flawless in moving vehicle, reasonable static IP charge"
"high jitter, not great for VoIP with weak signal"
"Great backup & travel connection"
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Update: Sprint continues to perform admirably. On a recent road trip along I-90 and I-94 from Detroit to the Dakotas, the unit worked very well from Detroit to Minnesota. Performance in the Dakotas was mixed with good speed (1 Mb+) but variable (200ms- Rapid City, 800ms- Dickinson) as if the towers used satellites instead of T1's. Back in Minneapolis, Sprint outperformed hotel internet with 1/500 speed and 120ms latency)
I've been able to use VoIP fairly well on the Sprint connection with both Skype and SIP working OK.
I purchased a Sprint approved Telular EVDO/phone device as a backup internet & phone connection and for testing. It uses a Sierra wireless EVDO rev A chipset with diversity antennas and has a built-in extended life battery (about 8 hrs). Despite having a green (strong) signal on the Sprint maps, I average around -93dbM with an indoor 5db gain antenna and speed tests ranging from 400-700 down and 200-400 up. Ping times range from about 200-300ms (average is closer to 200ms) with occasional jumps to 500ms. I've ordered a stronger YAGI antenna to try to increase the signal strength, which I hope will correct the jitter issue.
The device also supports phone calls, which work well. SMS is not supported, which would be a nice addition.
I had some initial problems with the device, but a firmware update made it much more usable and reliable. It now passes the public IP to my router via DHCP or with a manual entry. Sprint offers a static IP for only a $3 upcharge, which is a great value.
On several recent trips on the I-94 corridor between Detroit and Chicago performance was flawless. My passengers played WOW and other games with no interruptions. On a trip from Atlanta to Toledo along I-75, we experienced brief drops in coverage through the Smokey mountains.
VoIP works pretty well over the connection with only mild jitter. I've used skype and voicepulse with the G.711 codec which is pretty clear.
So far, the maximum speed is around 1500/400. I have yet to experience a faster tower. A bonus is that Sprint does not block any inbound or outbound ports. Sprint even includes a reverse DNS record (which says Sprint) but is seems to be sufficient for mail servers which require a reverse record.
The connection works as advertised. I wouldn't recommend it for a primary connection vs. DSL or cable because of speed, but it makes a great mobile & backup connection. Sprint, in combination with a cheaper internet connection makes a good alternative to T1 access.
Update: It appears that Sprint broadcasts voice/1X and EVDO signals on (in my area, at least) different frequencies and/or different antennas (based on different signal strengths). I was able to use a Windows mobile phone in debug mode to optimize the antenna placement for EVDO, upgraded to a 9dB omni antenna (still indoor), and along with a Sprint Airrave unit (which took care of the poor voice/1X signal), I now get perfect voice and much, much better (-78 dBM) EVDO signal. Ping times have dropped to 150-200ms and are much more consistent, and speeds average about 950/450. The static IP works perfectly, (I was able to send and receive email with no interruptions after modifying the MX records), and reverse DNS works perfectly too. I had a 2 hour internet outage on my primary ISP where my router automatically failed-over to sprint, and apart from a degradation in streaming video and slow transfer speeds, the Sprint connection was almost indistinguishable from low speed DSL.
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Review by peregrineman
Posted: 166 days ago
member for 9.1 years, 348 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Wolf Creek,Josephine,OR
$59 per month (24 month contract)
about 3 days
"Fast, easy install on MacBook"
"Blue screens Windows vista, but then what doesn't"
"Pretty fast; looks like a winner."
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Sprint evdo Rev A service on a 598U Sierra Wireless Device. We considered satellite, and dsl. Satellite didn't satisfy the need to move data at a reasonable cost. We are one house too far from the switch for DSL. Recently Sprint turned up the towers in our area so we are trying the 5 GB plan. On the MacBook it easily installed itself and began working right away. Different story for windows vista, Blue Screen. I have not pursued the problem yet.
The speeds are good; approx. 1.1Mb download and 300 Kb upload, latency 132 ms.
I walked into the local Sprint store and ordered the service late Tuesday afternoon, the device was shipped to my home and delivered on Friday. It installed easily on the MacBook. Like most things, the install on windows vista will take some effort, as it blue screens the computer.
At this time I have had no experience with tech support for this product. I reserve the right to update and/or change this review as my experience with this product grows.
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 Review by uroberto
UPDATED: 184 days ago
member for 8.5 years, 2534 visits, last login: 12 days ago
Piscataway,Middlesex,NJ
$50 per month (24 month contract)
about 5 days
"1-2 meg down, upload between 400-800 kbits. Latency as low 80 ms."
"nearby tower can get bogged with many users. 5 Gig cap"
"Dependable mobile broadband"
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I used the service for 2 years. I tried it in a few cities, but mostly used here in central NJ. My nearby tower has two T-1s, so I got download speeds of over 2 mbit.
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Review by bemis
Posted: 213 days ago
member for 1.3 years, 87 visits, last login: 6 days ago
Stoneham,Middlesex,MA
$61 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Has never failed me"
"Relatively high cost these days"
"Great if you need it"
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I've had service since April 2007 -- I've used it all around the country--
* Just about everywhere about Massachusetts, including the commute from Norwood to Boston along the commuter rail
* Non-stop from Boston to Rochester NY
* Very nearly non-stop (I went to sleep :^)) on the train from Boston to Pensacola FL
* All around Austin, TX
* All around Orlando & St Augustine, FL
It consistently provides 1-1.5Mb/s downloads and >500kbps uploads, provides good service even w/ low signal
The bills are simple to read and understand and there are minimal fees tacked on.
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