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Review by justliquor See Profile

  • Location: Lockport, Will, IL, USA
  • Cost Contract price not specified.
lowest cost
No nationwide coverage
Does what it is supposed to do

I see a lot of complaints here that could be explained with some common sense and simply paying a bit more attention. Cricket doesn't work well everywhere. In Chicago it works great. In Dogbarf Montana, it may not. But then most carriers probably don't work well in Dogbarf Montana either. Check the coverage before you buy.

READ THE TOS! Most of the complaints about latency, downloads, etc can be explained because the user didn't bother to read the part in the TOS where it says that Cricket is not to be used for Peer-to-peer, web cameras, video downloads, online gaming, etc. Why? because it quickly jams the system and slows it down for everyone if everyone starts doing those things. THIS is why Verison, Virgin Mobile, ATT, Sprint and all other carriers either have a cut off at 5GB or they charge you an enormous amount for overages. At least Cricket still allows you to stay connected, they just don't allow you to continue playing WoW or using your peer-to-peer to download stolen music at the expense of everyone else. EVERY carrier stops you at 5GB or gouges you for it.

Mobile broadband was never meant to replace DSL, Cable or anything else that is hard-wired to your desktop. It was designed so that people who need to send and receive emails, send text files or an occasional Youtube video or funny email attachment could do so. No service offered by any provider anywhere is designed to do hard core gaming, webcams, P2P or anything like that. Some will do it at 3AM when the system is quiet. Don't expect it from anyone at 4PM. If you get lucky, great.

Cricket didn't think out their marketing well. They are appealing to the very people who will complain most about their system. They are appealing to people with bad or no credit or people who can't afford to sign multi-year contracts because their employment is spotty. Business users don't have time to sit around playing online games, have too much to lose to get sued by RIAA for stealing songs on a P2P, or sit around endlessly downloading videos all day. They hit and run with mostly text files. Thats perfect for mobile broadband. Cricket is too often the last resort for kids whose time could be better spent on things other than the internet, or losers that don't care to fulfill their contract obligations and ruin their own credit ratings and then blame others.

In this economy, God bless those hard working types that need this to search for jobs, send resumes, etc. Or the low-paid military family that tries to send out emails to keep in touch with their loved ones over seas. These are the people who most need this. And the bandwidth is being eaten by some knucklehead that wants to play online games all night. Cricket is no better or worse than any other provider although they could improve their customer service and should do so ASAP. The bottom line is, do the due diligence before buying the service and if you are not happy, move on.

member for 14.5 years, driveby review (so far)
updated 14.5 years ago


Review by Protokiller See Profile

  • Location: Exeter, Tulare, CA, USA
  • Cost: $35 per month
Easy set-up, fast when it wants to be, no contract
latency.
Only buy if you check-email and message.
Pre Sales Information:
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Value for money:

I bought it as a temporarily solution to hold me over until I get Verizon DSL. I was fairly happy with it around 1:00pm but around 3:00pm the latency jumped from around 150 average to around 250+ then at around 6:00-7:00pm my game servers were reading OVER 1500MS latency! You can't even attempt to play at those latency's.

Anyway don't buy if you plan on doing any gaming, unless perhaps you only try to use it very early morning/late at night.

Can't steam youtube videos without constantly needing to pause to buffer.

member for 16.1 years, 52 visits, last login: 13.1 years ago
updated 14.6 years ago


whats anon
@69.171.161.x

whats anon

Anon

i giv crickut a 30% out of 100% since i hav to buffer forevr

hi i got the cricket broadband modem its the A600 anyways i got it and im currently running at *cheks the modem speed*
230.4 kbps and when i play on chat engines like yahoo or kaneva i dont have any problems i havent downloaded anygames yet cause its hard to find a good gunbound mirror or active hyperlink.. anyways when i play you tube stuff it has to constantly buffer until its completed which takes like oh...20 minutes tops anyways when i cough* download some movies or software from cough * cites* then that takes about 2 days for it to completely download the movie or software single seeds only. thats my broadband experience wit crickut... oh myspace runs fine no worries !
sincerely - levimonster........happy....huntin ...buffer.buffer bu.

