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Review by keason 
UPDATED: 136 days ago
member for 7.5 years, 1660 visits, last login: 1 days ago
 Ann Arbor,Washtenaw,MI
 $37 per month (24 month contract)
 about 30 days
 "Rock Solid connection, reasonably good latency, flawless in moving vehicle, reasonable static IP charge"
 "high jitter, not great for VoIP with weak signal"
 "Great backup & travel connection"
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Update: Sprint continues to perform admirably. On a recent road trip along I-90 and I-94 from Detroit to the Dakotas, the unit worked very well from Detroit to Minnesota. Performance in the Dakotas was mixed with good speed (1 Mb+) but variable (200ms- Rapid City, 800ms- Dickinson) as if the towers used satellites instead of T1's. Back in Minneapolis, Sprint outperformed hotel internet with 1/500 speed and 120ms latency)
I've been able to use VoIP fairly well on the Sprint connection with both Skype and SIP working OK.
I purchased a Sprint approved Telular EVDO/phone device as a backup internet & phone connection and for testing. It uses a Sierra wireless EVDO rev A chipset with diversity antennas and has a built-in extended life battery (about 8 hrs). Despite having a green (strong) signal on the Sprint maps, I average around -93dbM with an indoor 5db gain antenna and speed tests ranging from 400-700 down and 200-400 up. Ping times range from about 200-300ms (average is closer to 200ms) with occasional jumps to 500ms. I've ordered a stronger YAGI antenna to try to increase the signal strength, which I hope will correct the jitter issue.
The device also supports phone calls, which work well. SMS is not supported, which would be a nice addition.
I had some initial problems with the device, but a firmware update made it much more usable and reliable. It now passes the public IP to my router via DHCP or with a manual entry. Sprint offers a static IP for only a $3 upcharge, which is a great value.
On several recent trips on the I-94 corridor between Detroit and Chicago performance was flawless. My passengers played WOW and other games with no interruptions. On a trip from Atlanta to Toledo along I-75, we experienced brief drops in coverage through the Smokey mountains.
VoIP works pretty well over the connection with only mild jitter. I've used skype and voicepulse with the G.711 codec which is pretty clear.
So far, the maximum speed is around 1500/400. I have yet to experience a faster tower. A bonus is that Sprint does not block any inbound or outbound ports. Sprint even includes a reverse DNS record (which says Sprint) but is seems to be sufficient for mail servers which require a reverse record.
The connection works as advertised. I wouldn't recommend it for a primary connection vs. DSL or cable because of speed, but it makes a great mobile & backup connection. Sprint, in combination with a cheaper internet connection makes a good alternative to T1 access.
Update: It appears that Sprint broadcasts voice/1X and EVDO signals on (in my area, at least) different frequencies and/or different antennas (based on different signal strengths). I was able to use a Windows mobile phone in debug mode to optimize the antenna placement for EVDO, upgraded to a 9dB omni antenna (still indoor), and along with a Sprint Airrave unit (which took care of the poor voice/1X signal), I now get perfect voice and much, much better (-78 dBM) EVDO signal. Ping times have dropped to 150-200ms and are much more consistent, and speeds average about 950/450. The static IP works perfectly, (I was able to send and receive email with no interruptions after modifying the MX records), and reverse DNS works perfectly too. I had a 2 hour internet outage on my primary ISP where my router automatically failed-over to sprint, and apart from a degradation in streaming video and slow transfer speeds, the Sprint connection was almost indistinguishable from low speed DSL.
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Review by wareagletsf
Posted: 147 days ago
member for 3.5 years, 1016 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Hartford,Hartford,CT
$62 per month (24 month contract)
"easy to set up"
"GPS not working waiting on return kit"
"good service for the travling laptop but with out gps of little use other than data for me"
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worked with a tech for over two hours to get the GPS working and no luck it could not acquire the lock on any satellites. still waiting on a return kit to send it in for replacement(4days).
