Cingular Wireless

O

oldgrowth

New member
I got Cingular wireless for my laptop so I could keep up with the post when I travel and it did not help. It was a little slow but the connection works. I made one post with it, checked the weather a couple of times, updated one of the web sites I manage and received and sent email.

250 and counting. That is about how many post (messages) I am behind in reading, after going to the Bellingham CBGT.

I have decided, there is not enough time to keep up with the post when you are cruising or at a CBGT. Wireless internet will work wherever you have a good cell phone signal but it is too slow when the signal is weak. There seamed to be adequate signal strength in the Puget sound area between Olympia and Bellingham for a wireless connections.

I will probably keep the wireless adaptor and service but it is not what I had hoped for. It is on the slow side for me. Around 100 kb in good signal areas and half that in moderate signal areas. Weak areas it averaged 12 kb.

If anyone wants more info on my experience with Cingular wireless, let me know.
 
Have not tried the laptop adapter and probably won't, at least not with Cingular. We've had that service for about 5 years and my wife's phone (she uses that number/service) just died. I called them and they offered me a "free" upgrade. Turned out it cost $36 for "activation" and they changed my plan to 2X what it cost for the past 5 years, saying they "didn't offer that plan anymore". So much for Cingular.

I am now with Sprint. Was able to keep the same number and it costs only a little more than my old plan. A very nice phone with lots more features than she'll ever use. Wish the buttons were bigger though...

Charlie
 
In Ketchikan I used the Cingular Wireless GPRS service on my laptop using a Cingular cell phone as a tethered modem. This is the same principle as the card you have for your laptop. I too found it "worked" but was s...l...o...w - kind of reminded me of my 300 baud Volksmodem from the way old days (early 80s). I am still on the fence whether it is actually better than nothing. One thing I found was that wherever the cell service was good, there were also Wi Fi hot spots around, and conversely, where there were no Wi Fi hot spots, there also was likely to be no cell service. That would not be true in less remote areas, for example in the San Juans.
 
We are traveling right now, on the way to pick up our new C-Dory. We have had coverage and decent speed with the Verizon wireless broadband. Download speeds have ranged from 100 to 500k, so I am very pleased with the service. Prior to that, I used my cell phone as a modem with a handheld computer... and while I didn't have to pay for a wireless service, it was painfully slow. It's nice to be able to check mail, get weather, surf, and of course, check the C-Brats anytime. So far, from the frozen northland to deep south Texas to Phoenix, we have rarely not had coverage. It is fast enough to comfortably use the internet. No telling what will happen when we get out on the water and further away from civilization (does it get any less remote than west Texas??).

Best wishes,
Jim B. (who got photos from Scott at the factory while enroute - how cool is that? :D )
 
Jim and Joan: Keep us posted on your trip. My trip cross America to pick up FreeByrd from Les in Oak Harbor, WA and back was a great and fun 16 day trip. Kinda north to St. Lewis, over to Denver, then up to and left thru the top of Idaho... You know they got big ol hills up there!!! Note to self: Do not attempt peeing out the window of a borrowed truck with the cruise control set on 85mph in Wyoming....that stuff on the side of the road is not near as smooth as it appears at speed. :smileo :cry :embarrased

Then, straight south down the west coast and crossed back over on I-40... more big ol hills and made be get out and just hug the diesel motor in my nephews truck he let me use for the trip.

Keep us posted on your trip...and I would like to get the info on your Verison system if ya end up getting pretty good service... Does your laptop beep when you send or receive emails. I hate that noise in a food joint.

Thinking about tellilng Mr. Bell South...and their cousin ATT to take their wires and $80 a month home service filled with junk calls all the time...and "un-hook-em" :mrgreen:

Byrdman
 
The Coast Guard has reported that a large percentage of male drownings (gone overboard) are found with their fly open... no report on that sort of thing by the Wyoming Highway Patrol! :mrgreen:

The diesel pickup has been great - can't believe it took me this long to figure it out; the Blonde calls "Big Red" her truck.

And no beeping with our e-mail... and no need for finding a food joint with a wi-fi hotspot. I haven't tried peeing out the window, while surfing the net with the wireless broadband, while driving (although 80 mph is now the legal speed limit in west Texas and rest areas are a long ways apart). Obviously, you were NOT traveling with your wife!

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Your are right Jim... I had been home alone in the cab for about 4 days... looking about thinking now what could Mr. Ford and his crew do a little differant... Of course after my "brain burp"... and I think I can attempt... and was doing well till the cell phone rang expecting a call from Les... Interestingly...in about one minute later.... i had several ideas. Don't try hitting the brake peddle with your hand from the floor board mid truck when you are bouncing and you are short. It is a long way...

And you are correct... Sherryl thankfully joined me on Christmas day in Seattle for the pick up and haul home... a much safer ride on that portion of the trip.. :mrgreen:
 
JamesTXSD":1zlsdpmt said:
Download speeds have ranged from 100 to 500k, so I am very pleased with the service.
Click to expand...
If I could get those kinds of speeds, I would be very happy with the service. Cingular advertises that kind of speed but you have to be in their G3 areas (Tacoma, Seattle or Everett) around here and those are not the places I do my boating.

As Pat said – You can usually find wireless hot spots in those areas. When at the Bellingham CBGT, I found two wireless networks. One was secure, so was unavailable. The other one had a signal so week the connection was unreliable.

Cingular gave me a reliable 100 KB connection.
 
I use Verison all over the west and it works faster than I can type or spell.
It works all over the San Juans and last year in places I couldn't think it would up to Desolation Sound. I wouldn't be without it.
:smiled john schuler
 
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