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Author Topic: Cheapest way to get internet service? Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 02-28-2009 09:38 PM                     I am looking for the cheapest way to get internet in my condo, since there's no unsecure signals I can steal from nearby neighbors. I don't have a landline, so something like Netzero is probably out of the question. I have a Tmobile cell contract with Blackberry email add on. I used to have the Blackberry web service, and one time I tried to connect to my cell phone via bluetooth on my laptop but the web browsing never worked. Any suggestions?  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 03-01-2009 05:12 AM                     Well, if you don't have a landline, and don't want to get one, then your options are somewhat limited. Can I assume, since you don't mention it, that you don't have cable television either? Most of the cable networks can provide Internet access as well. Apart from satellite, which is unlikely to be a desirable option unless you are in the middle of nowhere, then the mobile 'phone networks are about your only option. You say that you couldn't get the Bluetooth to mobile 'phone system to work; it should do, I've used it myself a couple of times, though a USB cable between them is probably a better way, as in most cases it will also provide power to the 'phone, so you're not running the battery down. Is the 'phone you were using capable of doing this, and does whatever mobile contract or pre-pay plan you are on allow it? If so, then it just sounds like a configuration problem somewhere. I would prefer to use one of the dedicated USB mobile broadband modems rather than a conventional 'phone. I have one from T-Mobile, on a two year contract; it used to cost me twenty pounds per month, but has come down slightly since VAT (tax) was reduced from 17.5% to 15% a few months ago. It's cheaper if you buy it now, I think it's now fifteen pounds. I don't know what the prices are like over there. If I can get a 3G connection with HSDPA it claims to connect at 3.6 Mb/s; the real transfer rate is probably around 1-1.5 Mb/s. I've never had it connect to 3G without HSDPA. If 3g isn't available it falls back to GPRS, which is about as fast as a dial-up connection. I actually keep it locked to GPRS much of the time, as I use it mostly when I'm travelling on buses, coaches and trains, and it often keeps switching between the two modes, which can be worse than being on GPRS all the time. Since I use it mainly for e-mail I am only moving small amounts of data, so it's fast enough. I do use it on 3G when I'm in a fixed location, for example in the hotel when I was in Bradrord, and it works fine there. I don't know what 3G coverage is like, if it exists at all, in your area. If you're running Windows then the USB devices are very easy to set up; they contain a small amount of flash memory, formatted to look like a CD; you just put the SIM card in the device, plug it in, the computer installs the software from the files contained in the device itself, and it then connects. If you're running Apple or Linux then you need to install drivers manually. There are a couple of restrictions; the usage is claimed to be 'unlimitited'; what this actually means is unlimitited, but with an upper limit of 3GB per month. I have no problem with there being a limit, but I do feel that the 'unlimited' advertising is misleading. The use of VoIP services such as Skype is also banned. There is a more expensive option available, with a monthly limit of 10 GB., and with VoIP allowed, but since I used less than 3GB. in the first year, I'm not interested in that. If you are in an area with good 3G mobile coverage then something like this would probably be your best option, however, the last I heard 3G roll-out over there was happening much more slowly than it is here, and even here it's far from universal at present. Of course, over there there's a much larger area to cover, with much or it in remote areas. If you can't get 3G coverage, then you might have to think about getting a landline, and ADSL, and if you're in an area where even that isn't easy, or you're too far from the exchange for ADSL to work, then about your only option would be satellite, but that tends to be expensive, and slow.  |  IP: Logged Edwin Schwing Expert Film Handler Posts: 116 From: Las Vegas NV Registered: May 2002 posted 03-01-2009 05:57 AM                     Hang out at Starbucks  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-01-2009 01:37 PM                     Don't hang out at Starbuck's because that is a pay for connection service and quite expensive. Try one of the many other coffee shops and other business's that offer Internet connection for free. Share with your neighbors, that's what we do. We pay half of the connection fee. Grab a six-pack of beer and start introducing yourself.  |  IP: Logged Tristan Lane Master Film Handler Posts: 444 From: Nampa, Idaho Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-01-2009 07:55 PM                     Blackberry phone as modem As far as I know, the blackberry must be connected via USB for internet access. Follow the steps in the link, and it should work. You may need to add a data plan back to your phone service.