Review by F34R 
Posted: 285 days ago
member for 305 days, 144 visits, last login: 34 days ago
 Olar,Bamberg,SC
 $70 per month (24 month contract)
 about 2 days
 "Fast download, easy to axcess (pun intended hehe), prices comparable to other wireless services."
 "upload is slow, and latency can become an issue with certain applications"
 "If you don't have an option for DSL, Cable, or FIOS, this is definately worth every penny."
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(ratings match consensus)
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After waiting, waiting, and waiting, I realized that my rural area probably wouldn't be covered by DSL, Cable, and of course FIOS. I researched satellite access, and was about to drop the coin and go with WB.
At this time I was with Verizon, and my cellular phone service was severely lacking. I decided to look into Alltel options and was surprised to learn that they were offering wireless internet access in my area. I knew I'd have to put a lot into the initial investment to switch to Alltel, but in the end, if the products worked as advertised, it would be worth it.
So, day 1... I go to Alltel and inquire about porting everything from Verizon to Alltel. While she was porting the numbers, I asked about the EVDO service. She explained that it wasn't available now, but would be by the end of October. Having the money now, i decided to go with the port, and also getting the internet service as well. I needed something that could be used on my PC at home, as well as on the road in a laptop. The only thing offered was the Franklin CDU-550 USB EVDO modem.
I got home with all my expensive gear lol, and was really excited. I hooked everything up, and without a hitch, was surfing the web at 1xRTT speeds. A month goes by, and while at work, I noticed an EV symbol on my Samsung Hue. Goodness ! I went to Alltel and she confirmed that the towers around the area have gone live with EVDO Rev. 0 service. I have 7 hours until I get off work, and that's a looong time when you're excited.
So, work is over, and I get home, and notice the DO symbol on my Quick Link Mobile control panel. I was so excited, I could barely click on the "Connect" button lol. So, I connect... it took about 2 seconds to authorize, and I was up, up, and away ! I started testing speeds immediately. At this time, using Windows Vista, I was getting around 500-700kbps download, and 100-120kbps upload. I was really happy at first. Then I started reading forums, and seeing that others were getting much higher speeds than I was. I booted up an XP partition and tweaked a few settings, and from there on I've been getting 900-1100kbps download, and 150-180kbps upload.
I am extremely happy with the service. I live about 3.5 miles from the nearest tower in Olar, SC. I am surround by trees on both sides, and behind my residence. I get a 100% signal, with an RSSI of -66 to -68. The service is $60 per month, plus the taxes. I think it comes out to be right at $70 per month with a two year contract.
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