Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Wireless Modem Review

Due to my peculiar circumstances, and possibly my peculiar construction and constitution, I have been connected on line via air card modem--cellular system, just like what phones use. G with a number in front. 3G 4G

Anyway, it has been through Millenicom.com ever since I left Memphis. It is a different animal getting connected on Ballistic Mountain. My original intent was to be wired in when I left TN, even as a vagabond, and the setup was as good as I could do up here. It used to be much cheaper, but to maintain the unlimited part I had to start paying more. When I checked what a regular cell company would charge it no longer seemed like highway robbery, and I was not forced into a contract.

It is still a lot, but all alternatives charge a lot up front, require installing a satellite dish or other equipment and still want to limit usage or charge a bundle. When my Franklin modem starting going south--falling apart--I was happy to know I'm grandfathered in to this deal because it is not available any more.

I was nervous when the new Sierra modem arrived. Not only because I wondered if it was something to do with the Sierra Club and lobbying, but because you have to uninstall the software affiliated with the old modem and trust that when you plug this into the usb port that it will install and work.

It took a little messing around but not much. I haven't had this kind of speed in a long time. And I did not have to call up the tech support. That is another thing about Millenicom, when you call tech support, or billing, you rarely wait longer than a minute, and you get an American who lives in the USA. They have always solved whatever issue I had, and I have had ver few over the almost four years with them.

I don't know what all they offer now, but if it is comparable to something you're looking at elsewhere, I'd go with Millenicom. Their service is as good or better than Mindspring back in the late 90's, and they were good.

This turned out to be more of a cellular internet service provider review than a modem review. The Franklin cdu-680 was good and served me a long time. I liked the pouch it came with. This one has no pouch but it is smaller, does not rotate, and uses pretty blue lights that don't blink all the time. So, you have the good and bad, but I think the sierra is somehow more MAC compatible. All seems faster.

The other posts before this are more interesting. And more full of ego if you go down two.

I was prepared to spend hours getting this right, expecting I'd have to get the tech girl on the phone again. They have guys too. I just liked the female who handled the process of getting this sent to me. She said that she was the best for MAC support. Older males are really pitiful.
Maybe I am turning into an old lecher. OK. I was that way when I was younger, too. Now I blame it on being older than dirt.

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Ballistic Mountain, CA, United States
Like spring on a summer's day

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