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Broadband Internet w/o DSL or Cable

dr (apparently) - 07:07am Jan 15, 2008 PST
via email

I've been asked see what's involved in setting up a broadband speed internet connection for someone who's past the edge of DSL or Cable service. And getting a "neighbor" to allow us to set up a line of sight operation is very unlikely. Technical expertise at this house is very low in general.

So...

Currently 3 laptops but none can be counted on to be there all the time.
(Switching connections based on which laptop has "the card" would be a bad idea.)

Outside of our local radio service coverage areas.

I'm guessing the best thing would be a modem that allows us to hook a wireless router to it via wired Ethernet. Said modem would be one that takes a cell carrier's EVDO card. By best I mean something that is easy to setup and run. If it's not working power cycle kind of thing.

Any suggestions. I've done some scouting around and have found a few routers that might work but no modems. Maybe some of the routers can be set to bridged mode.

Has anyone done something like this using Sprint or Verizon's EVDO network?

David Ross

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kevinv (apparently) - Jan 16, 2008 3:53 am (#1 Total: 2)

via email

Posts: 1370

Re: Broadband Internet w/o DSL or Cable

--On January 15, 2008 6:07:59 AM -0800 David Ross
<dr

davidrossconsultant.com> wrote:

> Any suggestions. I've done some scouting around and have found a few
> routers that might work but no modems. Maybe some of the routers can be
> set to bridged mode.
>
> Has anyone done something like this using Sprint or Verizon's EVDO
> network?

I setup my father's network to use Verizon EVDO. He has a Windows (and
Linux and OS/2) network, no Macs, although I did join my brother's mac
laptop to the network a few times.

I setup one of his computers with the EVDO card. I used only the LAN side
of his wireless router and made the computer with the EVDO card the default
gateway on the router and all the computers.

At first the computer with the EVDO was a laptop and it connected
wirelessly to rest of the network. Later on the computer was a desktop
using a PCI-to-PC Card adapter for the EVDO card. This computer connected
to the wirless router via a wired connection (again on the LAN side of the
router). Not sure if these are available for desktop Macs.

<http://www.siig.com/ViewProduct.aspx?pn=JJ-PC1012-S2>

There was some tricks we had to do because it was a Windows network. His
anti-virus and software firewalls had to be tweaked on the system with the
EVDO card to allow pass-thru traffic. But all in all it wasn't super
difficult.

It worked pretty well for about 8 months, then the cable company made cable
internet available on the street (after 25+ years of not even being able to
get cable tv). He dropped EVDO for cable.

If you don't mind dropping a little change (maybe $200-$300? I didn't do a
lot of pricing), there are some EVDO routers available. Some will work as a
cable modem as well, with EVDO as a failover.

<http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kr1-router/>
<http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kr2-router/>
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1175237934633&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=3463339789B01>
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1160093298732&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=9873239789B05>

If the Linksys links don't come through, don't search on their website for
"evdo", you'll get nothing. Instead search on "mobile broadband".

bert120 - Jan 23, 2008 7:16 am (#2 Total: 2)

Posts: 1

Re: Broadband Internet w/o DSL or Cable

get one of these if you can't count on one computer always being at home! <http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kr1-router/>

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