Using Cell Service for Home Internet

Admin

Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Well, we have finally joined the rest of the world with 3G service here in the Keweenaw and now I am considering dropping my satellite internet and going to using the cell service for my home/office internet provider. I am not looking at just hooking one computer up using an air card. I need to hook my entire home office computer network up to it. AT&T has the MyFii system, which they say will do just that. We have done some speed tests and it looks like download speeds are about 2-3X what we get with the satellite (1.7Mbps with cell signal), but upload is on the order of 4-7X SLOWER than the satellite (.09Mbps).

So, my questions are:

1) Does anyone use this type of system (MyFii, not just aircard, but am interested in general service, so replies about aircards are fine too)?

2) Are the upload/download speeds we are getting in our test results what we will see with the MyFii or is it just the phones being so slow- especially on the upload.

3) Any other ways to utilize the cell service without signing up for the data program? Basically they charge $10 for every gig downloaded, so I would need to keep it to 8 gig or less to match the current price for our satellite service.

My main reason for switching is for speed of service and not necessarily price and the upload speeds concern me. Although we might save a few bucks too- as long as we do not get too crazy with YouTube!

Thanks!

-John
 
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doospunk

Active member
John - I set my parents up on Verizons myfii version over on the Dead River Basin near Ishpeming. Benefit of the Myfii is that you can connect up to 5 different PC's at any given time on a single device. THe downfall with the air card is that unless you plan on moving it from one pc to another every time you need to access the internet, you will end up with multiple air cards requiring their individual data plans, and they are generally a bit bulky, especially when attaching them to a laptop. Verizon's got pretty decent coverage in the UP as well, so if you haven't already, go check out their Myfii card and see how that performance compares to the AT&T card. There's a number of varying factors that will always play into the performance of your seeing. 1. Line of site to the tower, 2. Distance to tower, 3. Access capacity to tower. (It's the amount of bandwidth the carrier has alloted to the tower itself), 4. usage. (Performance can vary based on the # of users pulling data off that tower at any given time.) The other upside of the Myfii is that it's easy to pack away and take with you. Anywhere you can grab signal, you'll be connected.
 
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azandy

New member
John,
Here in Green Bay, we have 3g from our local Cellcom phone provider. It works ok but not nearly as well as our dsl.
I'm not sure how well different satellite providers work.
I'm using my phone right now in 3g to type this. I have only an ok signal where I am and this site is real slow as an example.
A gig as you know is a lot of download. For me, that portion would not be much of an issue.
I would make sure you have or can get full signal where you are.
Many people in the full-time camping world use AT&T or Verizon and seem to he happy with it. Many set up a home office in their camper wherever they are staying.
Jmho.
 
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dcsnomo

Moderator
Hi John-
I use a cellcom cellular router here in Door County. I am kinda sorta ok with it, but Frontier has just brought DSL to the boonies here so I am switching in a week.
To your questions...download speeds are at best 1mg. That's ok, but irritating to always wait just a bit (I am spoiled by the 10mg connection at the motel!)
Service is good, but speeds vary a lot, I think it is due to capacity and useage at the tower. My friends who switched form sattelite to this service are happier by far.

I also use the Sprint hotspot on my cell phone. This is fantastic, just turn on and there is the internet for up to 5 untethered devices. Speed is as good or better than cellcom router, in metro areas it is great, especially in 4g markets like Chicago. The problem is that coverage at home is not all that great, whereas the Cellcom router nearly always works. The reason I did not replace the Cellcom router with Sprint is that my phone has to be here for my wife to use the internet, and that is a clumsy solution.
I have never used the sattelite service, but I know that my friends who dropped it for Cellcom are happier.
 
Admin

Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks for all the info so far!

I am only about a little over a mile away from the tower and great line of sight (just a few trees and the clean Keweenaw air separating us). Always have 4 bars on the phone, so signal should not be an issue (compared to satellite that does go out with severe weather and snow build up, or lately, other unknown reasons). I don't know what the access capacity of the tower would be, but I know the usage is low as it basically serves the boonies. Plus, the vast majority of my upload/download is done when most are still sleeping (4-7am), so I am not too concerned about others slowing down the system when I need it most for work.

My biggest concern is actually the upload speeds. I do a considerable amount of sending for both the website and also my regular weather duties and the speeds we were getting off Nora's I phone were very slow (0.09Mbps). So what I wonder is if the upload speeds were slow because of the phone, or because the system is just that slow.

Dcsnomo- have you ever run a speedtest on your cellular router? I would be interested to know what speeds you get. I know it's comparing apples to oranges with all the variables involved, but if your upload speeds are more along the lines of what my satellite speeds are, then I would likely make the switch. If you get a chance, could you go to: http://www.speedtest.net/ and run a test to see what the speeds are? It's free and very easy.

Kris- I'll look into Verizon. Not sure if they share the Fulton Tower with AT&T or not. I think most of the towers in the Houghton/Hancock area are both AT&T and Verizon.

-John
 
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doospunk

Active member
John - A lot of carriers have leasing arrangments with each other to place their equipment on each others tower. (Keeps cost down), so Verizon may very well be serving off the same tower. As to your question regarding the device speeds, you are correct, different devices (believe it or not) will vary in performance, based on the equipment used within, and design of the phone, so it's not always a good representation of upload/download testing. A good example of this was the last Iphone (I believe 3) that kept dropping calls, and was extremely slow. It was later determined by apple that the new antenna design was the issue, and offered free bumpers (covers) for the phone that alleviated the signal degredation by creating a barrier between peoples fingers and the antenna (Which was the cause for bad signal).

