Internet air cards

RamJet · 09-17-2010, 08:02 PM

I bought an internet air card at Best Buy in Portsmouth and was surprised how well it did throughout most of the lake. I used my laptop on my boat to keep an eye on the weather.

I bet it would work well on some of the islands with a laptop.

fpartri497 · 09-17-2010, 09:28 PM

I use verizons air card on my laptop at the lake and It is extremely slow sometimes 4-min. for ma page to open.

rick35 · 09-17-2010, 10:53 PM

I tether my verizon blackberry to my laptop when at the lake. Response time this summer is terrible. I don't remember it being this bad other years. Even phone calls sometimes don't go through right away. Service used to be excellent. Its about as slow as a dial up. I'll have to check it with speed checker.

rick35 · 09-18-2010, 12:16 AM

I ran performance tests for my tethered blackberry using dslreports.com and toast.net and the average download speed is around 115kbs. I'm told that the tether gets about the same performance as an air card.

trfour · 09-18-2010, 04:04 AM

Charge us more, give us Less!

I know all about that our Government seems to care'Less about US these days...

Old school ain't doing US right, over here!

Terry
_______________________________

Lakesrider · 09-18-2010, 08:52 AM

More and more cell phones and mobile broadband users are tying up service. I have a friend that works for Verizon and he says it is only going to get worse, unless we go to some new technology that is a few years out right now.
Go to Japan. You blink and your online. I had never seen anything so fast in my life and everyone on the island has a cell phone. I saw a guy in the mountain rice paddies with a blackberry looking phone....geesh. And the USA is supposed to be the Best.....

RamJet · 09-18-2010, 09:51 AM

I don"t know about Verizon. My air card is some new AT&T technology that maybe Verizon does not have. The sales guy at Best Buy told me about it.

ishoot308 · 09-19-2010, 08:23 AM

I have a 5 gb. Verizon mobile broadband card that I use on Welch and many other places around the lake and it works great. It's plenty fast and I have had no issues whatsoever.

Dan

Island Girl · 09-19-2010, 09:38 AM

I have been using Verizon wireless cards for 8+ years on Rattlesnake. The current speeds are terrible compared to what we had when EVDO went live about 3 years ago. Before EVDO we had much slower speeds, but the would beat 24k from the phone line which was the standard a few years ago.

The line drops and slow speeds are very frustrating. I will support any effort to get higher speeds. here.

That being said, once in a while the speeds are acceptable and just fine. It is very variable.

IG

ishoot308 · 09-19-2010, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick35

I ran performance tests for my tethered blackberry using dslreports.com and toast.net and the average download speed is around 115kbs. I'm told that the tether gets about the same performance as an air card.

I just tried the test at toast.net and my Verizon air card on Welch island did 500 K.

Is this good??

Dan

Lucky1 · 09-19-2010, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I have a 5 gb. Verizon mobile broadband card that I use on Welch and many other places around the lake and it works great. It's plenty fast and I have had no issues whatsoever.

Dan

I have the Verizon stick that you put in the USB port and it works well almost everywhere in the country!

rick35 · 09-19-2010, 09:55 AM

I agree about Verizon. My blackberry bars go from 5 to zero and back all the time on Bear. I've never seen that anywhere else.

rick35 · 09-19-2010, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I just tried the test at toast.net and my Verizon air card on Welch island did 500 K.

Is this good??

Dan

I think that's very good. Could be the tower I'm connecting to or it could be my blackberry.

brk-lnt · 09-19-2010, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I just tried the test at toast.net and my Verizon air card on Welch island did 500 K.

Is this good??

Dan

It's good for the area.

upthesaukee · 09-19-2010, 12:18 PM

...is www.speedtest.net . I use it often to check Metrocast. I have 7MB service with them, and run around 6.8 MB on the download speeds. that is out of the Portland site.

ishoot308 · 09-19-2010, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

...is www.speedtest.net . I use it often to check Metrocast. I have 7MB service with them, and run around 6.8 MB on the download speeds. that is out of the Portland site.

