Text 57330, 79 rader
Skriven 2009-10-04 22:00:01 av August Abolins (1:123/789.0)
  Kommentar till text 57325 av Shawn Highfield (1:229/452.0)
Ärende: USB Rogers doohickey
============================
Shawn Highfield -> August Abolins said..

 SH> I thought this was like a perminate box you would leave in
 SH> your home that would allow you to share the Rogers internet
 SH> connection over wifi?  Heck who knows?

It actually does sound like that.  It's probably an all-in-one
"stick+router+wifi" box.

I was dabbling with the idea of how to share my Stick connection concurrently
with another computer.  Seems the only way to do it (without adding additional
hardware) is peer to peer, internet connection sharing or "allow other
computers to share this computer's internet connection".  But that would
automatically cancel any other access via the existing router. In other words,
192.168.x.x breaks.  (I know, I tried it.)



 SH> I'm going to be working out of a friends country office for
 SH> the next couple of months and he's already on the Rogers
 SH> Internet stick, so I am picking one of those up in the morning
 SH> on my way into the office.

You'll probably get the newer Novatel model (a white/red stick with a flip-up
mini antenna built-in.  Be prepared for a rough start on your account.  Rogers
has problems with  activating new accounts - and remembering them!  That is,
you may have a sussessful connection for one session, but you may get a
"Connection denied.." or "Unknown account.." the next time.


 SH> ...I have been using my Blackberry
 SH> tethered to the laptop, but everytime my phone rings I loose
 SH> data connections.

Isn't there an equivalent "disable call waiting" or the ability to temporarily
block all incoming calls?



 SH> I hope I won't go broke, everything I do is web based so will
 SH> be connected to that damn stick 8 hours a day.

Roger's doesn't meter online time, just total UL/DL bytes.

So far, I've managed to stay under my 500mb threshold without incurring
additional costs. But I don't use the stick everyday. And I primarily use it to
only check out something quick, a couple of video clips per month, or to deal
with email.  My billing period ends on the 8th.  I received a text message that
I am at 80% of the 500mb today.

Sounds like you may be a candidate for the "flex plan". That would set you back
starting at $35/mo minimum.  If you sign up for a 2yr plan (flex plan or not),
your first month is unlimited so that you can get an idea what your typical
usage might be like and then be able to decide on fixed or flex plan after the
1st 30 days.

I opted for a 1yr contract (so I didn't get the 1st-month unlimited), but I got
a modest surprise threshold grace when I exceeded 500mb by about 10mb in my 1st
two months - no extra charges.  At 3›/mb, that would have been cheap anyway. I
also wanted the option to switch to a competitor or upgrade my stick after
that.  Rogers has already started rolling out 2100Mhz band sticks, HSPA+, which
is supposed to supercede 3G, although I find that 3G is more than adequate for
my needs.

Do some forecast calculations to see how much you need to afford.

I figured that a 1yr contract + $25 payment to buy the stick, was  cheaper than
a 2yr contract with the flex plan and a free stick.  After 1 yr, I can also
save some more money by taking a few months hiatus from the service until I
decide whether I want to proceed with Rogers or consider a new plan and start
from scratch.  That's me.  But if you rely heavily on access to internet, you
may need to be prepared to spend more than me.


-- 
.../|ug

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