hotspots

How to get pay-as-you-go 3G service for your iPad

iPad buyers face a difficult decision: to 3G or not to 3G? After all, the entry-level 3G iPad costs $629, plus $14.99/month for a 250MB data plan or $29.99/month for unlimited. You don't have to sign up for a contract, which is great, but the fact remains you're paying yet another wireless bill for service on a single device.

There is another option. With a Verizon MiFi card, a combination wireless modem and Wi-Fi router, you could choose the cheaper Wi-Fi-only iPad and still enjoy 3G Internet just about anywhere. Plus, you get to share that connectivity with up to four other users/devices.

However, that's a much pricier solution: The MiFi locks you into a two-year Verizon contract and charges you a minimum of $39.99 per month--$59.99 if you choose the unlimited data plan.

That's why I'm hitching my wireless wagon to Virgin Mobile's Broadband2Go, a pay-as-you-go service that requires no contract and no monthly minimums. (Here's my hands-on review of the service in case you're interested.)

Broadband2Go works with a Novatel-made USB aircard that sells for $99.99 (or $88.54 at Walmart). Obviously you can't plug it directly into an iPad (the modem was made with laptops in mind), but there's a workaround: the CradlePoint PHS300.

Plug the Broadband2Go into this compact, battery-powered Wi-Fi router and presto: You've got MiFi-style functionality from a pay-as-you-go provider.

Plus, the PHS300 supports up to 16 simultaneous users/devices, versus just five on the MiFi. It's not quite as elegant a solution, but it's definitely cheaper in the long run.… Read more

Get a CradlePoint mobile Wi-Fi hot spot for $99.99

I'm a huge fan of the Verizon MiFi 2200, a pocket-friendly 3G modem that doubles as a Wi-Fi hot spot. Just one problem: it locks you into a two-year contract with Verizon and costs a minimum of $40 per month--$60 if you opt for the unlimited-data 5GB data plan.

You can accomplish much of the same thing with the CradlePoint PHS300, currently on sale at Buy.com for $99.99 shipped. The only difference is, it's BYO wireless card.

In other words, you have to supply the modem; the PHS300 turns it into a secure Wi-Fi hot … Read more

Sprint announces 3G/4G wireless Wi-Fi router

LAS VEGAS--Sprint Nextel introduced a 3G/4G wireless router Wednesday night called the Sprint Overdrive that will allow subscribers to share their wireless broadband connection among Wi-Fi devices.

The Overdrive router, made by Sierra Wireless, uses Sprint's 4G WiMax network, where it's available, to allow customers to access the Internet and then it shares that bandwidth among Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Where 4G service isn't available, the router connects to the Internet using Sprint's 3G EV-DO wireless network. Subscribers can connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as laptops, cameras, game consoles and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

Sprint, which … Read more

Get a Novatel MiFi 2200 card free

If there's a single device that's almost as universally adored as the iPhone, it's the Novatel MiFi 2200.

This ingenious gadget puts a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot in your pocket, delivering 3G broadband to up to five nearby devices.

Normally the card costs $99.99, but right now Wirefly is offering the MiFi 2200 for free with a 2-year Verizon contract. Shipping is free, too, though you will have to pay a $35 activation fee.

You'll also have to pay monthly service charges, but, hey, that's the price of doing mobile-broadband business. Verizon charges $39.99/… Read more

T-Mobile rolls out HotSpot @Home for business

T-Mobile announced Monday that it will extend its HotSpot @Home service to include businesses. Right now, the service allows regular consumers to make unlimited calls via a home Wi-Fi network (provided you have a UMA-supported phone), and if they wander out of range, the call will switch over to the cellular network.

Like the consumer model, businesses need only pay a flat monthly rate to take advantage of the unlimited Wi-Fi calls, though it'll likely take place over enterprise-grade Wi-Fi networks instead. This makes sense to us, since businesses have a lot more people wheeling and dealing over the … Read more

Verizon changes tune on Wi-Fi

Verizon Communications has had a change of heart about using Wi-Fi to extend its wireless broadband offering as the company announces free access to Wi-Fi hot spots for its Fios and DSL Internet customers.

On Monday the company announced that customers subscribed to its Verizon Fios Internet service with 20Mbps per second downstream and 15Mbps upstream or faster and customers who subscribe to its 3Mbps/768 Kbps or higher DSL service will be able to connect to Verizon Wi-Fi hot spots, at no additional charge as part of their broadband service.

Verizon has partnered with the Wi-Fi service Boingo to … Read more

LevelOne instant hotspot: Just add 3G modem

The $149 LevelOne MobileSpot is really a pretty simple idea. Take a fairly standard portable 802.11b/g wireless router and build in a PC Card slot and USB port that lets you turn a 3G wireless PC Card or USB modem into an instant hotspot. Then basically all you need is a decent signal and you can set up a network just about anywhere.

The MobileSpot (WBR-3800) can also be used with a cable or DSL modem connected by Ethernet allowing you to leave the 3G option as backup, so there's less chance your connection will ever be … Read more

Shield your wi-fi

This freeware program promises to encrypt all your Internet connections, but since most public wi-fi access points in the U.S. are open, it's a bit hard to gauge Hotspot Shield's effectiveness. However, the connection itself is a bit wonky.

Once the program is installed, it creates an HTML link on your desktop. Double-clicking on it will open the application in your Web browser, and you'll be taken to a page detailing your Connection Status, IP Address, Server Address, Bytes sent and received, and the duration of the connection. Hotspot Shield is ad supported, so you'll … Read more

Shield your wi-fi

Zune's Wi-Fi finally becomes useful!

Update and correction: based on information I received from Microsoft, I mistakenly credited the wrong blog with breaking this news--it was actually first posted by Zunerama. Microsoft has since put out a press release confirming many of the details, including the specific radio metadata formats that are supported by the "Buy from FM" feature.

I'd been briefed on the upcoming Zune update and was supposed to hold my fire until next week, but somebody at Fry's Electronics posted details online, and the bloggers at fan site Zunerama passed them along to the public, although the site … Read more