I just tried that site and had 1.12 MB/S download and .57 MB/S upload and 168 MS ping with Verizon air card on Welch, whatever that all means!!??

Dan

upthesaukee · 09-19-2010, 06:46 PM

The download speed is pretty important because that is the rate that you are downloading at (x # of MB's per second.). the upload speed isn't so critical unless you are uploading large files. Most of our uploading is in the form of small bits of info asking to go to this website or that website. The MS is a latency test that I believe is more like an indication of the amount of time to connect to the site, kinda like the old "handshake" with dial up modems. At least that is how all this was explained to me. Someone a lot smarter and/or techier than I may have better or more accurate info.

rick35 · 09-19-2010, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I just tried that site and had 1.12 MB/S download and .57 MB/S upload and 168 MS ping with Verizon air card on Welch, whatever that all means!!??

Dan

I could live with that! That's excellent! I must have a problem with my equipment. That's the kind of performance I used to get with my old blackberry when tethered. We must be connecting to the same towers as I don't think I'm far from you from where I am on south Bear.

upthesaukee · 09-20-2010, 06:53 AM

I would guess that both you and Ishoot308 are hitting the Gunstock tower, and I would think you would be at least another mile from the tower. Using Google earth, it is about 5 miles from Gunstock to Welch's, and about 7 miles to the southern tip of Bear. Or you could both be off of other towers in the area. Hard to tell.

Lakepilot · 09-20-2010, 07:45 AM

We're in South Wolfeboro.

With a Metrocast connections speeds were:

6.77 down
.48 up

With a Verizon MIFI card:

1.37 down
.42 up

All with speedtest.net off Portland.

This morning, Metrocast is quick, but about half the time in the morning it slows to a crawl.

rick35 · 10-16-2010, 02:59 PM

I think the problem I was having on Bear is that I didn't have an EV broadband connection. I had a digital cell connection which is identified by the 1X that appears on the display and i was connecting at the slower cellular speed. Of course I figured that out on the day we closed up for the season. As we were leaving I noticed I had EV service just off the shoreline. Next season maybe if I sit close enough to the front slider I'll get service. Kind of like our cell service at home.

09-17-2010, 08:02 PM	#1
RamJet Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NH Seacoast and Smith's Cove Posts: 58 Thanks: 20 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Internet air cards I bought an internet air card at Best Buy in Portsmouth and was surprised how well it did throughout most of the lake. I used my laptop on my boat to keep an eye on the weather. I bet it would work well on some of the islands with a laptop. __________________ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

09-17-2010, 09:28 PM	#2
fpartri497 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Concord NH Posts: 681 Thanks: 97 Thanked 48 Times in 39 Posts	internet air cards I use verizons air card on my laptop at the lake and It is extremely slow sometimes 4-min. for ma page to open. __________________ dont worry be happy

09-18-2010, 04:04 AM	#5
trfour Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The Lakes, Central NH. and Dallas/Fort Worth TX. Posts: 3,694 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 3,069 Thanked 472 Times in 236 Posts	Seems To Be An Epidemic... Charge us more, give us Less! I know all about that our Government seems to care'Less about US these days... Old school ain't doing US right, over here! Terry _______________________________ __________________ *trfour* Always Remember, The Best Safety Device In The Boat, or on a PWC Snowmobile etc., Is YOU! Safe sledding tips and much more; http://www.snowmobile.org/snowmobiling-safety.html

09-18-2010, 09:51 AM	#7
RamJet Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NH Seacoast and Smith's Cove Posts: 58 Thanks: 20 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	AT&T air card I don"t know about Verizon. My air card is some new AT&T technology that maybe Verizon does not have. The sales guy at Best Buy told me about it. __________________ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

09-19-2010, 08:23 AM	#8
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 5,568 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 4,603 Times in 1,770 Posts	Verizon Broadband I have a 5 gb. Verizon mobile broadband card that I use on Welch and many other places around the lake and it works great. It's plenty fast and I have had no issues whatsoever. Dan

09-17-2010, 10:53 PM	#3
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 705 Thanks: 54 Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts	I tether my verizon blackberry to my laptop when at the lake. Response time this summer is terrible. I don't remember it being this bad other years. Even phone calls sometimes don't go through right away. Service used to be excellent. Its about as slow as a dial up. I'll have to check it with speed checker.

