Top 10 Reasons an Air Card is my Best Purchase this Year

I purchased a USB air card from Alltel. This air card is the best purchase I've made recently. Here are just a few of the reasons why.

10. Alltel has no limit on how much data (bandwidth) I can download and upload with my air card. Some companies charge more per megabyte after you excede a set limit. With Alltel, I get unlimited data transfer for $60 per month.

9. There was only a small $25 installation fee. That's compared to the $700 it would have cost me to set up satellite internet.

8. Since I bought the air card and got off dial-up, I can watch videos. Now I can see what's so funny about a sneezing panda on You-Tube.

7. I can download a song from itunes in 30 seconds. Before I bought the air card, it took 30 minutes and wasn't worth the trouble.

6. I have internet access anywhere I take my laptop and air card.

5. I can download and upload pictures and large documents.

4. The wireless USB dongle makes my laptop look like it has a tail.

3. My air card gives me something to write about on Aircard Information.

2. I can surf the web while riding down the interstate in a car.

And finally, the number one thing I like best about my air card....

1. I no longer tie up my phone line every time I get online.

How Fast is My Aircard's Internet Access?

No matter what method you use to access the Internet (whether it be dial-up, satellite, aircard, etc.), you may be wondering how fast your computer is connecting to the Internet for uploading and downloading information.

Some products easily display your Internet connection speed. Our aircard software allows us to run statistics, which shows our connection speed. For a more fun way to independently check your speed, you might want to visit Speedtest.net. To run a quick test, just visit the site.

A map of the United States will pop up on your screen, showing several locations of Internet servers. Select the one closest to you and wait for the test to be performed. You'll see graphics resembling a car dashboard, with an "odometer" that moves as your top speed is discovered. The first test checks the speed information is being downloaded, and then the test is repeated for uploading information.

A quick test of my aircard showed we were downloading information at 721 kbps. We repeated the test later and found we were connecting at 921 kbps. This is a massive increase over our dial-up, which usually connected at 28 kpbs.

Uploading speeds were approximately 228 kbps. You'll be concerned about uploading speeds only if you are planning to upload photos, music, or other large packages of data.

We recently learned the Internet was able to connect at 56 kbps as early as 1969, during its earliest inception. The aircard connection allowed us to enter the modern era.

I'm Glad I Chose an Aircard

This week's weather has me happy about my choice of an aircard as my high speed internet option. What does the weather have to do with an aircard? Let me explain.

The other night a snow and ice storm rolled through my area. My in-laws' satellite internet connection went down several times. First, it lost its connection with the satellite way above due to heavy cloud cover. Later, the signal was blocked by heavy snowfall. Finally, the satellite dish was covered with ice and quit working. My father-in-law had to go outside and thaw it out with a blow dryer. Through all of this, the aircard kept working and my internet access was not interrupted.

With an aircard, heavy clouds don't block reception because the signal is coming from a tower that is under the cloud cover. It seems like heavy snow fall could negatively affect my aircard's reception, but it didn't seem to. Finally, with an aircard there is nothing outside of the house to freeze up in bad weather. The aircard is safe and warm inside the house, unless you connect it to a booster and an external antenna to get an even better signal.

Aircard Rental

Why would someone want to rent an aircard instead of buying an aircard?

There are several reasons. Some companies rent aircards. By renting instead of buying, users avoid long term commitments with cellular or wireless companies.

Travelling for business or vacation is another common reason for renting an air card. For example, if I had cable or dsl at home but I needed highspeed internet while travelling in a remote area, I would consider renting an aircard. There's also another reason to rent an aircard that makes a lot of sense to me.

Why should I rent an aircard?

If you're looking for a broadband solution for your home and you live in an area where dsl and cable internet are not available, an aircard might be the best option. But the next question is which aircard is best. I've given my opinion in a previous article. The best air card is the one that has the best coverage where you live or wherever you're going to be using it most.

I've suggested asking around to see if anyone else in your area has experience with one of the companies (Alltel, Sprint, Verizon, etc.) that offer 3G service in your area. Another option would be to take a chance and go with the company that you get your cell phone service through.

But now, thanks to aircard rental companies, you can try out different 3G aircards by renting them. You can rent aircards from the cell phone providers that you might like to use and try them out from home or from your favorite coffee shop. Then, when you figure out which one works best and gives you optimal high speed service, you can go to a dealer for that company and get an aircard. Usually, you can get the card for free with a 2 year service plan.

If you decide a rental aircard is for you, you might want to check with the wireless providers in your area, but there are also several companies that rent aircards on the web. Most charge somewhere between six to fifteen dollars per day. It may also cost to have the aircard you rented delivered and returned by mail.

Wireless PC Aircard vs. Dial-up

I recently switched from a very slow dial-up connection to a much faster wireless aircard. The difference between the aircard and dial-up was like night and day.

• Dial-up where I live only connected at 24 kb/s. The air card connects at anywhere between 100 kb/s and 2 or 3 mb/s.

• With the aircard, I no longer have to tie up my phone line to use the internet.
• With dial-up, large pictures were slow to load and audio and video were impossible. Now, with the aircard I can watch videos and download music.
• I can take my aircard nearly anywhere I go. I can sit in the park with my laptop and no other connections and surf the web. If I go on vacation or on a business trip, my high-speed internet connection goes with me.
• I no longer have to look for a coffee shop or hotel that has wifi. If I'm in range of a cell phone tower, I have internet access through my laptop and aircard.
• When I was using dial-up, I had to be careful about sending email with large attachments because they would take forever to upload. With the aircard, large files like Power Point presentations and large Word files upload almost instantly.

So, you may ask, is there anything I preferred about dial-up over my new aircard? Yes, there is one thing.

• Dial-up is much cheaper. It only cost me $10.00 per month through Juno (a company I used for over 10 years). The wireless aircard was $25.00 to install, and the service plan costs $60.00 per month through Alltel.
  

Aircard Antennas and Boosters Extend Range

An aircard antenna or powered aircard booster may be what you need if you live on the fringe of 3G or EVDO coverage. Some people live in areas where their cell phone works, but they can't get high speed internet through their phone or through a wireless aircard. Usually, in these cases the aircard will still work but at dial-up speeds. This is because many of the wireless providers have a smaller coverage area for their broadband (EVDO) service than they do for their regular cell service.

If this is the case, you may be on the fringe, or just outside, the service range. You can find out by looking at the maps provided by most cell phone service providers. In such a case, you might be able to boost the reception of your aircard by connecting it to a larger antenna or by giving it a boost with something called a booster.

An aircard antenna allows your aircard to "see" more signals or a greater range of signals. Powered boosters actually plug into the wall and use electric power to amplify your outgoing signal and reception. Don't ask me how it works but manufacturers of boosters claim to increase an aircards range by up to 50 miles. However, there is one drawback. You may not be able to connect your aircard to an antenna if it does not have an external port or connector of some sort.

If you live in a rural area that is on the fringe of 3G cell service, an aircard antenna or booster may be what you need to finally get online at higher speeds.