TIM R
@69.171.168.x

TIM R

Anon

Advice about 'Cricket' Broadband

I THINK THAT CRICKET BROADBAND DOES THE JOB. I SEE IT AS MAINLY A SLOWER BROADBAND CONNECTION TO USE ON-THE-GO. IT DOES THE JOB... CHECK EMAIL, BROWSE THE WEB, MAKE PURCHASES AND MORE. I DO NOT RECOMMEND GAMING OR ANY HEAVY DOWNLOADING. AGAIN, THE CONNECTION IS FOR ON-THE-GO USE. IT WORKS VERY WELL CONSIDERING HOW REASONABLE THE PRICE IS PER MONTH. IT IS MUCH BETTER THAN OLD FASHIONED DIAL UP.

TIM

Review by azhuskerfan See Profile

  • Location: Tucson, Pima, AZ, USA
  • Cost: $40 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
Price, No contract, Quite Fast, Easy setup, FREE USB modem!
None yet, although it does have limitations where it can be used. No problem otherwise.
Great product... so far. I have used it for 3 weeks now.
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Is this as fast as Cox Cable, NO. Should it be? NO

For mobile broadband, it is outstanding! I can even watch my Slingbox in VERY good quality with zero dropouts. I can drive all over town listening to streaming audio. Web pages come up VERY fast, even graphic-intensive pages do quite well.

So far, I am SOLD!

The only bad part was walking into the Cricket dealer and having to deal with all the losers and misfits of society yelling and screaming about their phone being shut off "for no reason." Seriously, I don't mean to be a snob, but the clientele are a bunch a bottom-feeders at best. The showroom actually had an armed security guard. Can't say I have seen that at the AT&T store 2 minutes away up the street. I have an iPhone and have used AT&T for years. I guess I was surprised to see the HUGE difference in customer service (although the rep that served me was VERY nice) and the overall low-rent way they operate. I would suggest mail order to you from Cricket.

No matter what, however... this Cricket USB Broadband Card is a keeper. I will do another update when I start visiting more places outside of my home areas of Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona.

member for 14.7 years, 2 visits, last login: 14.6 years ago
updated 14.7 years ago


Review by jmlemmel See Profile

  • Location: Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH, USA
  • Cost: $41 per month
Easy to install and use, system always available so far.
Supposed to receive rebate for purchase of modem, but didn't.
As for the actual ISP service, thumbs up so far!
Pre Sales Information:
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My laptop is my primary computer. It is enabled with wireless internet, but I cannot get a signal where I live unless I sit on the front porch, which isn't always ideal and not comfortable at all. Since I only use a cell phone and don't have a landline, dial-up was not an option. I detest my cable company, so they were not an option, either. Since my cell phone service is through Cricket I decided to try Cricket Broadband.

I ordered their cheapest package, which is $40.00 a month. Total out the door price was $143.00, with a $50 mail-in rebate. (Only after I got home and read the fine print did I learn that the rebate was only good after the service was active for 45 days. I mailed everything in that was requested and received a response that I was not eligible for the rebate since the information was received after the deadline. Go figure.) I was able to install it in the store and test it before leaving. It was fully functional when I left the store.

I received a UTStarcom USB Modem.

The best thing about it so far is the reliability of the network. It's always been available every time I've used it thus far. I've never lost a connection, either.

The worst thing about Cricket Broadband is the mail-in rebate nightmare. Other than that, two thumbs up so far!

member for 14.7 years, driveby review (so far)
lodged 14.7 years ago

scottae316
join:2007-12-26
Cranberry Twp, PA

scottae316

Member

Rebate?

