zvolts
Premium
join:2005-02-04
Mikado, MI
 ·Charter Pipeline
|  [General] EVDO questions
I just moved into the boondocks of north-east Michigan. Looks like my only options for internet access for a small home network are dialup, satellite (I haven't read too much good about the 2 biggies) and EVDO (which I know very little about) off the cell networks.
I have at least 4 cell towers within a 5 mile radius of my house, but no line-of-sight to any of them. I've driven by each of the 4 cell towers using my Treo, with Alltel service, as a signal meter. The closest Alltel dealer (about 35 miles away) isn't able to tell me where their towers are in my areas. I get a weak (1 to 2 bars) EV Alltel signal off one of the towers (I think it's an Alltel tower about 3 miles away) around the house. When I manage to completely loose the Alltel signal around the house I get a stronger roaming EV signal from another tower. The closest tower is a Nextel Tower about ¾ of a mile away. But I’m told by the local’ish Nextel store that my Treo/Alltel phone would never pickup a signal from that Nextel tower (no Sprint towers around) and that the best that tower would do on a Nextel phone is 19.2K in any event.
In the EVDO world can you get a “roaming” EV signal or is what I’m seeing a roaming voice signal and the EV off a different Alltel tower? If you can get a roaming EV signal is there any way to know whose network that is barring making a roaming call and checking the bill (it’s a work phone so no access to online billing info)? I might be better off using their EVDO service.
Thanks... |
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DaSham58
join:2008-03-18
Scott Depot, WV
| I just left hughesnet I was with them for 5 long years. Trust me stay away from the satellite!I have had alltel EVDO for about a month now and the difference between the 2 is like day and night.I live about 3 miles from the tower I am tuned to and I was just getting 1 or 2 bars and I good service and I have some hills between me and the tower.I put up a external yagi antenna and a cyfre amp now I have real good service compared to satellite.Go and read some of the satellite forums and hear there stories. |
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jhoma
join:2002-12-29
Harrison, MI
 ·Alltel Axess
| reply to zvolts
I have been using alltel for my internet for a couple years in Northern MI.It works really well for me. If your phone is capable try the $25 unlimited internet plan. I have my phone hooked to my computer with a usb cable and I get 250 to 500Kbs normally. I use it to play WOW and get a 250-600 ping which is useable, with sat. internet my pings where 1500-2000. |
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zvolts
Premium
join:2005-02-04
Mikado, MI
·Charter Pipeline
| reply to DaSham58
Yeah, I've read through the reviews and plan to stay away from satellite.
I'm still confused and frustrated by my inability to figure out what is available and by whom. I've tried ordering the Wireless Internet Kit from the Alltel site and it tells me that Internet access isn't available in my zip code or the surrounding zip codes, yet according to my cell phone I'm getting an Alltel EV signal. I've ordered the "kit"/cable anyway via another source and will pay the $10 for the national data plan (even though they don't want to sell it to me), so I guess I'll see. Then there is the question about the "roaming EV" signal and whether I can us it, if there are additional charges and whose signal it is.
I'll just give it a go and see what happens. Worst case I'm out $80.
Thanks for the reply. |
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pioneer56
join:2008-03-21
US
·Alltel Axess
| reply to zvolts
The Alltel site is pretty outdated/inaccurate as far as coverage goes. They wouldn't sell me a modem online and said service wasn't available in my area. There is even a store located for the zip I entered! And I was sure there was service because they were selling it at the store. |
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zvolts
Premium
join:2005-02-04
Mikado, MI
·Charter Pipeline
| reply to zvolts
I was able to test with a laptop and my cell (tethered). I had a five bar (max bars) Alltel EV signal a couple of miles from my home. Ran a speed test (184K Down/90K Up). Disappointing! Drove to my "mystery" tower where I got a five bar roaming EV signal and wasn't able to connect (sent and received about 500 packets and puked). At my home I got a 1 to 2 bar Alltel EV signal and couldn't connect. Unless I'm overlooking something, it looks like EVDO is a no go for me - if the best I could expect, assuming I could connect at home, is 184/90'ish. |
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Krileon
@myvzw.com
| reply to zvolts
You guys do realize you get a 1 week free trial right? Test it out. If you don't like it. Take it back and you only pay the days you used it. It couldn't possibly be anymore simple. Be warned though if you wait beyond that week. You are stuck in that 2yr contract and must pay the 200 dollar cancel fee. |
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zvolts
Premium
join:2005-02-04
Mikado, MI
·Charter Pipeline
| Krileon,
Just to clarify for others that may read this, you are referring to a free trial and 2-year contract for the internet data card plan? If so, then yes, I am aware of that as it's stated on their website.
