[Review] Sprint EVDO (Wireless broadband access)

[Zigma]

Note to all the nubs in this forum: It's a long read and I am immune to the kuno cards so don't bother.


Well, considering that I start school on the 13th this has been in my mind for a while now.

Since I'll be going to school from 9am to 4pm there is no way I was going to be without internet/a computer for that long and at that, without internet access.

I went to my loca sprint store only to find out that they are a bunch of idiots and wanted to try to sell me a phone with bluetooth (something I did not want or ask for). I left the store asking a few more questions etc and basically, they didnt not carry that.

As I walked down to the next block i spotted the local radio shack and I see that they have a mini-sprint store as well. All signed pointed to them not having it but I said fuck it and went in and asked. To my surprise they had it!

Now, Paying retail for it is not cheap, If you order the service online, you are able to get the card for free! At the store though I had to pay 100 bucks for the card which sucks because I was hoping to get it for free
They have a promotion up and the service is $59.99 a mo which is actually less that I was expecting it to me (I was thinking maybe $80/mo) There are also discounts that you can look into if you're a student so it can be cheaper.

Also, depending on your credit, you will be required to give a deposit of up to $125 and it varies with the current agreement/contract you get which can also have an impact on how much your card is gonna cost but usually it won't be much.

So, After doing the paper work, I put down a deposit for $125 (FUCKERS, EVEN WITH MY GOOD CREDIT!) and with the card came out to about $225.

::Speed and the actual service::
The speeds are very good. You won't be able to get an accurate result if you do a speed test because it sends data in packets. i am able to download stuff at about 120 to 150kb/sec which is awesome for portability but the speed actually varies depending on how many bars you have. Since I live in the city (New York) I am able to get the full speed almost every where I go.

Now, the big question
::CAN YOU PLAY FFXI::

YES!! :D :D :D

This is one of the reasons why I got it in the first place. I want to be able to chat with my linkshell etc during class (maybe attend a simple event or so) When you start POL up, It runs pretty smoothly. There is about a 2 second delay. For example on your broadband connection at home, when you sign on, the bar for "recieving msgs" shoots up to 100 right away. With this, it goes from 0 to 30, then to abou 75 then shoots to 100 in a time of about 2-3 seconds which isn't bad. This is prob due to the way data is transmitted (packets like I said before)

In game, it's the same as home. In lower jeuno with shout filter on, I don't see any hiccups or anything but I think i'll see how a party goes.

I assume since I can play FF11, That you're able to play games like WOW but for stuff like counter-strike etc, You might be pushing it might have a high ping so FPS games are out of the question. Maybe as technology advances things will start to get good.


::ISPs::
Most EVDO services are pretty much the same as far as connectivity but what makes the different is their terms of service.

Verizon from what I've read are by far the gayest. For example, They advertise "Unlimited usage" but many people have been cut off when they download more then 10gb worth of data!! Considering I am a heavy user, I saw this as a sign not to go with them.

Cingular (sp?) Also has this service as well and they call it "Edge". I don't know much about their ToS but the hardware is a bit more expensive. For more information, I recommend checking out their website. Their covering area isn't as great as verizon or sprint but they're out there.

Sprint from what I heard is the best, Unlimited and fairly cheaper then verizon.

Hope this helps anyone who's interested in getting this service and i'll be happy to answer any questions/run some test (maybe you have a game you want me to try to see if it runs at a good speed etc)

[blud]

If you are in college, why dont you just use the wireless internet? Most schools have it available for free to students.

[Almaa]

you're going to fail all your classes

[Raivyn]

you're going to fail all your classes

I completely agree lol

[Zigma]

If you are in college, why dont you just use the wireless internet? Most schools have it available for free to students.

The one that will prob be available to me will be pretty restricted and not allow me to do shit.

you're going to fail all your classes

Nah, I know my limits.

[Darkvalentine]

hey zigma how is the Sprint working out on Peek times?

Cause im thinking on getting Verizon Wireless plan but there System tends to go down in Philly alot... at Peek times.