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Review by smacky
Posted: 148 days ago
member for 148 days, 7 visits, last login: 133 days ago
Bessemer,Jefferson,AL
$170 per month (24 month contract)
"Want less than dial up speeds & famous 481's ??"
"Which one ?"
"Stay FAR FAR away !"
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This is going to be fun. Where should I start ? Let's see, I will begin with the average of 10-15 ERROR 481's per day on cell phone usage alone. They continue to deny this error as their famous dropped calls, second to add that the customer service is terrible. If that is not enough I have a little story to tell, here it goes, now keep in mind we are only talking about the cell phone side at this present time..Back last year "08" starting the 1st of March I received over 4k text messages charged to my phone. I went round & round with Sprint about these charges stating there is no way I could have made that many text messages in one month considering I worked 60 hours a week & I'm not 14 yrs old but 38. I also had been a customer of theirs for over 6 years then, look at my history have I EVER made that many texts in my lifetime ?? NO ! They gave me the run around as usual & was either to pay the $800 bill or lose my service, so I paid it stupid me. Now, what I'm going to tell now is really gonna get ya to thinking on just who is on the other side of that telephone your talking to, the same day I paid my bill over the phone I got one shocking piece of evidence on them, I had made a personal land line phone call from my cell phone to my best friend, she did not answer, I was on the phone with a client when my best friend buzzed in on us, she was just a laughing, laughing so hard i couldn't hardly understand her, anyhow I asked "whats so funny" she said "how in the did you do that" ? I said "what" ? She stated your not going to believe this I missed your call on my land line so I came back to the caller ID to see who it was, my number was present but the caller ID display was altered with some nasty filthy accusations about my character that would be very rude to even post here. I was astound when she had told me, so immediately I went over to see for myself, sure enough there it was. I made photos of it, came back home & contacted Sprint immediately I ended up having 5 Sprint including one of their lawyers & mine on a conference call to resolve this issue. In the end I only received a $150 credit on my phone bill & I pressed charges against the the employee that compromised my account & done this to me & this person was fired. You call Sprint customer friendly ? You have lost your mind if you think so, these people should be out of business.
Broadband side: This is funny also
I'm going to post my upload & download speed tests here, please do not laugh. Keep in mind I also bought a $200 32inch external antenna to mount on top of roof for connectivity. I am located in what Sprint calls an "excellent" coverage area I was able to stay connected wireless then, but speed test are not even "on the board". here are the results: Download 220-240kbs Upload 30-38kbs. This is highway robbery I would NEVER suggest this company to ANYONE !!! Do NOT let them talk the "MOBILITY" famous sales pitch, its not worth the headache.
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Review by Maddie123
UPDATED: 150 days ago
member for 151 days, 0 visits, last login: 151 days ago
Harrisburg,Cabarrus,NC
$62 per month (24 month contract)
"None"
"Poor connection; Erratic download speeds; frequent disconnect"
"Am trying to figure out how to end this contract!"
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I am a remote employee and therefore 75% of my job is done on the computer. Ever since I got this Sprint Broadband card I can't count on a connection, and then when I finally do get a decent connection the speed varies and I am frequently getting disconnected. Since I also have to access my company's VPN, that makes it even slower. Wish I had known all this prior to signing a contract with them. Plus their customer service is horrible! No one seems to know what is going on!
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 Review by tcp1
UPDATED: 162 days ago
member for 9.6 years, 431 visits, last login: 134 days ago
Herndon,Fairfax,VA
$59 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Fairly fast when your signal's good, New hardware is great. Sprint's coverage tools are decent. No 5G cap."
"I'm tired of 2 year contracts. Sprint's EVDO-A is not as fast as Verizon's. And it's sprint. Customer service=nonexistent."
"May not be as fast / as widespread as VZW, but not having to worry about a 5G cap wins it for me."
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Update: 6/17/09
Well, it's been a bit more than a year now.
Like I hoped wouldn't happen, Sprint has kicked in the 5gb cap. I crossed it once to no ill effect - but I'm still not happy about this.
Speeds have definitely dropped in the past year, so I'm taking the "services" down a notch. I'm getting a bursty 5-700kbps in EVDO rev A areas, with an average around 500kbps. Not great.
