Foo - Wireless internet for home?

I'm sick of my cable company, so I'm about to cut the cord. First step is replacing my internet access with wireless. I get good reception with my Verizon phone (no landline) at home. Has anyone else done this? My new laptop has built in 4G WiMax.

I think you would pay far more for 4G than a network connection. Of course if you are already paying for it, you might as well use it.

If you get a tablet PC then some of them let you treat it like a hotspot. You fire up the tablet then connect to it with your regular PC.


Have you considered DSL? I only pay $20 a month for verizon DSL.

Mobile broadband prices have come down a lot. The 5Gb plan is $10 cheaper than my cable broadband plan:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans

Our house would go way over the amount of monthly data that a 4G plan would allow, plus we occasionally need good speed for Netflix streaming.

We are completely fed up with our cable company also, and we are considering changing to Verizon FIOS. I have rewired the house in preparation for switching.

Look at Clear Wireless in your area, if available. They're using 4G now, your account is tied to the device not a location (so you can bring it on vacation if they have coverage, and not pay hotel network rates). We've been using Clear for about 3 years and haven't been disappointed with them. Sure, I've had my angry days when signal drops in the wee hours of the morning if they're pushing though updates, but meh, it's been better than the service when we were with Comcast.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/review-telstra-best-mifi-pocket-3g-wi-fi-hotspot-sierra-wireless-ac753s-ultimate

Just for full disclosure, I do work in R&D for Sierra Wireless, but I didn't write the review. These are great though - and a good solution for home wireless if you can find a data plan that works for you. That review is for Telstra (Australia), but we do sell similar product for American networks as well, as well as single user USB sticks if you don't need the WiFi router. It's dependent on the carrier (and their coverage in your area) and the plan/rates you can get, but this technology is ready to start replacing wired services now.

I used Clear for about a year at my shop. I think they use a "special" 4G, though so I kinda doubt you'd be able to use your built-in 4G. I could be wrong.

I'd probably go with their home radio "modem" and plug that into a wireless router then just go WiFi for your laptop. The home modems seem to get better reception than the laptop dongles.

I'd ask a rep to bring a clear dongle and/or modem with them so you can see what the connection's like.

Only about 5 M down/ 1 up for me and I had good signal. Those speeds are fine for my use, though.

Beware there is a cap even though they say it's unlimited. I was really ill for a month and watch incredible amounts of Netflix and Hulu streaming and they choked me down to 1 M down/up after 20 days of that.

$30 a month is pretty reasonable.