Wireless Internet Goodness for the Mac

Howdy, Everybody;

Yesterday, I bought the Alltel branded version of the UTStarcom UM150 wireless modem, and added that line to my cellular account. Unlimited access.

After some bobbles because the product was new to the sales staff, it is now working well; using www.internetfrog.com broadband test to check performance, I’ve seen download speeds as low as 400 kbps and as high as 950 kpps, which is respectable. These numbers are true both at my office and at my home.

The significance is that out where I live, up until this became available the ONLY option for broadband was satellite internet. Where I live there is no DSL, no Cable, no fiber-optic lines. Over the years, I have tried Starband, and Hughesnet (formerly Direcway), both satellite providers. Both are adequate but not great. Their main selling point is that they work, but frequently performance is not as advertised, and, frankly, service generally sucks. As of this morning, the download speed on the satellite was OK but the upload speed was about 1/4 the advertised speed.

Now I have a different option. It’s working well so far, and compatible with the Macbook Pro. I may replace the satellite system with one of these. A little gadget about the size of a pocket knife that can replace a satellite dish on a pole, about 120 feet of wire, and a modem/router about the size of a ring binder. With comparable performance. For about $10 a month less. And it’s portable. I’ve also noticed the lack of latency you get with satellite; with satellite you actually have to factor in the speed of light to the geostationary satellite, in both directions. The signal travels 50,000 miles minimum even if you’re only sending an email next door. So response on the cellular system is a bit snappier.

So far, I’m impressed. We’ll see how it goes.

-Pop