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-01-2009 08:00 PM                        Starbucks Internet is "free" if you have their Gold Card.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-01-2009 08:07 PM                     Panera Bread is still free I believe, or at least it is if you make a purchase  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 03-01-2009 09:37 PM                     Tristan, thanks for the link! Panera Bread company is fantastic, but we don't have them out here unfortunately (there's other simliar places with free wifi though). But I'm looking for something so I can connect at home, and the data plan for blackberry is only $10 extra, so I'll probably try that and see how it works.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 03-02-2009 02:59 AM                     FYI, There are lots of other phone companies that let you do similar internet connection tethering like with the blackberry, though sometimes it depends on which specific data plan you sign up with and by that I mean that some data plans have it specified that you don't use it for that purpose with a higher fee if you are allowed to tether your phone, although it's kinda hard for them to stop you if you know what you're doing.  |  IP: Logged Todd McCracken Master Film Handler Posts: 263 From: Northridge, CA, USA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 03-04-2009 02:23 PM                    1) Make friends with your neighbors in you condo complex. 2) Offer to share a broadband connection with them. 3) Set up wireless network 4) Profit! I used to have an arraignment like this in the last place I lived, it worked out rather well and it worked out to 25$ a Month ea. Not too bad.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 03-04-2009 06:21 PM                     I know you said you had no landline, so the best way is to make a deal with a neighbor & share as others have suggested. I was doing that with a neighbor until I found an even better deal- - - About a year ago, I was able to sign up for AT&T DSL service for only $10/month. This was NOT an introductory price and I'm still paying that amount. AT&T was forced to make this offering as a result of some lawsuit. However they were not obligated to advertise it or make it generally known to the public- - alhtough there were some news stories about it at the time it became available, which is how I found out about it. I don't know if it's still available. You could only sign up online and it took a sh_tload of searching for me to find it, but I eventually found it and signed up. Don't even TRY asking a customer service rep about it. They will swear it doesn't exist and I don't even think it shows up on their sales screen at thier phone service centers. But I, and several of my friends & neighbors signed up and have been paying only 10bux ever since. -JimC-  |  IP: Logged Joshua Waaland Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 800 From: Cleveland, Ohio Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-04-2009 07:33 PM                     I have a mobile broadband card through Sprint that works great. We pay $50 a month but we also have the unlimited plan. You can get cheaper plans I think that limit your download/upload amount.  |  IP: Logged Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 03-04-2009 09:24 PM                        I used to pay T-Mobile $19.95 a month for GPRS/EDGE access tied to my laptop with a regular voice plan. I used a USB cable to tie it to the phone. I had to add the phone's modem driver to the modems on my laptop and create a dialup service for it. (You dial *99#, no login ID or password). It worked well enough to connect to the office VPN for emergencies. I don't know if you tried that with your BlackBerry or not...did you just pair them and try to access the web? That might have been the problem...or BlackBerry "Internet" is just that...the Internet on your BlackBerry. You might call and ask about it, because I can't find anything about pricing with existing plans on their website...  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 03-04-2009 11:00 PM                     I don't know about AZ, but here in Texas it is possible to get DSL without a phone line. Everyone told me it was impossible and that I was wasting my time in my pursuit of high speed internet without a phone line. They don't like to advertise it because they want to trick you into getting a phone line too. Again, this is only here in Texas that I can say for sure, but if you don't live in Texas, well that is your own fault.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-05-2009 03:14 AM                     You know, everyone complains about how much piracy is hurting the industry and is against the law, but how is buying one DSL line and splitting the cost with a neighbor or two different? Residential internet service does not come with a license to resell the bandwidth. It is in the fine print, but of course the communication industry didn't have Mr. Valenti publicly hollering about it.  |  IP: Logged

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