Re: All Wireless Network?

Don McKenzie wrote

> As I do a fair bit of traveling, I have ended up with prepaid wireless broadband accounts with Optus, Dodo, Virgin,
> and Vodafone, and using a USB external modem.

> Truth is, none of them is as good as Tel$ra, but I ain't paying
> Tel$tra prices, so I cart around a Swann external USB dial up modem
> for those out of the way places, where you will only get dial tone.

> Many times, I have used a wireless USB modem on my PC, as Optus
> broadband cable has let me down, and if you configure your email the
> right way, it's seamless, and you don't have to rely on local service
> providers for email, or news groups for that matter. Been doing this
> for years, and now have backup systems to suit my business.

> Optus broadband goes down, plug in the USB modem, and up and running in two minutes. Not as fast as cable broadband,
> but very usable.

My problem is that the broadband is so reliable that I cant
make the prepaid wireless work, because of the pathetic
expiry times with all except 3 and I'm not in a 3 area.

While broadband isnt always available, normally I can fall back to dialup when its not.

Just had the line drop out for 36 hours, not even a dialtone.
The last time that happened, 6 years ago, I only lost the dialtone
and ADSL carried on fine. This time the ADSL was banging up
and down furiously, up for such a short time that it wasnt usable.

Trouble with prepaid wireless broadband is that it would basically
cost $15 or $30 for something to use during the broadband outage
and you'd lose all of that because the next outage of both broadband
and dialup might not be for 10 years at the current failure rate.

It would also be handy to be able to use google in the car for when
the GPS has a problem, usually with very new subdivisions. But the
pathetic prepaid expiry means that you'd basically lose $15 or $30
to do that and since its garage sales, that makes no sense.

Cant use postpaid wireless broabband either since the $20 per month
isnt viable either with the current failure rate and very occassional need.

Even the 3 prepaid isnt really viable since you're basically
paying $150 a year for a failure once every say 10 years.

> I would love a real wireless system, and I'm sure it will come eventually, but not in this country for some time.

NextG postpaid is that, but its price cant be justified for my type of use.

Rod Speed wrote:
> Don McKenzie wrote
> <snip>
>> I would love a real wireless system, and I'm sure it will come eventually, but not in this country for some time.
>
> NextG postpaid is that, but its price cant be justified for my type of use.
Rod, Do you already have a prepaid/postpaid NextG phone? If
you set it up so your lappy can access the internet through
it (piece of piss with my Moto V6, haven't tried with the
new Blackjack 2 yet tho), then if you find yourself with a
sudden need to use wireless, you can add a data-pack.
With postpaid, you just ring up and get them to add it on (I
normally get $10 for 100M yeah it's not a lot of data, but
its normally ample to cover for a trip away or an ADSL
outage, and $10 is chickenfeed. With prepaid, I'm pretty
sure the way it works is you take a chunk of your current
prepaid balance and convert it to data. As far as I know the
rates are pretty much the same as postpaid.
>
>


--
Don't blame me - I didn't vote for Kevin Rudd or Anna Bligh!

Doug Jewell wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>> Don McKenzie wrote

>>> I would love a real wireless system, and I'm sure it will come eventually, but not in this country for some time.

>> NextG postpaid is that, but its price cant be justified for my type of use.

> Rod, Do you already have a prepaid/postpaid NextG phone?

Nope, I use GSM for the SIMs that have no monthly charge,
not even an effective monthly charge with prepaid that expires.

> If you set it up so your lappy can access the internet through
> it (piece of piss with my Moto V6, haven't tried with the
> new Blackjack 2 yet tho), then if you find yourself with a
> sudden need to use wireless, you can add a data-pack.

Sure, but thats what I meant by a monthly charge in my original.

> With postpaid, you just ring up and get them to add it on (I normally get $10 for 100M yeah it's not a lot of data,
> but its normally ample to cover for a trip away or an ADSL outage, and $10 is chickenfeed.

In some ways the $15 prepaid wireless with Virgin and 3 is better value, 500MB
tho I should be able to manage with 100MB for a few days at $10 so a lower charge.

> With prepaid, I'm pretty sure the way it works is you take a chunk of your current prepaid balance and convert it to
> data. As far as I know the rates are pretty much the same as postpaid.

Yeah, thats basically correct. The main problem is the expiry with prepaid.
With my low rate of use, its guaranteed to expire by the next time you use it.

I do have data with the Optarse postpaid with no monthly charge,
but its not really that great value if you use 100MB or so.

It isnt even that great value for the very occassional use of maps.google
in the car when the GPS has fucked up with an obscure road that doesnt
show up on the GPS. I usually only get about one of those a year or so tho.
With the garage sales, its easier to just ask someone else at the sales.

