Linksys by Cisco Wireless-G Router For Mobile Broadband For Use With Verizon Review

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(More customer reviews)About EVDO card compatibility:
Other reviews and several Internet forums discuss compatibility problems with Verizon's EVDO cards (e.g., wireless broadband cards).
According to Linksys, the newest version of the WRT54G3G-VN's firmware only supports three Verizon Wireless EVDO PC cards: Audiovox PC5750, Novatel V720 and Sierra Wireless AirCard 595. (As of this writing, Amazon sells the PC5750 and the AirCard 595.) Other sources suggest five cards work with this router; that was once the case, but only for previous firmware versions, which are no longer available from Linksys. (My router, purchased in April 2009, came with firmware version 2.01.6, dated May 6, 2008 and likely the last firmware release Linksys will offer.)
If you insert a PC card other than those into the WRT54G3G-VN, the card will receive power but the router will not recognize the card or connect to Verizon. I had to visit my local Verizon Wireless store to change cards (I went with the PC5750); they called it an "upgrade" and gave me the card for free in exchange for extending my service contract by two years.
About technical support:
Linksys places a large orange sign in the WRT54G3G-VN's documentation, suggesting customers call Verizon Wireless for support. Verizon will not support this product, don't bother calling.
Linksys will provide tech support for this device, but only over the phone (i.e., no live chat via the Web site). Expect several transfers and to be on hold for a while. It took three support people and about an hour to get from Linksys tech support the compatible cards for this unit.
About the unit:
The WRT54G3G-VN's best selling point is that it's a standard Linksys WRT54G wireless-G router that happens to have a PCMCIA slot on the top, into which you stick an EVDO card.
That means the familiar Linksys administration panel and approach to home routers is in full presence. If you want simple routing, the guided setup CD-ROM will have you up and running in five minutes. If you want advanced routing -- port forwarding, VPN tunneling, MAC address restrictions, DMZ, etc. -- they all can be set in the admin panel as they would on any other Linksys router.
The back of the WRT54G3G-VN has four standard Ethernet switch ports and an Ethernet uplink port to connect to a DSL or cable modem. Therefore, you could use this router for network failover; simply connect it to a cable / DSL modem via Ethernet, add an EVDO card and configure the router to connect to Verizon only when the cable / DSL modem doesn't work.
This unit only provides 802.11g wireless LAN access. Most laptops made in the last five years or so use wireless-G; older computers that use 802.11b and newer ones that only support 802.11n will not be able to connect to this router wirelessly.
Overall assessment:
Linksys has the lion's share of the home networking market for good reason: they build reliable, affordable equipment, and the WRT54G3G-VN is no exception. It's simple to administer, has more configuration options than most people need and runs rock-solid.
I purchased this unit to replace a Kyocera KR-1 EVDO router purchased five years ago, when it was the only game in town. There's no comparison: the KR-1 (manufactured by D-Link), while adequate for the simplest home networking application, may have settings for port forwarding and VPN tunneling, but the router simply will not support either feature. The Linksys WRT54G3G-VN is hands-down a superior unit, one made by a familiar manufacturer with a proven track record.
In short, there may well be other wireless broadband routers that are as good, but there sure aren't any that are better, so why risk using something that isn't familiar?
Final notes:
-- As others have noted, you need to activate your EVDO card in a laptop PC before it will work with the WRT54G3G-VN. The only way to activate the card is in a PC Card-equipped computer with a fresh install of the VZ Access software. Verizon Wireless will not activate the card for you.
-- It's becoming increasingly difficult to find PC EVDO cards. You'll want to ensure you can purchase a compatible EVDO card first, and keep in mind that in two or three years, you may not be able to easily purchase a replacement PC EVDO card if your card suffers a malfunction.
-- The unit comes with a wide, sturdy stand; it can also be wall-mounted by screws, which are not provided.
-- There's a 3-foot-long, yellow Ethernet cable included in the box. In spite of the odd jacket color, it's a standard, T-568B straight-through patch cord.
-- The power supply cord is about four feet long. The cord has an inverter built into the plug; while it's not heavy or hefty, it may take up two outlets on a power strip.
-- The WRT54G3G-VN is basically the same as the WRT54G3G-ST (Sprint) and WRT54G3G-AT (AT&T Wireless). The only difference is the firmware, which controls what EVDO cards work with the router. It is possible, therefore, that you could use a WRT54G3G-ST with a Verizon Wireless PC EVDO card, or a WRT54G3G-VN with a Sprint card, provided the router's firmware supports the EVDO card you use.
It is also possible to download, for example, the Verizon Wireless firmware from the Linksys Web site, then "flash" a WRT54G3G-ST router with the Verizon firmware, basically turning it into a WRT54G3G-VN. I don't advocate doing that, especially if you are not skilled in computer hardware and networking, but it is possible.

