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JimThePCGuy
Formerly known as schja01.
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-27
Morton Grove, IL
reply to norbert26

Re: Best alternatives to unlimited Clear 4G

Tri-Band devices are already being marketed by Sprint (not Clear) also FreeedomPop has a LTE device that looks a lot like the Sprint device. My guess is LTE will be Sprint's replacement and it won't be unlimited unless they want to make us Clearwire users some sweetheart deal.
Look at the great deal they made USCellular users in Chicagoland when they purchased the spectrum but not the Cells. They booted the current Chicago USC users to the side with hardly any offer of a concession.



norbert26
Premium
join:2010-08-10
Warwick, RI

said by JimThePCGuy:

Tri-Band devices are already being marketed by Sprint (not Clear) also FreeedomPop has a LTE device that looks a lot like the Sprint device. My guess is LTE will be Sprint's replacement and it won't be unlimited unless they want to make us Clearwire users some sweetheart deal.
Look at the great deal they made USCellular users in Chicagoland when they purchased the spectrum but not the Cells. They booted the current Chicago USC users to the side with hardly any offer of a concession.

yes it will be LTE for sure. Clear before the take over was working on TD-LTE and beta testing in a few markets. New modems were supposed to come out but everything went into a tailspin . i doubt it will be unlimited and sprint just seems more interested in the cell phone handset market and a few pucks we have seen that are capped. The third party reseller market that runs off sprint looked decent with 50 - 100 GB caps as opposed to the low caps sprint direct offered. This shall prove interesting what sprint does decide to offer us in the end.


MOSFET

join:2002-09-29
Garfield, NJ
Reviews:
·Optimum Online
reply to xrayman

It's not just 1.5 million users that Clear sells direct services to, it's also another 10 million users on the Clear network through resellers such as Earthlink and other providers. Looking back at Sprint and their terrible business model, I can only imagine with horror that they would have no problem screwing over nearly 12 million customers who use WiMAX in favor of LTE. All I know is that if they want my business, I won't use a hockey puck for a home modem, they better come up with a real modem like what I have now with Clear; including hookup for external antenna and ethernet ports. they better come up with a modem like the Clear Hub Express.



norbert26
Premium
join:2010-08-10
Warwick, RI

said by MOSFET:

It's not just 1.5 million users that Clear sells direct services to, it's also another 10 million users on the Clear network through resellers such as Earthlink and other providers. Looking back at Sprint and their terrible business model, I can only imagine with horror that they would have no problem screwing over nearly 12 million customers who use WiMAX in favor of LTE. All I know is that if they want my business, I won't use a hockey puck for a home modem, they better come up with a real modem like what I have now with Clear; including hookup for external antenna and ethernet ports. they better come up with a modem like the Clear Hub Express.

if you using your modem in your house like i am i question a puck even covering the house plus lack of at least one cat 5 port which i need to run a cat 5 to the other side of the house where the WI-FI signal is weak. (using white modem with WI-FI)


MOSFET

join:2002-09-29
Garfield, NJ
Reviews:
·Optimum Online

I have the Clear Hub Express with an external antenna and my VOIP telephone is plugged into the modem. I guess I'm lucky I didn't give up Optimum on line but I wish that Sprint would drop the other shoe already so I know what the hell they're up to and I can respond accordingly.


BellSouthBS

join:2002-03-07
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Reviews:
·Clear Wireless
·Comcast
·AT&T Southeast
reply to norbert26

I spoke with KEVIN at WIRELESSNWIFI.com, who said their average (sprint) data customer used about 18 GB per month, and sprint got bent out of shape when this jumped 4 GB in one month. He said they (Sprint) get involved/annoyed) and investigate/cut customers who go beyond 64 GB in a month's time.

>>> He's been in the cellular business for a couple decades, and states that CLEAR should be functional for the next 2 or 3 years during the Sprint LTE transition at 2.5 GHz.

He further re-iterated that Sprint is a phone company, and as such is after charging for every megabyte. He sees some type of capped service, but won't guess how much.

The bottom line is that 64 GB appears to be the "red line" that you don't want to cross with any Sprint reseller, at least for now.



