Speed is the largest consideration for broadband cards.  We have tested a few types of cards and they do have minor variances in speed. 

In general, speeds are rated for 500-800 Kpbs average download speeds and 400-700 Kpbs upload speeds with EVDO Rev A products.  Sprint will provide the fastest and broadest network speeds for your broadband aircard service.  Sprint is also the only carrier to annouce a migration to 4G WiMax service.

The Sierra Card we tested, AC595, was generally much faster download than upload  (easily over 1.1 Mbps down and 150 Kbps up) at our Mountain View location.  A Pantech card we tested in Menlo Park had 800 Mbps down and 600 Kbps up.   Other USB options we tested showed little variance from the results on the Pantech card.   

Outside of speed, form factor becomes the next major consideration.  Many computer manufacturers have aircards put into their laptops on shipment.  If you want ultimate portability and independence, we would not recommend this option.

Having a separate device for your broadband wireless service provides you the ability to use the device on many machines and bring it with you.  You can use it with your laptop on the road and use it with your desktop at home.  This can save you the price of DSL or Cable Modem service at home if you don’t require the highest broadband speeds.  There are WiFi modems available that use Sprint broadband cards.  

Independence of devices allows you to not lose everything when your laptop goes kaput or is lost.  So if there is a problem with your laptop, you don’t lose your Internet service capability or have to go through the trouble of migrating your service to a new laptop.  You don’t have to make your laptop purchase or upgrade decisions on whether it has your carrier or service provider embedded in the laptop.   Lastly, if there was a hardware problem with your embedded device, the only practical solution is to change the entire laptop.  If there was a similar problem with the aircard, you still have your laptop to use and don’t have to go through the trouble of setting up a new machine.  We have seen many embedded chipsets that have had problems in activation and in service levels, 3.0x slower than in separate devices.   

The other option for form factor is to have a separate USB or separate PCMCIA or Express Slot device.  We uniformly recommend the USB option for it’s independence and portability.  The USB port can work on any device with a USB port so you will be forward compatible with new laptops you may want to upgrade to.  The USB options generally are less expensive, starting at $79.99.   

If you’re local to us, one of the best services we provide is to ensure the Sprint Mobile Broadband works on your computer before you leave the store.  Bring your laptop with you and we ensure it is configured and working before you leave the store.  Free service for our local customers.  

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