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Review by cmarslett 
member for 6.3 years, 69 visits, last login: 2 days ago
updated 75 days ago
 Pflugerville,Travis,TX
 $52 per month "FAST, EASY setup. No contract, cheap install ($50)." "Storms do take it out (wireless, y'know)" "After several months, I am even more satisifed than when I started"
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The standard Clear package for my location is 3-6 Mbit (estimated, not guaranteed) using a wireless modem/router (refurb, $49). Initially, corporate VPN got about 480 Kbps, most FTP transfers get about 1.5 Mbps, Netflix worked, and the flash speed test typically reported 3.3 Mbps up, 1 Mbps down. I am paying $52/mo, a bit more than AT&T DSL, but it works all the time!
Bought the modem at Fry's, brought it home and plugged it in. Can't get much simpler. Modem is a Motorola 25725 black monolith.
After several months, the connection has settled down (maybe they had a lot of sales last summer?). Early on connections varied a lot. Sometimes no connection (say 20 hours the first 3 months), sometimes 8-9 Mbit down and 1-2 Mbit up. I have had about 2 hours down in the last three months and haven't seen a connection above 5 Mbit down. Uploads are still 1-2 Mbit. Which suits me fine.
Mostly I notice how easy everything is, I did do some moving of the modem around the house to find the best spot, but that runs rings around the hassles of getting a cable or DSL connection to work in this house. Since one early speed test (where I got 13.2/0.9 Mbps) I consistently do not get download speeds as fast as my DSL, or upload speeds as slow as my DSL connection gave me.
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Review by paule123
member for 10.7 years, 393 visits, last login: 86 days ago
updated 212 days ago
- Cleveland,Cuyahoga,OH
- $52 per month
 about 1 days- "When network isn't busy, it's great, and no caps!"
- "In congested areas speed is pretty bad, worse than 3G"
- "Good bang for the buck if network not overloaded"
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Originally purchased the Clear 4G Mobile USB (PXU190) on the $45/month plan, no contract, purchased modem for $79. Received modem overnight, installed, and was up and running quickly. Had trouble with a dead zone in the DC area, so I decided to cancel service. Clear's website is great for information on ordering and support, but surprise - there's no way to cancel or suspend your account. I submitted a support request to that effect, but never got a response. So thumbs down to Clear when it comes to terminating service on a month to month plan.
Anyhow, I ended up keeping the account open so I could test for my business in Cleveland. Cleveland launched service in November 2010, and the speeds are great since there are no users on the network here yet. I upgraded my account online to the $52 plan and the 6M speed cap was removed instantly. Routinely getting at least 10M down / 1M up. Had some downtime last week, it appears the new tower near me died overnight for a few hours (no signal)
Now, the bad news. I took this Clear modem to downtown Chicago and the speeds were pretty bad. The uplink speed was a pathetic modem like speed of 50 or 60Kbps. Download speeds were jumping around 1-3Mbps. I had the same experience when I returned to Washington DC in an area with good signal. So, it seems when Clear gets popular and the network busy, performance can suffer dramatically.
I did a side by side shootout at these locations (Cleveland, Chicago, DC) with the new Verizon Pantech UML290 4G LTE modem, and I have to say the VZW LTE blows away Clear. LTE speeds are typically in the 12M+ down and 2-5M up range. (we shall see if this changes when VZW's 4G network gets busy) Clear should really consider increasing the upload cap to at least 2M on the more expensive plans if they want to compete with LTE.
Update Sept 2012: We've found Clear 4G (WiMax) signal penetration inside large buildings to be quite poor. Unless you're near a window, it doesn't work well. VZW 4G LTE has been our go-to when travelling around the country because the 700MHz signal penetrates buildings quite well.
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 Reviews:
 ·Clearwire Wireless
|  Clear v Clearwire
Clear seems to be getting much better reviews then Clear wire , causing the customer ratings numbers to be better than they would be if these were reviewed separately | |
| Alky
join:2001-08-12
Cleveland, OH | Clear Is there a forum on dslr for Clear? I just ordered them because of AT&T's impending caps and forced u-verse upgrade.