BlueMagic

join:2008-03-30
Riverside, IL

1 edit
reply to JimThePCGuy

There is nothing that can replace Clear WiMax as long as you live in area with excellent service, which I do. Clear has stated that they plan to continue offering WiMax service through the end of 2015 therefore it is important that those of us with great service to

1. Not cancel our service.
2. Own a back up Clear modem in case our current modem fails.

Today, I purchased a new Clear Spot Voyager modem as a spare backup. With Clear no longer selling Clear modems I consider this to be a prudent move. Once the current supply of Clear modems dries up they will become a very scarce item. Look for Clear modems to be selling for outrageous prices on eBay, in the very near future.
--
"A 3.4KHz bandwidth is more than sufficient to convey the messages." Mazillo August 1, 2009


Post Script:

Wow that was fast, I just ordered the modem yesterday and at the time they had 16 in stock, now they are completely out of stock. »www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DV1···F8&psc=1


criggs

join:2000-07-14
New York, NY
Reviews:
·Millenicom

1 edit
reply to BellSouthBS

That is quite odd. I'm a Wireless 'n' WiFi customer. When I first signed up with them two months ago, I told them I expected my average monthly usage would be between 70 and 90 gigs, WHICH THEY SAID WAS PERFECTLY OKAY. There were some reports online that they had an unofficial 100 gig monthly limit. I asked them about that and they told me that was not correct, and that there was no limit to their service and that unlimited meant unlimited. They did add a caveat however that they don't like customers to "go crazy" with their service. No data figure was attached to help clarify the definition of going crazy.

Accordingly, that first month, I paid no attention whatsoever to my data figure, which ended up at 112 gigs (my FTP service had major problems one week, and I had to upload a large file several times before it completed successfully; this figure is way above what is normal for me). The day after the monthly cycle was over, on the 8th, Wireless 'n' WiFi wrote me to tell me that level of usage caused them concern. They did NOT say anything about terminating my account, nor did they even hint that I had violated their TOS or anything like that. They merely expressed concern.

I asked them again, as I had the previous month, whether they could give me a figure below which they would like me to stay. Again they assured me there was no such figure.

Okay, I then kept my usage below 100 gigs the following month, winding up with 93 gigs.

The day after that month's cycle, I got a message reporting my 93 gig usage. They asked me to try to decrease my usage further. At this point, I didn't know what to think: Was their desired maximum 90 gigs? 85 gigs? 80 gigs?

Currently, for this month's period, my average daily consumption has been 2.5 gigs a day. Multiply that by 31 and it works out to a probable total for August of 79 gigs (I'm up to 69 gigs so far). I have made no conscious effort to decrease my usage, though I have monitored it closely; I am trying to establish a baseline norm for me.

In any case, with the exception of the FTP failure and the 112 gig figure, my monthly figures for the last two months have been close to the window I had guessed in my communications with WnW; my guess had been 70-90 and the last two months have been 93 and 79.

Here's the bottom line; I have received no indication or communication that my service could be investigated or cut, and let me reiterate that my stated initial 70-90 expectation elicited no expression of concern on their part whatsoever. And this 64 gig figure? It's brand new to me, and I have heard nothing to that effect whatsoever from anyone at the company.

In addition, I think it bears pointing out that a 64 gig cap is not significantly higher than Millenicom's 50 gig cap. Considering the fact that WnW has Hotspot startup costs significantly higher than those of Millenicom (the unlimited LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot, for example, carries a stiff $315 startup fee), it's tough to see them suddenly bringing down a cap that relatively low. I believe it would damage their promotional stance.

Unless, of course, they're getting ready to cut their monthly charges and/or startup fees to match this much lower 64 gig monthly cap.


criggs

join:2000-07-14
New York, NY
Reviews:
·Millenicom
reply to BlueMagic

I agree with you that, when WiMax is working properly, as it did for me through March 13th of this year (when they started the upgrade and my WiMax service has been below spec ever since), it is excellent. However it is still inferior to the LTE service, particularly on the upload side, where Clear and Sprint continue to insist on the 1.5 meg per second speed cap. While I have yet to have LTE service in my area which is equal to, or superior to, WiMax, I expect that will eventually change. Even today, with substandard LTE, I already have upload speeds that average between 3 and 4 megs per second, over twice as fast as the WiMax uploads.


BellSouthBS

join:2002-03-07
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Reviews:
·Clear Wireless
·Comcast
·AT&T Southeast

4 edits

Click for full size
 
Hi Criggs,
I had to take some drastic steps to raise my speed from 2 mb/s with only the modem inside the house, to over 15 mb/s with a 24dbi grid dish antenna mounted outside, above the roofline. The long yagi antenna, below the 27" x 32" CLEAR antenna, is for a microcell for the house and backup AT&T Wireless modem in an MBR1000 wireless router.

It's good to know that WnW is at least aware that there are times when extra bandwidth is needed, and like you stated (between the lines) they can't afford to lose a lot of customers over usage, which is increasing every day. After talking to Kevin, I believe you did the right thing, because he expressed concern that future customers might see caps, and these caps might be more in line with Sprint's other offerings. As for now, Sprint has to put up with us and our higher usage, because they lost so many customers when they shut down iDen a month ago.

