What's the best wireless way to access the internet with a laptop from anywhere in a city?
Which is best – Bluetooth, cell phone wireless, broadband wireless, Verizon, Sprint, other? I want to be able to access the internet from anywhere in my town on my laptop but am confused with all the options. Which method is the most reliable and cost effective?
7 Responses
DefiantRican
28 Feb 2010
basscleff
28 Feb 2010
the best way for anywhere – but not the cheapest – is cellular phone adapter to laptop pcmcia card.
bluetooth is only for small distances (less than 10 feet)
Wireless service anywhere in your city may\may not be available. You should call all the local ISP’s to inquire.
If it is available, they will supply you with the hardware to access the network.
Marissa
28 Feb 2010
The best and cheapest are not what you have listed. The cell phone is too slow. Bluetooth is too expensive, etc. However, if you happen to live in a city such as San Francisco you can go anywhere and get connected for free.
Also any Panera Bakery in the country has free wi fi connection for their customers. You can always cruise around and find someone else’s system to piggy back, but that is illegal, so not suggesting that.
What you want is what we all want but are very far away from at this point in USA.
Dorian Grey
28 Feb 2010
Most reliable will be to use high speed wireless from your cell provider.
If you are paying for it, you could use your phone as a modem. The disadvantage is that while you are on a phone call, your data speed will be much slower.
I don’t know the cost differential, but the best method would be to use a data card/usb adapter to connect. That would let you surf at the fastest speeds, even if you were talking on your cell phone.
So, most reliable and cost effective, but sometimes not the fastest, phone as a modem. Most reliable and fastest but potentially not most cost effective, separate data adapter.
Skiggy
28 Feb 2010
You could cruise around the city and find a starbucks, almost all starbucks I know of have a wireless internet for their customers to use.
JMKyler3
28 Feb 2010
I am gonna add my two cents: I have been using Sprint’s EVDO Rev A for the last 3 months. (Thats when the service was rolled out in our area.) The speed isn’t bad, not as fast as cable broadband but fast enough to stream video. The cost isn’t cheap at $60 for a all you can eat plan. That’s with a two year contract and a free PC card or USB dongle.
Leta L
28 Feb 2010
this site will give you a sony vaio laptop just for completing some quick online tasks! really recommend it, especially if you’re broke but really want/need a laptop (like me).
Well, if you want a persistent connection, I would go with whatever cellular carrier has a connection via a pc card in your area. You could always look for hotspots someplace in the city but you would not always be online. With the cellular connection with the cell carrier, you will be able to get online where they have signal.