Rod Speed wrote:
> Doug Jewell wrote
>> Rod Speed wrote
>>> Don McKenzie wrote
>
>>>> I would love a real wireless system, and I'm sure it will come eventually, but not in this country for some time.
>
>>> NextG postpaid is that, but its price cant be justified for my type of use.
>
>> Rod, Do you already have a prepaid/postpaid NextG phone?
>
> Nope, I use GSM for the SIMs that have no monthly charge,
> not even an effective monthly charge with prepaid that expires.
Ahh ok, so you are a very low mobile user too then. Even
when I was at what I thought was heavy use (for me) in my
last job, a $40 plan was ideal - each month I almost used my
allowance. Now though I wouldn't even use a $20 plan. Can't
be arsed with pre-paid tho, cos I find that I'll generally
use SFA, but all of a sudden I'll find that I use it a lot.
When I did have prepaid, I found every time I wanted to use
it, it would run out on the call. I know I pay more by being
on a plan, but I'll stay that way because prepaid doesn't
work well for me. When the $40 contract runs out I'll step
down to a $20.
>
>> If you set it up so your lappy can access the internet through
>> it (piece of piss with my Moto V6, haven't tried with the
>> new Blackjack 2 yet tho), then if you find yourself with a
>> sudden need to use wireless, you can add a data-pack.
>
> Sure, but thats what I meant by a monthly charge in my original.
Yeah - if you leave it on. I add it when I want it, then
take it off when I don't need it. I'm sure Telstra didn't
intend for them to be used that way, but so long as they
allow it, that's how I'll do it :-)

--
Don't blame me - I didn't vote for Kevin Rudd or Anna Bligh!

Doug Jewell wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>> Doug Jewell wrote
>>> Rod Speed wrote
>>>> Don McKenzie wrote

>>>>> I would love a real wireless system, and I'm sure it will come eventually, but not in this country for some time.

>>>> NextG postpaid is that, but its price cant be justified for my type of use.

>>> Rod, Do you already have a prepaid/postpaid NextG phone?

>> Nope, I use GSM for the SIMs that have no monthly charge,
>> not even an effective monthly charge with prepaid that expires.

> Ahh ok, so you are a very low mobile user too then.

Yeah, mostly use voip.

> Even when I was at what I thought was heavy use (for me) in my last job, a $40 plan was ideal - each month I almost
> used my allowance. Now though I wouldn't even use a $20 plan.

Its an unusual week when I make a call at all, and thats
usually a garage sale when I need to ask one of my
mates if he wants a particular item thats on offer etc.

Couple have been hunting up bread machines and other stuff.

> Can't be arsed with pre-paid tho, cos I find that I'll generally
> use SFA, but all of a sudden I'll find that I use it a lot.

> When I did have prepaid, I found every time I wanted to use it, it would run out on the call. I know I pay more by
> being on a plan,

I dont bother with plans at all, non monthly charge
on any of the sims, just pay for calls I make.

> but I'll stay that way because prepaid doesn't work well for me. When the $40 contract runs out I'll step down to a
> $20.

>>> If you set it up so your lappy can access the internet through
>>> it (piece of piss with my Moto V6, haven't tried with the
>>> new Blackjack 2 yet tho), then if you find yourself with a
>>> sudden need to use wireless, you can add a data-pack.

>> Sure, but thats what I meant by a monthly charge in my original.

> Yeah - if you leave it on. I add it when I want it, then
> take it off when I don't need it. I'm sure Telstra didn't
> intend for them to be used that way, but so long as they allow it, that's how I'll do it :-)

Sure, but I dont have a Telstra SIM, even a GSM SIM.

I almost did get a Southern Cross Mobile Telstra Sim
but decided not to bother since I already have 4-5 GSM
sims with no monthly charge, just pay for the calls I make.

I do get data on all of those sims. The rates arent that great tho.

Rod Speed wrote
> Don McKenzie wrote

>> As I do a fair bit of traveling, I have ended up with prepaid
>> wireless broadband accounts with Optus, Dodo, Virgin, and Vodafone, and using a USB external modem.

>> Truth is, none of them is as good as Tel$ra, but I ain't paying
>> Tel$tra prices, so I cart around a Swann external USB dial up modem
>> for those out of the way places, where you will only get dial tone.

>> Many times, I have used a wireless USB modem on my PC, as Optus
>> broadband cable has let me down, and if you configure your email the
>> right way, it's seamless, and you don't have to rely on local service
>> providers for email, or news groups for that matter. Been doing this
>> for years, and now have backup systems to suit my business.

>> Optus broadband goes down, plug in the USB modem, and up and running
>> in two minutes. Not as fast as cable broadband, but very usable.

> My problem is that the broadband is so reliable that I cant
> make the prepaid wireless work, because of the pathetic
> expiry times with all except 3 and I'm not in a 3 area.

> While broadband isnt always available, normally I can fall back to dialup when its not.

> Just had the line drop out for 36 hours, not even a dialtone.
> The last time that happened, 6 years ago, I only lost the dialtone
> and ADSL carried on fine. This time the ADSL was banging up
> and down furiously, up for such a short time that it wasnt usable.

> Trouble with prepaid wireless broadband is that it would basically
> cost $15 or $30 for something to use during the broadband outage
> and you'd lose all of that because the next outage of both broadband
> and dialup might not be for 10 years at the current failure rate.

> It would also be handy to be able to use google in the car for when
> the GPS has a problem, usually with very new subdivisions. But the
> pathetic prepaid expiry means that you'd basically lose $15 or $30
> to do that and since its garage sales, that makes no sense.

> Cant use postpaid wireless broabband either since the $20 per month
> isnt viable either with the current failure rate and very occassional need.

> Even the 3 prepaid isnt really viable since you're basically
> paying $150 a year for a failure once every say 10 years.

>> I would love a real wireless system, and I'm sure it will come
>> eventually, but not in this country for some time.

> NextG postpaid is that, but its price cant be justified for my type of use.

And its a real pain when the best routers now have autofallback to 3G wireless now too.