U.S. ISPs are a rip-off, except for Google and its 1 GB/s download speeds for $70 per month. In Japan, Sony announced that its 2 GB/s download and 1 GB/s upload internet service will cost the equivalent of $50 U.S. per month. I have a neighbor who is paying over $50 per month for an unreliable DSL Extreme line that barely makes 5 mb/s down, and 0.4 mb/s up. When it rains, the line goes out until the sun dries up the old phone lines.

Press Release about SONY's 2 GB/s internet service: »www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417845,00.asp


norbert26
Premium
join:2010-08-10
Warwick, RI
reply to BlueMagic

said by BlueMagic:

There is nothing that can replace Clear WiMax as long as you live in area with excellent service, which I do. Clear has stated that they plan to continue offering WiMax service through the end of 2015 therefore it is important that those of us with great service to

1. Not cancel our service.
2. Own a back up Clear modem in case our current modem fails.

Today, I purchased a new Clear Spot Voyager modem as a spare backup. With Clear no longer selling Clear modems I consider this to be a prudent move. Once the current supply of Clear modems dries up they will become a very scarce item. Look for Clear modems to be selling for outrageous prices on eBay, in the very near future.

i have and i am using the white modem with WI-FI. this is exactly like the clear hub express EXCEPT it only has one CAT 5 port and does not have an external antenna port. HOWEVER i don't need an outside antenna the signal comes in and holds all five lights hit even during a severe thunderstorm i was downloading a huge file on my iPad with no problem. The white modem w/ WIFI was built for the rental market when clear used to lease modems and you had to do a credit score check and contract. They dropped contracts and rolled out the hub express at the same time. I'm hoping the modem will hold out for the life of service we estimate till last quarter or 2015. I do not have a spare i assumed that customer service has a few set aside if there was a hardware failure if not that's it if the modem goes out. On the other hand i hate to put out more money for a spare that will be a brick in two years. I would need a hub express OR another like i have as a replacement.

As far as beyond clear i dont expect to offer anything like we have. Alternate solutions offered in this thread were wireless N with the 100 GB cap and the other one limited to 50 GB both 3rd party sprint resellers. I don't want to rush into those options if i have two years with clear yet expect for valid concerns should the modem fail. I do have it plugged into a UPS / surge protector. At this moment in time game plan is to stick with clear at least another year .

One more concern. If a major storm should hit and the tower goes out i wonder how long it may be down. Sprint may not be in a rush to fix it. that said i DO have a back up DSL line active on dry loop (DSL only no phone) through DSL extreme however i am too far out to get good speeds. I get around 768 kbps average as the lines are very old and i am 3 miles out. I also have my iPhone with a hotspot and capped at 1 GB (i can increase the cap in emergency) but thats last resort.


norbert26
Premium
join:2010-08-10
Warwick, RI
reply to BlueMagic

UPDATE: i just ordered a clear hub express with an external antenna . Between that and the modem i have these should last two years. Also i have the option of swapping out the white modem and use the hub express now instead and make the white modem the spare modem.

Expand your moderator at work

theFarm

join:2012-09-16
Washington, DC
Reviews:
·Clear Wireless
reply to JimThePCGuy

Re: Best alternatives to unlimited Clear 4G

-J
I'm in the same boat as you. I've been using the Voyager as my primary data connection for all my devices. (~150GB/month) Haven't found a suitable alternative yet. Now that all the major carriers have released their 2013 flagship devices, I'll be upgrading my phone in the next couple weeks. I'll let you know if I come across anything worth noting.
-Andrew


mikalares

join:2011-06-01
Erlanger, KY
reply to JimThePCGuy

I will be sticking in there until the last possible second with Clear. I will never, ever find a comparable plan. I'm grandfathered into the 'Take Two' Plan and have one hub express and one voyager bundled for 60 bucks a month. Both of them are, of course, unlimited and both are on the 3-6 on the down but I average 9 -13 in my area without anything extra. I use about 150 gigs on our home device and right at 50 on our voyager. I love my Clear.


criggs

join:2000-07-14
New York, NY
Reviews:
·Millenicom

Yes, it is a fabulous deal if you're in a good WiMax area, and if most of the places you travel also has good WiMax. Unfortunately the WiMax network is quite holey, so, in general, for most users, I think we're better off with a hybrid 3G/4G deal like that offered by Millenicom and Wireless 'n' WiFi, even though those are a bit more expensive than the Clear deal.



norbert26
Premium
join:2010-08-10
Warwick, RI
reply to JimThePCGuy

this VZW plan would have been an option IF it had a reasonable data allowance . In its present form its not very useful as you need the share everything plan which gets pricey for overages. However if you look at the router you will see this is what us hub (fixed) users would be looking for in hardware.hoping someone takes up this slack before clear goes away.
»www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-576044···and-biz/