You said that you did not receive your rebate. That is not fair because you did not fulfill the TOS. After 45 days you will. ALL rebates from these companies have a hold period.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

No Signal via Wi-Fi

Of course you're not going to get a Wifi signal if you DO NOT HAVE INTERNET! You were only getting the Wireless signal due to STEALING it from one of your neighbors!

Review by ocdave67 See Profile

  • Location: Gladstone, Clackamas, OR, USA
  • Cost: $40 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
Only 40 dollars a month
Some websites (MySpace to name 1) has issues with the Cricket Network.
A unreliable network + pathetic technical support = AVOID
Pre Sales Information:
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Used this service for about 6 months but finally got fed up with issues within the network. I have not been able to load myspace images or access my power companies web site due to Crickets network firewall.

When you try and call tech support to discuss the issue, they know very little about the server side of their business and they will refuse to let you talk to the network administrator about connection/firewall problems. Using Whois and attempting to email the network or technical administrator will NOT get you a reply on network issues.

Also to note.. Fox.com (the tv network), Cricket internet will not allow you to watch full episodes. This is again another Cricket network issue. Try to get help from these people and you will find better help from the family pet..

BOTTOM LINE- Network works with most web sites, but a few major ones it will not. I would rank Cricket as the bottom of all internet providers. Dumped their service as of the writing of this review.

UPDATE- I finally did get a response to emails to the network/technical administrators as mentioned above. I am discussing the problems with them about their network but have not informed them that I have already fired their company as my ISP. I figured I would at least try and help other Cricket users in my area but will only converse with Cricket until my DSL equipment arrives.

member for 19.7 years, 32 visits, last login: 14.9 years ago
updated 15 years ago


Texas Temp
@bestline.net

Texas Temp

Anon

Texas Cricket broadband having problems

After 2 months of trouble free connections and heavy use, three days ago I started having problems getting my connections to last more than 3 minutes.

The tech support seemed suprised I get connected at all, based on the complaints he is getting.

I was told that they are having tower problems that will probably persist for another 3 months. After having a great experience with them, I am hesitant to boot them.

It appears to me that this is not a tower problem but a software glitch. I continually have 4 bars of tower, but I keep getting switched off. I reconnect with different IP adress assigned.

After investing in the wireless modem, I don't want to leave, but I need to be connected. I will probably drop them when the month is out, and let them fix the problem before continuing to pay.

I am currently shopping for a replacement.

Review by Derch See Profile

  • Location: Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA
  • Cost: $40 per month
Extremely fast setup and go-live on my laptop, cheaper than other wireless services.
Speed can be better (250/50k) and you can only purchase a USB device.
If you want to save money, this will do (or until U-Verse fiber goodness comes knocking on my door).
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
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What can I say, I'm sort of impressed how easy it was from when I asked questions before giving them my CC to now... being online without hording other wireless signals from my neighbors with a pringles can antenna. So far so good... I'll update as I use this service.

Latest as of 01/25/2009:

Except for a couple of hiccups over the weekend, solid connection. BTW- the service isn't capped: they toggle your connection down the more you go over 5GB's... or at least that was what the Engineer told me. I'm able to route my work VPN connection without issues as well. So far so good.

member for 19.4 years, 2394 visits, last login: 1.8 years ago
updated 15.1 years ago


Review by DHeine See Profile

  • Location: Las Vegas, Clark, NV, USA
  • Cost: $40 per month
Easy setup. stable connection
Bandwidth is not broadband comparable, more like ISDN
It's a good choice if you don't have access to DSL/Cable
Pre Sales Information:
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I live in an area that doesn't have DSL or Cable service at this time so when I saw the add for Broadband connection to the Internet for only $40/mo. I thought that this was the solution I was looking for. Within minutes from purchasing the service, I was connected to the Internet.

The speed is fast enough to load most web pages quickly. If you are looking to watch any video clips online, be prepared for choppy viewing. It's speed is acceptable for light to moderate usage and the connection is very reliable.

