[PLUG] Wireless broadband and Linux...

Matt McKenzie lnxknight at gmail.com
Sun Aug 14 04:56:12 UTC 2011


On Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 5:38 PM, Michael C. Robinson <
plug_1 at robinson-west.com> wrote:

> Okay, I checked out Clear which has a great 4G package, but
> unfortunately it doesn't cover 97201 or 97056 yet.  I'm on the list
> though for when it becomes available.  I hope that list grows enough to
> convince Clear to expand to Portland and beyond.
>
> I wish Comcast would reconsider their pricing policy.  Penalizing
> customers for staying with you seems ludicrous.
>
> Christmas is the magic date when I have to change.  Either I drop
> Digital Voice service and continue with cable Internet or I do something
> altogether different.
>
> What does Android cost and who offers service for it?
>
>
Android is a "smartphone" OS, based on Linux.
You can use an Android phone to tether with your computer, and share the
phone's 3G or 4G cellular data connection.
Service is provided by all the major cellular carriers, they all offer
Android devices.
Data rates vary, but all of them have started to implement data caps and
tiered access levels, except I believe Sprint, and they are likely to follow
suit before too long.

Since you want to connect to a computer, you probably want to investigate
which carrier supports 4G in your area.
Verizon is rapidly expanding its 4G LTE service, with Portland area
supposedly being "lit up" sometime this year.  Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile
have their versions of 4G as well, though I am not sure of their coverage
areas.

Each carrier also offers a standalone 3G or 4G data only modem, which would
be similar to the offering from Clear.
They have models that plug in to USB, I think some that plug in to ethernet,
and ones that offer up a WiFi signal and act as a 3G/4G to wifi bridge, a
cellular to Wifi access point.  The wifi model would probably offer the best
compatibility with Linux, since it just presents a standard 802.11g/n
signal.  The USB model would probably present compatibility issues, but some
of them may work with Linux.

If you only want the data connection, getting an Android phone would
probably not be the best option, since you would be paying for features you
wouldn't be using.
If you do want to look into a smartphone, which would be able to access the
internet itself, as well as share with a computer, there are a lot of
choices to be explored.
I would suggest looking at the Android lineup of your current cellular
carrier.













>  On Sat, 2011-08-13 at 11:38 -0700, Bill Barry wrote:
> > On Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 12:41 AM, Michael C. Robinson
> > <plug_1 at robinson-west.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > So one question I'm asking is, what kind of backup broadband service do
> > > I want, if any, in the future?  Another question I'm asking,
> >
> > I use a Verizon Android as a backup to my DSL service.  You tether the
> > phone to the system via a USB cable and a tethering app and if you
> > have good 3G coverage, your in business. I have had to use this as a
> > backup about 3 times over the last year.
> >
> > Bill
> > _______________________________________________
> > PLUG mailing list
> > PLUG at lists.pdxlinux.org
> > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
>
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