Best laptop broadband card!

Question

Best laptop broadband card!

Okay i'm not the most tech savey person on the planet so bare with me. Now I Am Currently using your regular Optimum Online High Speed Internet and i've never had any real problems with it. But since i do own a laptop and i'm tired of fishing for other peoples internet. I WANT MY OWN WIRELESS BROADBAND CONNECTION. Now i'm very impatient and i would love to have a very fast but yet affordable internet connection while i am not next to my home internet connection.

What are my options?

And what broadband card or provider would you recommend for a Mac book pro?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.1)

Posted on Apr 6, 2009 1:58 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 6, 2009 3:41 PM in response to Kappy

I Might have been a tad bit unclear when I was speaking of stealing internet but... I only meant when i'm outside of my home w/ my laptop I have to look for internet w/ my Wi Fi.

I've Read These Forums up and down... I Already have optimum online for my home, i need a internet provider or a type of broadband card from "what i read" to have quality internet service while I am out and about with my laptop and i don't have to worried about not having internet at all. So my good friend has Sprint and i'm considering getting AT&T but the problem is though I've Read I Really Feel lost about this whole subject matter...

Thank You.

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Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Apr 6, 2009 5:38 PM in response to $Young$Money$

Well, it does help to have your intent clearly explained. Yes, if you want broadband anywhere then you need to use cell service otherwise you are confined to using public WiFi. You need a cell phone contract, a cell phone that can be used as a modem or a cell modem for the computer. The latter are available as USB devices and ExpressCard devices. For the MBP you would need an ExpressCard/34 card device. The device you referenced is supposed to be compatible and fit an ExpressCard/34 slot.

Verizon sells them for $130.00 with a two year contract. Contracts are dependent upon what service type your purchase and level. Note that there are data limits per day.

There isn't anything cheaper. The costs are virtually the same from any cell provider for the same service.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Apr 6, 2009 3:02 PM in response to $Young$Money$

MacBook Pros already have wireless cards. I think what you need is a wired/wireless router to connect to your broadband modem. Of course if you've been "stealing" your Internet connection from a neighbor then you will need to call your cable TV provider or your telephone provider to inquire about cable Internet service or DSL service for your phone line (Verizon's FIOS, for example.) You will then need a wired/wireless router to connect to the service provider's modem. Best choice would be an Airport Extreme Base Station from Apple.

I would then do some Google searching on the subject to become better informed. Searching these forums wouldn't hurt either.

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Answer 4

Apr 6, 2009 3:47 PM in response to Kappy

Okay, I've been researching and i ran into this. "Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard" and it seems like a good investment... I mean it is a little pricey and, it is a 60/mo contract but maybe something along those lines maybe a little cheaper.

Thank You.

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Answer 5

Raymint

Level 1

0 points

Apr 8, 2009 1:13 PM in response to $Young$Money$

I use a sprint broadband card, it's a sierra 598u i believe. Plugs into the USB port. It costs $59.99 a month, I got the card a couple months ago and with a rebate the card was free. It's very convient I've used it a lot of different places traveling and only a couple times in rural northern minnesota I couldn't get a signal. My usual connection speed is between .8 and 1.5 MPS. Not as fast as most wifi's, but much more convient than trying to find a wifi hotspot. We even use it while driving the car (the passenger) try doing that with wifi.

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