I was able to test using the $10 per/mo smartphone plan (tethered), which, from what I was told, has no contractual term obligation.
Thanks. |
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dberdusco
Elviejon
Premium
join:2006-01-27
Phoenix, AZ
·Alltel Axess
| get the 25 dollar a month phone as modem option i think that 10 dollar option is only for the smartphones and doesnt give good speed for a regular pc.
i use the phone as modem option with a motorola razor i tether to my home pc i setup internet connection sharing on it and use a wireless router to share with my laptop
this is on my laptop going through my desktop to my cellphone and to the internet
if you need any more info let me know i can walk you through
--
There is no such thing as stupid questions, there is only stupid people |
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ChoP
@windstream.net
| reply to zvolts
First let me explain something about the EV signal you see on your Phone, thats not the true EV signal. The Cell Phone is in automatic detection mode, which means it is detecting an EV signal and a 1x signal at the same time. If the EV signal is too weak to connect then the Phone will connect at 1x speeds. The EV will still be displayed because the Phone is detecting the EV signal but the signal that you see displayed on the phone may represent the 1x signal, not the true EVDO signal.
I found that you need at least 2 bars to connect, and 3 bars of true EV signal to connect and maintain a connection for EVDO.
You can lock evdo to only Hdr on your phone to see exactly what the true EV signal is.
You can do a google search on how to turn off evdo on you phone, but in this case after following the direction on how to get into the proper menu you set the phone to Hdr only.
In My case, when I see 4 bars on my Cell Phone with the EV displayed, and the phone is set with the HDR preference set to auto , I am really only getting about 1 or 2 bars of true EVDO for a signal. |
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zvolts
Premium
join:2005-02-04
Mikado, MI
·Charter Pipeline
| Interesting. As I was entering the code to force EVDO only on my Treo, my phone showed a 1 bar roaming and an EV indicator. Immediately after forcing EVDO only it changed to a 4 bar Alltel with an EV indicator. It seems I was seeing a roaming 1x and weak EVDO signal off, I presume, one of the Alltel towers, just as you said, ChoP. In fact, I now see a 4 or 5 bar Alltel signal "EV" throughout my house, including in my basement, which seems too good to be true. Especially since I wasn't able to connect to EVDO from home when I tested last week.
Probably a stupid question, but does forcing EVDO-only just affect the signal indicators on the phone or does it actually affect how the Treo would connect to the EVDO network?
Good stuff, ChoP. Thanks.
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ChoP
@windstream.net
| reply to zvolts
Forcing evdo brings the phone out of the Hybred Hdr mode, 1x/evdo, and places it into evdo only and locks the device into evdo only. If the phone is in true evdo mode you can’t receive calls because evdo only does data. Your results are interesting but I ran up on a case today that may be similar. I happen to be out riding around with some friends and just for the heck of it I locked my Razr V3m into HDR to test some towers around where we were. In places I was getting a full 5 bars where the other two phones in the car was only getting 3 bars of CDMA 1X/EV
Makes you wonder if the software on Cell Phones are tuned to maximize voice communication more than data, which only stands to reason. |
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zvolts
Premium
join:2005-02-04
Mikado, MI | I'm thinking you're correct. I don't think the EVDO-only signal indicators are accurate, at least on my phone. This morning when I again forced it to EVDO-only I got no bars.
No wonder I'm confused... |
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