I haven't had any other problems otherwise, billing or technical - so that's a good thing.
Not happy with the caps and speed changes though; feel I was sold something I'm not getting, but from what I hear, the other services aren't any better.
C'est la vie. It's Sprint, Verizon, or ATT. It's kinda like choosing between being kicked in the head, gut, or groin.
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First, the good points.
Purchase was painless and easy. Got a Novatel Ovation U727. Great little modem; USB 2.0 - works great with all my laptops, even in Linux and Vista x64. Coverage is pretty good, and speed is decent. (I average around 1.3mbps down, 4-500k up)
The service is pretty reliable, and I get coverage all up and down the I-95 corridor here.
Now, on to other considerations..
I was a sprint PCS customer for 9 years. I beta tested their stuff, and signed up before it was generally available. (Worked as a sales rep, so got early access.) I was psyched about PCS (now what we just call 'cell phones', but in those days, a 'cell phone' was a big AMPS brick). I tried to like Sprint. I took them from NJ to Denver to Illinois to Virginia. Probably bought 20 phones with them... But that's neither here not there. I angrily quit them in 2005 after their service went from average, to bad, to horrible, to atrocious, to offensive.
I swore I would never come back.
Fast forward to 2008. I'm traveling a lot more for business, and I need mobile internet. WI-FI is insecure and unpredictable, and a couple nights at a few hotels can cost you more than a mobile plans. Both Sprint and Verizon have dropped their plans from $80 to $60 - right around the point where I'd consider them. ($40-50 would be even better.)
So, I have to decide between VZW and Sprint.
I've compared the speed of the two, and I need to admit, Verizon *is faster*. Usually where you'll get 1.3MBPS on Sprint, you'll get 1.5 on Verizon. I'm not sure why, but Verizon's EVDO-A is always about 10-20% faster.
However, the kicker for me was Verizon's 5GB cap. Not that I think I'll be hitting that much traffic on my mobile broadband, but when I'm using a plan for business, I don't want to have to think about that. I don't want to count my bits and bytes. Sprint is still Unlimited, and that's worth a lot to me.
That, and Verizon's TOS is overly onerous. Part of my work requires me to view multimedia / videos over my connection, and Verizon's TOS specifically disallows that. Sorry, dealbreaker. I'll deal with a 15% slower connection to not have to get caught up in Verizon's TOS bureaucracy machine.
That, and Sprint's CEO has promised (wink wink) that their customer service will get better. I haven't had to deal with them yet - but I'm not holding my breath that when I do, the response will be good.
Until then, the service itself works great - and I don't feel as compelled to worry about a disconnect notice for doing something that the provider might disapprove of.
Lame, really - just when mobile internet is coming of age, major land-based ISPs (comcast) are thinking of counting bytes again. I really think US providers should get away from metering, but unfortunately that trend has reversed.
For so many years, Wireless companies didn't "get" data. Charging outrageous amounts per KILOBYTE. It's 2008, folks, the term "kilobyte" should not be relevant in our lexicon.
Let's hope Sprint doesn't follow Verizon's lead and start capping stuff. Maybe Verizon will go back to true unlimited if EVDO/Wimax takes off and gains competition.
(P.S.. At least Sprint's 'lite' evdo plan caps costs at $99/mo.. Verizon's doesn't - yikes. But seriously, what's with the 40mb lite plans on both? 40mb? I can use that in a few hours just looking at web pages!)
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Review by peregrineman
Posted: 172 days ago
member for 9.1 years, 348 visits, last login: 5 days ago
Wolf Creek,Josephine,OR
$59 per month (24 month contract)
about 3 days
"Fast, easy install on MacBook"
"Blue screens Windows vista, but then what doesn't"
"Pretty fast; looks like a winner."