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Mobile Broadband N Router Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently was in the market for wireless router to use in extending my Clear WiMax 4G connection to devices that did not support the USB modem I purchased. The USB modem works great for my Windows laptop, but did not work for my older Mac, Wii or Netflix enabled Blu Ray player.
I thought about getting the router directly from Clear, but the device they offer had features I didn't need or want to pay for most notably the ability to run on batteries.
I eventually settled on the CradlePoint MBR 900 because:
It supports the Clear WiMax USB 4G modem
It supports wired connections, which is what I needed for my BluRay player for Netflix
It supports 802.X wireless connections which is what I needed for the Wii and older Mac
It has the needed security features (authentication and encryption
I received the device about a week after ordering it. It was easy to set up with one major issue, configuring the device for Clear WiMax 4G, which required a call to their support staff to resolve.
See the post here on how to resolve this:
[...]


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Kyocera KR1 Mobile Router - Wireless router - 4-port switch - 802.11b/g - desktop Review

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(More customer reviews)I am writing this review just to inform people with Verizon wireless service, using the Verizon USB720 (Novatel U720) modem to be aware of possibly compatibility problems. The situation is pretty simple. When my modem is plugged directly into my laptop, it works almost 100% of the time. When I plug it into the KR1 router, it freezes up every few minutes. When this happens, there is no connection or IP address listed on the "status" page. This freezing occurs until I unplug the router or sometimes after 5 to 10 minutes it fixes itself. It is just not usable this way. Kyocera replaced the router under warranty and the problem is exactly the same. I did upgrade the firmware on both routers. This matter was escalated to D-Link support and they were unable to fix the problem. They are now looking into getting me a different model of router to resolve this. The U720 modem is new, so hopefully they will work the bugs out, but I wanted to make sure this information was available to other buyers. Both Kyocera and Verizon assured me the two units were compatible before I purchased them. I am now locked into a contract with Verizon without a working router and I wouldn't have done that if I'd known of this situation.

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Kyocera KR2 Mobile Router - Wireless router - 4-port switch - 802.11b/g/n (draft) - desktop Review

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(More customer reviews)Received the KR-2 today (ordered same day it went up for sale). I have been using a Kyocera KR-1 for two years. The performance of the KR-1 was poor (at best). The Wi-Fi signal was very weak, and both the EV-DO and Wi-Fi connections would come and go as the KR-1 saw fit. I am not sure if it was caused by the KR-1 or was simply a defective EV-DO card, but my first EV-DO card got smoked and had to be replaced. I have been waiting for the KR-2 to become available since it was announced last fall.
Set up is extremely simple: open box, insert your EV-DO card, apply power. The first thing I noticed is that the KR-2 is ready for use in seconds, versus 1-2 minutes for the KR-1. I followed the directions once I had internet access (browse to http://192.168.0.1) and enter admin password. From there, it is easy to set up Wi-Fi security level and internet access password (if desired).
That's it. Done. If you have a Sprint EV-DO card (PC Card, USB, or Express card), this is the way to go. The service is cheaper than Comcast broadband and you can take it with you where ever.
UPDATE: May 27, 2009. Been using the KR-2 for about 14 months. The wi-fi feature has grown un-reliable (same as happened to my KR-1). Am pretty much only able to use the KR-2 by running a ethernet jumper between it and my notebook computer.

