I'm looking for comments from anyone who is using the Verizon USB727
wireless Internet modem.

I recently moved to a rural area where I am renting a house while
building my own place. The rental house is in a wooded area. The
neighbors have a variety of wireless Internet services -- some use
HughesNet satellite Internet service, a couple use a local ISP who has
a tower about 15 miles away -- all of them say that access varies from
house to house in the neighborhood depending on location and size of
trees at each house.

I have one of the Verizon wireless cards plugged into my laptop that
accesses the Verizon National Broadband Access. I assume it runs off
the local Verizon cell tower. My Verizon cell service is okay --
drops out sometimes and I rarely have more than two bars of signal
strength. The laptop will connect to the Internet using the VA
National Broadband service about 60 percent of the time -- about 40
percent of the time I can't connect. Sometimes the connection is
solid and lasts for hours, sometimes it drops out in a few minutes.

I see the USB727 wireless modem on the Verizon website and I have read
a bit about it with Google searches. The device has the capability to
attach an external antenna and I have seen a small desktop external
antenna for sale at various places.

I'm wondering if this might be what I need for access -- the USB727
modem with its external antenna.

Has anyone used the USB727?? Please tell me your experience with it.

Is there only one type of external antenna available, or, is there
perhaps a high-gain antenna I could mount outside a window? Is it
possible to plug the USB727 directly into a router or a wireless
access point so I can set up my home wireless network?

Thanks.