I did not realize you were testing off the iphone. My recommendation would be to go in to an AT&T and Verizon retail store, and let them know you'd like to demo their MiFii's. Take them both home, and see which works best, then go from there.
 
Admin

Admin

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Staff member
Thanks Kris.

I did not know I could demo the MyFii. I will be calling both AT&T and Verizon this afternoon to see about setting up a demo.

Thanks!

-John
 
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doospunk

Active member
Just let them know your interested in the service, but need to ensure it will work from your location. Any good retailer should allow. We were able to set a demo up for my folks, and I know a few other folks who have done the same. GOod luck.
 
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t_man

New member
John,

A friend of mine has the Verizon mobile hotspot and also has the hotspot capability set up on his Droid phone. It works reasonably well when one computer is connected and in use. It can bog down significantly if two or more devices are connected and accessing the web at the same time. It is significant enough that he would never want to rely on it for primary use but it is very useful as a backup or for traveling.

I also have a 3G Ipad. Service over the 3G is definitely slower than over pretty much any wifi connection I can get.

I haven't ever used satellite so I can't compare against that. We're in the big city of Cincinnati so we're comparing against DSL type alternatives. Sounds like demo'ing the MyFii is the way to go.

Good luck!

T_man
 
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joks79

Member
I tether my blackberry to my laptop. I have Verizon and I am two miles from the towers. I have never checked the speed, but downloads take a while. I will check the speed tonight.
 
Admin

Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Did a little phone calling and the tower by me is only used by AT&T. So I called one retailer and they could not set up a demo. I could get the system and if I don't like it, get refunded all but $35. The other retailer in Houghton can (and is actually looking for folks like me to demo the setup so that he can have some data to use for his sales purposes). He just needs to get things setup. So it looks like I will be trying things out next week. The retailer that is going to let me demo said he has been playing around with the new system and said that it is actually better than 3G, but not true 4G. Said his download speeds have been running anywhere from 3-5Mbps and upload around 1.5. If that is true, that is about 6-8 times faster than my satellite setup on both ends :Dand I would just need to see how it would work with my home network. I would also love to be able to take this device when I travel to family/places without broadband, but with 3/4G cell service.

-John
 
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polarisrider1

New member
I would not do it. Spent much time with AT&T, Verizon and Direct TV tonight. Changing plans around. Hooking my 3G to my computer downloads take forever and watching you tube You will fall asleep waiting. Best time with verizon 3G to Computer is 1.0, my AT&T current high speed is 6.0 and Uverse which I get on Dec.5th is 12.0. I bundled it with DirectTV billing and will pay $24.95 per month for screaming fast internet and my home phone goes bye bye. Current High speed requires a home phone.

Also if you decide to go with a cell phone hook up you better check out how much GB's you get each month. I have unlimited with 3G in my plan (grand fathered in). My wife with her new 4G service on gets 2GB's per month. Lots of variables to look at.
 
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doospunk

Active member
Wayne - The MiFii is a device (a bit bigger than the size of a credit card) that simply plugs into any outlet or car adapter, and establishes data connectivity with the nearest tower. YOur PC or smartphone simply uses it's WIFI to connect to the MiFii puck. I agree that tethering your phone to a PC is not the way to go. As mentioned above, you will get varying results with various devices, but the MiFii has generally been a good hit in the instances I've seen it. My buddy whose a pharmaceutical rep brought his up to Krupp's 2 seasons ago, and we were both connected in cabin 9 with our laptops surfing, and watching video just fine. I guess it all depends on what people consider fast, and location. YOu have to remember that John and many others up his way don't have the options for higher speed services there unless they go with some type of business grade dedicated connection, which is cost prohibitive. They simply will not have the means to acheive 12 megs like you or I on services like Uverse because it's not available, so 1 to 2 megs down/up can be a significant improvement, compared to other alternatives.
 
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Admin

Admin

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Staff member
doospunk said:
They simply will not have the means to acheive 12 megs like you or I on Uverse because it's not available, so 1 to 2 megs down/up can be a significant improvement, compared to other alternatives.
Click to expand...

I can't even imagine what 12 megs would be like! The sad part is Charter service is at my neighbors about 800 feet away, but not going any further. I even offered to pay the expense of bringing it here and they said no. To tell you the honest truth, living in the sticks like I do, you have to make some sacrifices and I have just been very happy that I can even get broadband through the satellite. It's not that bad when you think back to what dial up and the first DSL was like. However, I am always looking for ways to improve my internet service, since all of my business is done over it.

Again, I appreciate all the help everyone has given. I am excited to test out the MyFii next week.

-John
 
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t_man

New member
Living in the sticks isn't always that way. The local telephone co-op pulled underground fiber to the door of every cottage at our lake place in north central MN. We can't even get that here in Cincinnati. They said they had to replace the phone wires anyway so they just jumped a generation and went straight to fiber.

All we have running on that fiber is local phone service. We looked at internet service but you have to commit to a full year which isn't worth it for the amount of time we'd use it.
 
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danbell78

New member
I am interested in how your testing turns out John. My parents (SW Wisconsin) have a similar satellite internet service and aren't thrilled with it. If your testing comes out well I may suggest that they try a MiFi type device, except their's would have to be Verizon, since that is the closest tower.
 
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