I have one friend who has has it for about 4 months now, and he says it's great. | |
| | | Save yourself the time The salesperson told me that they covered my area and there was actually a tower right down the road. He signed me up for the wrong service. After more than an hour with "customer service" they tell me that service is not available in my area. Thirty minutes later I am finally able to can the service.  | |
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 Review by UnKown
member for 10.5 years, 1944 visits, last login: 240 days ago
lodged 244 days ago
- Lake Worth,Palm Beach,FL
- Contract price not specified.
- "fast"
- "spotty coverage"
- "if it works in ur area its worth a try"
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Ive got the boost mobile 4g phone that uses clearwires WiMAX. Its good where it works bit the coverage área is shotty, and the ping is Great. Speeds are always above 5mbit nd always getting 1.5mbit on the upload
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Review by yates
member for 2.9 years, 752 visits, last login: a few hours ago
lodged 272 days ago
- Norwalk,Fairfield,CT
- $35 per month
- about 5 days
- "A great secondary internet connection for working on the road or when my primary internet fails"
- "Clear's coverage isn't as broad as I would like"
- "Definitely worth it, but check to make sure they cover the areas where you need to use it."
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I have a primary internet connection at my home through my cable provider, but it isn't always the most reliable. That, combined with the fact that I am on the road for meetings somewhat often and Clear's promise of unlimited internet at a decent price, made their offer seem worth it. I purchased their Voyager Hotspot and the 1.5Mb/s ($35/month) plan. It arrived in a few days and worked right out of the box.
Overall, I've been pretty happy with it. I typically get slightly better speeds than I pay for. While their wireless coverage isn't as extensive as I would like in a perfect world, Clear does have coverage in most of the places that I find myself, bu this is something worth looking into before signing up for their service.
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Review by xmayx22
member for 329 days, 23 visits, last login: 305 days ago
updated 329 days ago
- Rosemead,Los Angeles,CA
- $45 per month
- about 300 days
- "Greats Speed, Good Customer Service, Decent Price"
- "Internet Outrage once months but most of the time is reliable"
- "Is a great internet service for everyday use"
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I have been using Clear 4g unlimited internet for almost 1 year now. The installing was easy and fast. The equipment was good I recently upgrade my modem M to hub express. The speed is not bad for me. I usually get around 3-9 MB. The slowest I got 1.5, that not a bad speed. A least is better then ATT 768 kbps I used to have. I would have to say is good internet when you live in right area. I heard there are some people get throttled for using that much but it never happen for me. I typically use around 150 gb per month and never get throttled. Sorry for grammar error because English is my 2nd language.
Here my clear speed:
»www.speedtest.net/result/1949593673.png
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Review by catkisson
member for 1.9 years, 453 visits, last login: 41 days ago
lodged 1 year ago
- Lynnwood,Snohomish,WA
- $80 per month
- (24 month contract)
- about 180 days
- "Cheap and fast internet, when its working"
- "When its not working it sucks really bad:("
- "Wouldn't be my first choice, but the price was right"
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The speed I get most of the time is equal to what I would get if I had Frontier dsl, the ping times are a hit or a miss with Clearwire. Some nights watching Netflix is unbearable:( Comcast or Frontier FiOS would've been my first choices, but when my wife signed us up for Dish Network the guy on the phone coned my wife into it without consulting my first:( I will give more updates as time goes on, I am hoping the service will get better as time goes on...but we shall see.
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Review by (hidden by request)
(review was emailed from domain msn.com)
lodged 1 year ago
- Boise,Ada,ID
- $29 per month
- "little down time"
- "all maps centered in WA due to connections--no good if you don't live in Bellvue"
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I have had clearwire for about a year. Whenever I search=2C use a map prog=
ram it refers to Bellvue WA. Since I live in Idaho this is a problem. I =
contacted clear and was told that due to thier base being in Bellvue there =
was no way to change it. Other providers are able to let a person set thie=
r location---what is the difficulty with clear. The inconvience is great a=
nd slow productivity. Will probably search for new provider to fix this te=
ch difficulty. Clear needs to fix this.