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Sprint evdo Rev A service on a 598U Sierra Wireless Device. We considered satellite, and dsl. Satellite didn't satisfy the need to move data at a reasonable cost. We are one house too far from the switch for DSL. Recently Sprint turned up the towers in our area so we are trying the 5 GB plan. On the MacBook it easily installed itself and began working right away. Different story for windows vista, Blue Screen. I have not pursued the problem yet.
The speeds are good; approx. 1.1Mb download and 300 Kb upload, latency 132 ms.
I walked into the local Sprint store and ordered the service late Tuesday afternoon, the device was shipped to my home and delivered on Friday. It installed easily on the MacBook. Like most things, the install on windows vista will take some effort, as it blue screens the computer.
At this time I have had no experience with tech support for this product. I reserve the right to update and/or change this review as my experience with this product grows.
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 Review by uroberto
UPDATED: 189 days ago
member for 8.5 years, 2534 visits, last login: 17 days ago
Piscataway,Middlesex,NJ
$50 per month (24 month contract)
about 5 days
"1-2 meg down, upload between 400-800 kbits. Latency as low 80 ms."
"nearby tower can get bogged with many users. 5 Gig cap"
"Dependable mobile broadband"
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I used the service for 2 years. I tried it in a few cities, but mostly used here in central NJ. My nearby tower has two T-1s, so I got download speeds of over 2 mbit.
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Review by Capriherb
Posted: 191 days ago
member for 191 days, 0 visits, last login: 191 days ago
Baltimore,Fairfield,OH
 Business customer
$89 per month (24 month contract)
"You get to speak (most of the time) to Americans in America"
"Technical support is lazy, doesn't follow through, takes days!"
"If there were an alternative I'd take it!"
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I've never had another cell carrier other than Sprint. I live in the country well off the road, so no cable, satellite was what I had for years, Verizon wouldn't run DSL. So Satellite or Air Card is the only alternative.
I had my first aircard through Earthlink. When Sprint started offering them, I went with Sprint and they put Broadband on my tower within 6 weeks of my getting the card.
HOWEVER...... If there is a problem at the tower, FORGET IT!!!
In the 3 years I've had a Sprint contract, the tower has failed 3 or 4 times and then becomes the nightmare.
They drop your calls (technical support), they tell you they are writing a ticket when they don't, they try to convince you that the problem is on your end (never is) and it takes up to a week to finally convince them to send an engineer to the tower. This is the worst thing since I'm a business and run a website and internet sales from my location.
So if you want trouble-free and quick fixes when something happens, Sprint is probably the last place you want to look!
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Review by bemis
Posted: 218 days ago
member for 1.3 years, 87 visits, last login: 12 days ago
Stoneham,Middlesex,MA
$61 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Has never failed me"
"Relatively high cost these days"
"Great if you need it"
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I've had service since April 2007 -- I've used it all around the country--
* Just about everywhere about Massachusetts, including the commute from Norwood to Boston along the commuter rail
* Non-stop from Boston to Rochester NY
* Very nearly non-stop (I went to sleep :^)) on the train from Boston to Pensacola FL
* All around Austin, TX
* All around Orlando & St Augustine, FL
It consistently provides 1-1.5Mb/s downloads and >500kbps uploads, provides good service even w/ low signal
The bills are simple to read and understand and there are minimal fees tacked on.
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Review by stonecolddsl
UPDATED: 220 days ago
member for 5.8 years, 1695 visits, last login: 108 days ago
Sarasota,Sarasota,FL
$75 per month (24 month contract)
"Mobile broadband no matter where I go."
"Way to expensive by time you add taxes"
"Get your boss to pay for it."
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I happen to use this card when I am on the road. This service offers basic dsl speeds almost any major city. There are very few places where I am not getting an evdo signal. Service is usually fast and low latceny.
Sprint billing and customer service sucks as always and probably cancel the contract as I am no longer so much a road warrior and just dont need to be spending that kind of money on internet. When I can use my phone via bt tether a cheaper cost from alltel.
Update 04/20/2009:
Droped the service when they forced me to the 5 gig cap limit. Apparently for a company that use to believe unlimited really ment unlimited that unlimited now means 5gb but ast least they say it upfront..
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