09-18-2010, 12:16 AM	#4
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 705 Thanks: 54 Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts	I ran performance tests for my tethered blackberry using dslreports.com and toast.net and the average download speed is around 115kbs. I'm told that the tether gets about the same performance as an air card.

09-18-2010, 08:52 AM	#6
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	More and more cell phones and mobile broadband users are tying up service. I have a friend that works for Verizon and he says it is only going to get worse, unless we go to some new technology that is a few years out right now. Go to Japan. You blink and your online. I had never seen anything so fast in my life and everyone on the island has a cell phone. I saw a guy in the mountain rice paddies with a blackberry looking phone....geesh. And the USA is supposed to be the Best.....

09-19-2010, 09:38 AM	#9
Island Girl Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Central MA Posts: 2,352 Thanks: 18 Thanked 535 Times in 179 Posts	Lost its oomph I have been using Verizon wireless cards for 8+ years on Rattlesnake. The current speeds are terrible compared to what we had when EVDO went live about 3 years ago. Before EVDO we had much slower speeds, but the would beat 24k from the phone line which was the standard a few years ago. The line drops and slow speeds are very frustrating. I will support any effort to get higher speeds. here. That being said, once in a while the speeds are acceptable and just fine. It is very variable. IG __________________ Island Girl ....... Make Lemonade

09-19-2010, 09:55 AM	#12
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 705 Thanks: 54 Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts	I agree about Verizon. My blackberry bars go from 5 to zero and back all the time on Bear. I've never seen that anywhere else.

09-19-2010, 12:18 PM	#15
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,495 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,326 Thanked 1,871 Times in 1,045 Posts	Another test sight... ...is www.speedtest.net . I use it often to check Metrocast. I have 7MB service with them, and run around 6.8 MB on the download speeds. that is out of the Portland site. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

09-19-2010, 06:46 PM	#17
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,495 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,326 Thanked 1,871 Times in 1,045 Posts	I dunno :) The download speed is pretty important because that is the rate that you are downloading at (x # of MB's per second.). the upload speed isn't so critical unless you are uploading large files. Most of our uploading is in the form of small bits of info asking to go to this website or that website. The MS is a latency test that I believe is more like an indication of the amount of time to connect to the site, kinda like the old "handshake" with dial up modems. At least that is how all this was explained to me. Someone a lot smarter and/or techier than I may have better or more accurate info. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

09-20-2010, 06:53 AM	#19
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,495 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,326 Thanked 1,871 Times in 1,045 Posts	Tower Locations I would guess that both you and Ishoot308 are hitting the Gunstock tower, and I would think you would be at least another mile from the tower. Using Google earth, it is about 5 miles from Gunstock to Welch's, and about 7 miles to the southern tip of Bear. Or you could both be off of other towers in the area. Hard to tell. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

09-20-2010, 07:45 AM	#20
Lakepilot Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 446 Thanks: 70 Thanked 57 Times in 40 Posts	We're in South Wolfeboro. With a Metrocast connections speeds were: 6.77 down .48 up With a Verizon MIFI card: 1.37 down .42 up All with speedtest.net off Portland. This morning, Metrocast is quick, but about half the time in the morning it slows to a crawl.

10-16-2010, 02:59 PM	#21
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 705 Thanks: 54 Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts	Ev-do I think the problem I was having on Bear is that I didn't have an EV broadband connection. I had a digital cell connection which is identified by the 1X that appears on the display and i was connecting at the slower cellular speed. Of course I figured that out on the day we closed up for the season. As we were leaving I noticed I had EV service just off the shoreline. Next season maybe if I sit close enough to the front slider I'll get service. Kind of like our cell service at home.

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