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USB MODEM UTSTARCOM 175 BROADBAND ACCESS PHONE CARD VERIZON CDMA Review

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(More customer reviews)Living out in the sticks, dialup internet access was what I had to live with for ages. When Verizon added a tower that improved my cell phone coverage, I started wondering if it was an option for my PC as well. I'm not an early adopter of new technology and waited until neighbors had tried various options before I was willing to try this service. I've been using an extra phone line for the computer, the removal of which will save me half what this service costs monthly. Still it's an extra thirty bucks, so it has to be worth it to me.
Some neighbors are using the satellite service but aren't completely satisfied. The only negative comment I got about this little modem and the service was that there is a limit on how much access you get--5 gig/mo--which means you won't be downloading movies or playing internet games much, if at all. Since this isn't an issue for me, I decided to give it a try.
It is definitely faster than dialup access even at the fastest dialup modem speed. I use AOL and the TCP/IP connect is about 3-5 times faster, then all that stuff they display loads much faster as well and I can go about my business without waiting for more than a few seconds. That said, the transfer rate doesn't compare with the Comcast speed of my daughter's setup in town. This service is faster than dialup, but not 'blinding' by any means. As an example, in the past when I tried to download something, I noted the transfer rate on dialup was something like 4-6k per second. Sigh!! Things took forever and sometimes wouldn't download at all. I downloaded the update for my Kindle last night with this little modem and noted 50k/sec transfer rate. Certainly a lot better.
The speed does seem to depend on 'how crowded the air waves' are (or however you'd say that in technospeak :) and how many bars you get. I've found the number of bars is the same as what I get on my Verizon cell phone. Where my desktop PC is located, it varies from 0 to 2. I have ordered the antenna in hopes of boosting that.
Installing the little modem is as easy as running the CD installation disk that comes with it and then plugging the modem into a USB port when prompted to do so. It also comes with a cable in case you want to plug into a port on the back of a desktop PC and set the modem somewhere with easier access. You can leave the modem attached all the time if you want. It turns off when you turn the PC off. When on, it flashes a blue light, which means it's ready to pick up a signal. To connect your computer to the broadband service, you use the modem software (push the 'connect' button), which to me, seems to be equivalent to turning your cell phone on (the modem has a phone number). It is then ready for you to 'make a call', i.e. connect to the internet using some software such as Internet Explorer or AOL.
You can leave the modem connected all day like you would leave your cell phone on and not affect the data limit since that only happens when you are connected to and using the internet. If you use the internet with your cell phone, you know there is a data limit with it as well. This is sort of the same thing.
The modem software will show you what your usage is each time you connect so you're aware of what you've used so far. Sending emails, Facebook updates, photos, etc uses part of your allocation, as well as downloading files, photos, etc. Various internet screen refresh activities uses some. Watching streaming video or playing games uses a lot. Listening to internet radio uses enough that you probably won't want to do that all the time. For me, after 5 days of email, Facebook postings, attempting to watch some short videos and listening to the AOL radio one day just to see what impact it would have, plus downloading the Kindle software update, posting a few Amazon reviews, and the like, I've used about 225mg, or about 50mg a day, so I should be able to stay within the limit easily with no change to my regular internet activities.
I still cannot really watch streaming videos such as those on YouTube with my 1-2 bar connectivity, without breaks while it reloads the next bit. Even though it reloads faster than before, I have to want to see it pretty badly to put up with that.
One concern: This morning there seemed to be a problem with the modem connecting to Verizon. It was resolved within half an hour and it is Black Friday, which may or may not have anything to do with it. I will update if that happens again, but otherwise it has connected fast and remained connected without problem.
Bottom line: It is definitely better than dialup--for me about 5 times faster. That's not seriously fast, but acceptable and worth the extra money to me, especially since I don't have any options other than satellite which is affected by weather, trees, and costs more as well.