Ellie
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 mel
@clearwire-wmx.net | clear support i have been a customer for over a year and have been completely satisfied until now. i purchased two devices in feb. 2011 love them works wonderful.in august i got a third device for a family member who had a tablet. once they no longer needed the device i tried to return it and they are telling me i have to pay an early termination fee even though i supposedly have no contract. the device works poorly and i barely use it they wont replace it unless i pay for a new one. i dont want another one i have two that work fine. customer service is no help at all and even though i've been satisfied until now, customer service never was any good.i have paper work showing it was month to month and can i fax them a copy to resolve this issue and was told i couldnt be helped on their end and they couldnt connect me to anyone who could. so im stuck with an unusable device that i have to pay to not use and pay to give back | |
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Review by jerisue
member for 1 year, 1 visits, last login: 1 year ago
updated 1 year ago
- Denton,Denton,TX
- $52 per month
- "Once I went to Best Buy to purchase a hot spot I couldnt be happier"
- "The hot spot I received directly from Clear was defective and customer service was horrible"
- "DO NOT rely on Clear tech support. They are horrible"
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I called Clear immediately to let them know the device they sent me did not work. After 30 minutes with tech they told me they would forward my ticket to tech support 3. No one called me. Three days later I telephoned again. Once again tech tried to walk me through installation (device said insert battery which was already inserted). After 45 minutes of random testing the tech told me that the device was defective. Wow that was news to me... Then told me Clear would suspend my service while I sent the device back to them for inspection (2-3 weeks) or I could pay for another device and then they would credit my account (again in 2-3 weeks) once they determined that my device was defective. But wait, didn't the tech just tell me he knew it was defective after all of the tests??? I told them neither option was good for me. After several calls back and forth the supervisor tells me that there are device service centers where I can take the device and have it tested and if defective they would give me a new router. Well that was news to the three different locations that they had me driving all over the Dallas area for. One center was closed, one said that he had told them he would not be a service center, one told me they would only help me if I had purchased the item from them. Information on the website is not correct. Tech support cannot assist in any way.
Then I went to Best Buy and what a difference. Got a new version of the hot spot for the same price that I paid Clear for the old device that did not work. Do NOT go through Clear. It is a waste of time. I did learn that if you refuse to give them your telephone number and continue to insist that you speak with a supervisor you will actually get a supervisor...I think. Once you give them your phone number their response is to continually apologize for your trouble. I don't want apologies...I want excellent customer service.
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Review by dplantz
member for 12.6 years, 4862 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 1.2 years ago
- Roslindale,Suffolk,MA
- $62 per month
- (24 month contract)
- about 1 days
- "Unlimited wireless connection"
- "Contract Service."
- "much better than 3g wireless when you can get signal. New tech so your milage will very"
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Update. I dropped the Overdrive for Verizon LTE . I pay my bill to Sprint but this a review of the 4g wimax from Clear not Sprint. I love the fact that its unlimited. Coverage is getting better by the week as more sites are powered up and new back haul is installed. Speeds in Boston are much more stable now. Getting 4 to 6 meg downloads and 900 or so uploads. Signal levels are also better.
The overdrive wifi device is rock solid now. I had it replaced. I had a defective one. This is my backup to my RCN modem. I tried the home modem, had horrible speeds. My Overdrive works fine for backup use, I just wish it had an eathernet port.
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| | One solution to Clearwire problems Well I really wanted this service to work. I don't need a superfast connection, just reliable and enough to stream video. Got the cpei 25725 Motorola set up and working within minutes. Very easy and was initially excited...AND THEN the monster came out of the cage. The connection kept dropping and I had to reboot the modem to get it to work again. This would happen several times a day. ARGH... I was pulling my hair out. Sometimes my speeds were good but other times they slowed to a crawl. Tech support was in the Philippines, unintelligible and were definitely reading from a manuscript. No help here whatsoever. Tech support gets a big 0 in my opinion.
