Which wireless carrier to use for my netbook?

[hello]

I need some help choosing a wireless carrier to use on our Amtrak trip. We would like to take our netbook with us, but do not want to sign a long-term contract with a carrier. We have read that we will need to buy the USB equipment from the carrier, as we will be doing a month's service at a time ... rather than their yearly contracts. Do we need to buy the USB equipment from the carrier, or is there generic equipment? Is there any company that people prefer? I realize that service might be spotty in some locations , but at least we would have it for occasional use.

 

[Mike77E9]

In my opinion, I've been using Verizon for my wireless internet needs, and it has worked very well. I've been on the Pennsylvanian, the Crescent, Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, Adirondack, Maple Leaf, Silver Star & Meteor, and the entire stretch of the NEC. The only trains i've encountered problems is the Capitol Limited and some of the D&H section of the Adirondack, but those dead zones are probably very prevalent with most carriers as the areas seemed very remote.

 

[jimhudson]

I need some help choosing a wireless carrier to use on our Amtrak trip. We would like to take our netbook with us, but do not want to sign a long-term contract with a carrier. We have read that we will need to buy the USB equipment from the carrier, as we will be doing a month's service at a time ... rather than their yearly contracts. Do we need to buy the USB equipment from the carrier, or is there generic equipment? Is there any company that people prefer? I realize that service might be spotty in some locations , but at least we would have it for occasional use.

:hi: Weve had several of our members post on this that did this for their trips! Most felt that Verizon was by far the best bet , and you can check out places like Best Buy and other outfits and probably get a better deal than from the Company! Shop around, salesmen will tell you lots of stuff but believe this is the way to go! I have Sprint, used to be AT&T,when my contract is up Im switchingm to Verizon! Others may have further or different advice! :help:

 

[pennyk]

I just got back from a cross country trip where I used Verizon prepaid broadband. It worked pretty well except for some spots on the Capitol Limited. I purchased the Verizon USB760 from Target (on sale). Best Buy and the Verizon store both sold it for $129.99. Target regularly sold it for $99.99 and it was on sale for $79.99. On-line, I purchased 5 gb of broadband for a 30 day period for $80.00 (and did not use even 1gb). I will be out of town for 8 days for the gathering and I just purchased 1gb of broadband from Verizon for $50 (which should be plenty especially considering I will be taking the CL westbound and eastbound and will not be using it then).

 

[hello]

Thank you, all, I'm off to call Verizon!

 

[rrdude]

Thank you, all, I'm off to call Verizon!

My vote's late, but I concur, Verizon had me online almost the entire trip from LAX-PDX-CHI-WAS-BWI

 

[AlanB]

I've always had decent service with AT&T and that was before getting my Iphone and moving up to 3G back in June of this year. The 3G seemed to do even better than my old phone had done with things, especially on the EB. And the EB is a known problem train for most services.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Just keep in mind that buying from AT&T helps them continue to fund several anti-rail politicians. Sadly, Verizon is not much if any better. Sprint and T-mobile are less destructive options in the current environment and Credo Mobile actually funds progressive politicians. I understand this isn't important to everyone but it's something I felt compelled to mention. Make whichever decision you want, but make it with your eyes wide open. If the future of passenger rail is important, you might want to reconsider doing business with Verizon or AT&T.

 

[transit54]

Just keep in mind that buying from AT&T helps them continue to fund several anti-rail politicians. Sadly, Verizon is not much if any better. Sprint and T-mobile are less destructive options in the current environment and Credo Mobile actually funds progressive politicians. I understand this isn't important to everyone but it's something I felt compelled to mention. Make whichever decision you want, but make it with your eyes wide open. If the future of passenger rail is important, you might want to reconsider doing business with Verizon or AT&T.

AT&T shouldn't be too anti-rail - I believe they are one of the carriers who Amtrak has contracted with to provide Acela WiFi. Also, they have a $100M contract with Amtrak for voice and data services, as seen on page 56 of this document. In the larger picture, they also provide the wireless internet for MBTA commuter rail.

For me, there's not much choice - I need a phone that works abroad, and T-Mobile does not do business in my state.

I think the best deal out there is Virgin Mobile at $40 for unlimited usage per month, and no contracts. That being said, they operate off the Sprint network (w/o roaming rights to Verizon) so coverage may be spotty. Verizon, while pricier, is a better bet for all around service.

 

[SweetSue]

I am currently at the Seattle station waiting to board the Empire Builder. I have Verizon as my cell phone carrier at home and before I left I went to one of their stores and purchased the 5GB of service for $50. They loaded the software on my netbook and I just use the USB tether that came with my LG phone to hook up to my netbook. It has worked out great and I didn't have to purchase anything else like I would have if I went with virgin mobile. They were even nice enough to prorate it (for FREE!) to the time my next cell phone bill cycle was to begin so I used it for about 2 weeks for free. I have used no where near even 1Gig (using it frequently every day)and will just cancel the service before my next billing cycle.

 

[hello]

Great info!