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Ready Broadband Nationwide Mobile Broadband Internet Connection (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had an Asus netbook for nearly two years and finally decided to equip it with a mobile broadband card. Since my need for such a device would be very casual (I have a 15Mbps cable modem connection with wifi router at home and 3G data on my phone) I was looking for a service that wouldn't require some lengthy contract or a large investment up front. Virgin Mobile seemed to offer more economical plans ($20 for 300 MB) but the initial cost of their modem was significantly higher. ReadyMobile seemed to fit both requirements, especially with respect to start-up costs.
First, I'll talk briefly about the modem. It is a Sierra Compass 598 which runs on Sprint's network. Setting up the device might require a little patience for some users. While the instruction sheet says you can plug the USB modem right in and install drivers from imbedded flash memory, I was unable to do so. That will require installing those files from an included CD-ROM. For those of you, like myself, who have a netbook with no optical drive present, you'll need to copy the entire installation package, about 95 MB total, on to an SD card or USB flash drive. The driver software set-up process took longer than I expected, but eventually I was able to get everything running. To finalize the set-up and establish service, you have to call ReadyMobile and speak to a service rep. I was on hold for about 10 minutes, then spent another five minutes getting the account activated.
The service itself seems to work just fine. I was able to play full-sized CNN news videos with very little buffering, though I could tell things didn't run as smoothly when compared to my 15Mbps cable connection. That's to be expected given the difference between an EVDO connection and a cable connection over wifi. As far as basic web browsing and email is concerned, the ReadyMobile handles both tasks quite effectively. Video sites such as YouTube are certainly watchable, but can chew quite a bit off your MB balance. I do not recommend this service if you're planning on streaming tons of audio or video on a regular basis.
I decided on the $25 plan for 250MB of data. That is about the only plan ReadyMobile offers that is cost-effective for light users. The $40/600MB plan is not a good value, and the $75/1GB plan is an absolute rip-off. If you will be using large amounts data over an extended period of time, Virgin Mobile broadband offers a much better value. However, if you're somebody who needs a more temporary mobile broadband set-up for occasional usage, ReadyMobile is quite economical thanks to their lower-cost modem. It certainly is more suited to my needs than those expensive long-term contract plans offered by AT&T and Verizon.

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Cradlepoint MBR1000 Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this unit about 14 months ago. It was purchased from [....]. I had decided to finally get my parents some sort of high speed internet because dial up just wasn't cutting it. They live in the woods about 5 miles from the I-5 freeway but DSL or Cable doesn't come down the road. It goes right by the end of it but not down it. So for Christmas of '08 I went to Sprint and purchased the Air Card, well the card was free just had to sign up for a 1 year contract. I asked them about a router for this and they told me to visit [...] and look at Cradlepoint. I found the MBR1000 and when I buy something I want to make sure it is the best. So I purchased it. Got it in about 4 days. Once I figure out where I was going to get the best signal for the air card it took me about 10 minutes to set up the router, air car, and my parents computers. I have had no trouble with it. I think the LOS (Line of Sight) is underestimated. I purchase a range booster for it as well and the neighbor said he could get 1-2 bars of signal (Router signal not modem) at his place. He is about 100yds from my parents house with a couple of trees in the way is all. We unplugged the range booster and the signal stayed the same. Turns out the Router itself was getting that range. He could sit out on his deck and use his laptop with 1meg download speeds. I would recommend this product to anyone. As a matter of fact a close friend of mine doesn't have high speed internet at her house and she wants to get the same thing that my parents have. I am going to recommend the MBR1000 especially since it has gone down in price since I purchased it. I was astounded by the range it can get. I did however have to purchase an antenna for the modem itself because it wasn't the best cell signal in that area but I went from 1-2 bars, 2nd bar flashing to 3 solid bars of signal with the external antenna mounted on the deck. DO NOT but directional range booster antennas because the cell companies will not tell you where the towers are so you can aim it. The margin of error in pointing one of those is too small to get it. I used a Trucker antenna from Wilson Electronics that works great. I hope someone finds this useful and makes a decision based on this review.

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