Then I decided to try and solve the problem myself. I spent hours combing the internet for solutions and kept reading the same thing. If you don't have a good signal you will get slow, spotty service. This had to be my problem! I was in an a spot that was included in the service area but had just about the longest possible distance to all available towers. (I got two to three lights on the modem) What I needed was an antenna. The modem does not provide a external connection but I did more research and found a hack that allows an antenna to be connected and I immediately got a no drop connection with higher speeds.(full five bars and good speeds)
If you are having problems with Clear get an external antenna hooked up and put it on the roof as high as you can. Now I know I shouldn't have to do this but Comcast pissed me off so bad I was willing to spend the $250 on the project so I never have to deal with them again. The nicer part of this is being able to take the modem to my boat and use the internet there as well!
While being initially frustrated by the problems I am very happy with the service now and hope that a Clear employee sees this and makes the suggestion to place an external antenna connection port on future modems. Then they could sell accessories as options in spotty areas and make more money! | |
| | | | Re: One solution to Clearwire problems Which antenna did you install on the roof. Do you think it would work inside of a wood house attic at the top? I have a good signal on my deck towards the tower, but lesser signal inside where my computer is located.
Anyone using www.cradlepoint.com mbr1200 with clearwire? Have been thinking of buying and locating at top of attic. Any comments would be welcome | |
| | | | | Re: One solution to Clearwire problems Using any antenna will help. How much it will help depends on the length of cable to the antenna and the gain of the antenna. Basically the longer the run of cable the more loss of signal. The higher the gain of the antenna the more you can compensate for the loss in the cable. For instance if you buy a 18 db gain antenna and use cable that has a total loss of 8db you will get a 10 db overall gain. Buying a good quality cable and using the shortest possible run is critical to success.
Locating this inside an attic with the frequency that Clear uses is not the best idea in my opinion. As I put in my post the high frequency radio is very "LINE OF SIGHT" and even though they are using MIMO technology to partly compensate for this it is still sometimes a problem. You will probably see an increase in signal but not as much as locating it outside. If you don't want an eyesore outside consider buying an antenna which could be painted with a NON-metalic paint and match you house color. Check with the manufacturer on which ones can safely be painted without signal degradation.
As for which antenna I bought I would rather not say in a blog which one I purchased. This sometimes comes across as a company trying to endorse its own product. I don't want to look like a salesman trying to drum up business by touting a product. I will say that if you Google "Wimax antenna" you will find the company I purchased the antenna, adapter, coax and test lead from on the first page of returns. If you still can't find it let me know and I'll help you out. | |
| | | | | I'm using tghe MBR1200 with ClearWire.. Works FINE.. | |
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Review by barterpc
member for 6.6 years, 1 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago
lodged 1.2 years ago
- Jersey City,Hudson,NJ
- $50 per month
- ""Great Connection, High speeds 7mbps at slowest w/ .5 mbps up""
- ""Did away with alot of the bundle deals i.e. 2 services for $60, they need to go back to them""
- "Great service on average for getting off the grid, especially if you're in a sprint service area.""
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It's a great service. It does not deliver the absolute consistancy of Cable. But the difference is only minor, within only a few m/s of ping. Of course as with all Cell type service this depends on your proximity and line-of-sight to towers. Luckily I live in a highly populated area that's surrounded by towers. I get an average of 7-9 mbps down and 1 - 1.25mbps up. Many people mentioned speed caps. But so far I've tested the connection using several means and downloading gigs of data. So far no cap or ceiling. I would say it's one of the best home replacements for those looking to completely cut out cable and the phone company.
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| | I agree I live in northern New Jersey and I've been using the Clear Apollo Spot for the past two weeks, not a lot, but at my typical usage, and it has been fine. I'm happy with the service. | |
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Worst ever
RE: I agree very fast
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