The biggest disappointment is the bandwidth that they give you. The fastest speed that I have seen is more in line with ISDN connection speeds, better than dial-up but nothing comparable to broadband or DSL..

member for 15.2 years, 2 visits, last login: 14.7 years ago
updated 15.2 years ago


MissVee
@level3.net

MissVee

Anon

service

I wasn't able to get service through cable company. Found out about Cricket broadband. It has worked very well for me. It could be faster but compared to nothing available, thankful to have.

Unhappy Cricket
@level3.net

Unhappy Cricket

Anon

Cricket is the worst ever

They ripped me off of me $50.00 rebate and the connection is way to slow and I get disconnected every 2 minutes . I am going back to my old ISP ASAP !

Review by TimfromPgh See Profile

  • Location: Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA, USA
  • Cost: $40 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
reliable, easy to install, decent speed
none so far
I recommend it if you don't have cable/dsl
Pre Sales Information:
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Live near Pittsburgh, but have no broadband service available at home. Have been using Cricket for one week. Typical download speed is 500 kbps. This service is a huge improvement from dialup. It has performed flawlessly so far. Installation is easy. A $59 rebate reduces the overall startup cost to about $60

member for 15.2 years, 7 visits, last login: 11.2 years ago
lodged 15.2 years ago







Review by JC Denton See Profile

  • Location: San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
  • Cost: $40 per month
  • Install: about 4 days
Easy set-up, compact modem, fast data transfer
sucks my laptops batteries down and makes the computer run hot
overall, very happy

Very happy, I first purchased an AT$T card.
It was bulky and I did not get 3G service even though I was in a strong coverage area.
It went back the next day.

I opted for the Cricket broadband and couldn't be happier.
It set up easy, locks a strong EVDO connection at my house and is transferring on the lower end of cable/DSL speeds (400-500 kb/s).

Also has been very stable (going on 1hr+ with no issues)

If you are in an area with good coverage, I highly recommend it.

member for 15.2 years, driveby review (so far)
updated 15.2 years ago


Review by statewd See Profile

  • Location: Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA
  • Business customer Business customer
  • Cost: $40 per month
  • Install: about 2 days
Good if you are in rural area where DSL/Cable not available.
Very Slow at 500kbps downloads.
Go with DSL/Cable if available, only go with this if there is nothing else available.
Pre Sales Information:
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My sonic.net 1 year special pricing contract was ending soon, so I was looking over my possibilities. I decided to go with this since it was the same price as DSL and the plus I saw was the ability to use with my notebook when driving around locally in the Fresno area. Their plan is for $40 per month (month-to-month no contract) for "Cricket Broadband" with an advertised speed of 1.5Mbps, but it is realistically 500Kbps download speed. The latency seems pretty bad at around 300ms. Normal DSL here is around 30ms in comparison. I did a trace route from Fresno CA to Los Angeles CA of this connection and it actually routes from Fresno CA all the way to Denver CO and then back to Los Angeles CA. That is not a very good network setup in my opinion. From the speed of this service it makes me think they just have one T1 installed for the local cell towers and let their customers have at it with just that. So the bottom line, until they upgrade their local network speed, only get this service if you can't find any DSL/Cable in your area or if you really must have portability for your notebook when driving around locally.

member for 15.3 years, 19 visits, last login: 14.1 years ago
updated 15.3 years ago


linkstarr
@level3.net

linkstarr

Anon

CricKet Broadband

I my self got this 1 week ago just seeing the TV commercial and picking one up. I get 10k per sec on my download i live in Conroe, TX maybe cause i dont live in the inner city i would also like to learn how to rout a signal and post where it is being traced.

Sadie
@bellsouth.net

Sadie

Anon

Broadband

I live in the Knoxville, TN area and I really do enjoy my Cricket Broadband. Its cheaper than my last and its great for work, and its only 40.00 a month.