Netzero To The Rescue

Netzero recently brought a free; yes I said free, 4G mobile broadband plan to the market and all you need to partake is either one of their new 4G USB sticks or 4G hotspot device. The free service is based on 200 MB of data transfer with higher amounts of data available with no contract, but not free. It’s also a simple process to see if you have coverage in your area by going to Netzero and clicking on the coverage tab and then entering your zip code.

If you need something more than the free 200 MB here is a rundown of the other available plans that start as low as $9.95.

• 500 MB of data transfer for $9.95.
• 1 GB of data transfer for $19.95.
• 2 GB of data transfer for $34.95.
• 4 GB of data transfer for $49.95.

If you are a light user of mobile broadband then the 200 MB, 500 MB and 1 GB plans might be a fairly good deal for you. Once you get into the higher amounts of 2 GB and 4 GB you might want to start shopping with whoever your cell phone carrier is at the moment. This is because you can usually go on a month-to-month contract as long as you pay full boat for your USB modem stick or hotspot device. Once you get to the 4 GB level the major carriers start to look better, since they generally offer 5GB for the same price.

As a point of information when you check the coverage areas you’ll be presented with a map that looks very similar to the Clearwire coverage map. So with that said I’m guessing that Netzero is acquiring their coverage by way of Clearwire/Sprint. If you happen to find that your area is not covered, then consider whether the areas you will travel in are, after all it is mobile broadband.

One word of caution though and I am quoting here from the rules listed on Netzero’s plans and pricing page.

“All data plans, including the free plan, require the purchase of a Netzero 4G mobile broadband device. Access to the free plan from a specific device expires (and may not be renewed) twelve (12) months from the date of initial registration or upon upgrading to a paid plan.”

Check out the Netzero 4G plans and see if one of them fits into your budget and lifestyle.

Tagged As: air cards for laptops, Nezero

What Is Bandwidth Throttling

Bandwidth Throttling

Bandwidth throttling is also known by a number of names such as data throttling, traffic shaping and my favorite “Why did this connection get so f%$*#ing slow?” Bandwidth throttling is at its most basic level simply the slowing down of your mobile broadband internet connection. It has been reported that by the 2013 97% of all the mobile broadband providers will be using some form of bandwidth throttling; today it is only around 47%.

Why are companies employing bandwidth throttling? Well mainly because demand is beginning to outstrip supply, especially in major urban areas of the country. There is only so much bandwidth available for consumer use and until more bandwidth is either brought online or new and innovative ways to use what we already have is implemented bandwidth throttling is here to stay.

We’ll give you two examples of mobile broadband providers and how one has implemented bandwidth throttling and one hasn’t.

• The first is T-Mobile. T-Mobile offers mobile broadband data plans in 2GB, 5GB and 10GB and ranging from $39.99 to $79.99 per month. For your payment you get full access at the top speed they can provide for whatever geographic area you are in at the time. Once you top out on your prescribed data limit bandwidth throttling kicks in and your internet connection is then slowed to 2G speeds. This is done in lieu of overage charges. It also theoretically provides more room for other consumers.
• The second company is Verizon. They to offer the exact same data plans as T-Mobile and are within a few cents in cost. The difference comes in when you cap out on your data limit. Verizon has chosen to employ overage charges at the rate of $10.00 per GB instead of the bandwidth throttling. So if you are a heavy user of the mobile broadband connection you could wind up with a huge bill at the end of the month due to overages. So it pays to choose your plan wisely.

You have just read how two companies handle things differently. One (Verizon) opting to give you full speed all the time, but making you pay for it. The other (T-Mobile) going the route of full speed up to 5 or 10GB, but then slowing your connection after that with no extra cash involved.

Which is right for you? Only you can answer that question. The only real question is though which is more aggravating to you? Having a markedly slower connection at some point during the month or paying extra each month in overage fees.

All we can say is shop with care because all of the major providers use one of these two scenarios in one form or another in their mobile broadband plans. Also if it says unlimited internet on the advertisement look for the asterisk, because they more than likely employ bandwidth throttling at some point and you will usually find it written into the Terms of Service

The video below will give you some idea of just how much bandwidth throttling will slow you connection.

Bandwidth Throttling Video

Tagged As: Bandwidth Throttling, Throttling

Mobile Data Plans and the 5 GB Limit

Mobile Data Plans and the 5 GB Limit

As the world rushes head long into becoming more and more mobile and as more employment becomes the virtual variety, an increasing number of people will be looking into mobile data plans. Mobile data plans when combined with a wireless data card will allow just about anyone with a laptop to plug into the internet from anywhere and cruise just like they were in front of their computer at home. The mobile data plans come in a number of shapes, sizes and flavors, but a common theme among them is the 5 GB (GigiByte) data limit that has been imposed.

The big question in relation to the 5 GB is “What does it mean to me? How much time on the internet is that?” Let’s face it, it’s confusing, it’s not like we have anything like an odometer on our computers telling us how much we are using and it would be pointless if we did, since home internet connections have no limit these days. So let’s dive into the numbers and see if we can clear up some of the confusion.

I’m sure it will not surprise you that mobile data plans come in a variety of prices for 5 Gb of data, ranging from a low of $39.00 per month to a high of $59.00. How much of a data stream is your money buying you? Below is a chart that might help, each line equals 5 GB.

1. Email with a 3 MB attachment. (You can send 1,706 of those)
2. Web page lookup (150k) (You can perform about 34,000)
3. Lo-resolution photos (500k) (Over 20,000 of these)
4. Mp3 downloads (1,280 songs)

OK so your still confused and have no idea how much of each of these you use. Then let’s really simplify it. A 5GB limit on data will last the average person for about 250 hours of browsing or up to 20 hours of streaming video

Now that you know how big the basket is, let’s see just how much the basket is going to cost. Every provider has a different pricing plan and below is a breakdown of the more popular providers.

• T-Mobile at the moment appears to be the cheapest of the providers, coming in at $39.00/month, but that is only if you have a phone with them, if not it jumps to $49.00/month. This may seem like a lot until you notice that T-Mobile doesn’t charge over usage fees if you exceed the 5 GB, they simply slow down the 3G connection to 2G speeds.
• Verizon has pretty much the same setup, except they charge $10.00 per GB over usage fees.
  Sprint has a 5 GB limit on their 3G networks and unlimited usage on their 4G network at a cost of $59.00/month.
• Thing is 4G broadband is not that widespread yet so you will more than likely be using 3G most of the time and be tied to the 5 GB limit, also there is a 5 cent per megabyte over usage fee as well.

As you can see the data usage is just one aspect of mobile broadband plans and as usual the devil is in the details, so choose wisely. There is little worse than opening up your cell phone bill to see that the cost of your mobile data plan doubled because of those movies you just had to download. As another word of caution, just remember that these plans can change in a heartbeat, similar to the cell phone plans. The prices and details mentioned above are just guidelines and you will want to re-verify them.

Tagged As: mobile data plans