madhatter61
iPF Noob
Last year we went from Land line (no longer) with two cell phones, to a family plan where in my whole gang is on Verizon with free mobile to mobile calling 24/7. It seemed centsless (pun intended) to continue paying for cell phones and land lines. So we took the direction of adding a Novatel 2200 Verizon wireless router. (5GB cap @$50/mo.)
This provides direct connect or wireless sharing for up to (5) devices within 30 feet, very secure. Internet connection EV-DO 3G speeds. It is not 4G compatible. But, I can't get 4G service at my home anyway. ( I like direct connect since USB keeps the battery charged, otherwise I get about 4 hours off battery, then need a recharge cycle.
Why the explanation? Because it sets up a very interesting scenario. We are going to get the iPAD2 soon. We travel a lot, we have CDMA communications. iPAD2 will be perfect for us. At home, I can be on the internet with my Mac Mini, PC laptop, PC tower and when family comes over, WII and other laptops as well. When we travel, the Novetell is just like an iPAD wi-fi with 3G.
The only issue is no GPS. That isn't so important as we have a Garmin.
Look at cost ... $50/mo with 5GB cap. That is exactly that same as the iPAD2 with Verizon 5GB cap.
With iPAD2 32GB version wi-fi only we end up with twice the storage and save $30 over 16GB with G3. I need/want the internet access at home so it makes for a very workable arrangement.
Now one last cavat ... Verizon is going LTE ... in the long run LTE will be GSM not CDMA. I think you can figure out why this is best for us.
This provides direct connect or wireless sharing for up to (5) devices within 30 feet, very secure. Internet connection EV-DO 3G speeds. It is not 4G compatible. But, I can't get 4G service at my home anyway. ( I like direct connect since USB keeps the battery charged, otherwise I get about 4 hours off battery, then need a recharge cycle.
Why the explanation? Because it sets up a very interesting scenario. We are going to get the iPAD2 soon. We travel a lot, we have CDMA communications. iPAD2 will be perfect for us. At home, I can be on the internet with my Mac Mini, PC laptop, PC tower and when family comes over, WII and other laptops as well. When we travel, the Novetell is just like an iPAD wi-fi with 3G.
The only issue is no GPS. That isn't so important as we have a Garmin.
Look at cost ... $50/mo with 5GB cap. That is exactly that same as the iPAD2 with Verizon 5GB cap.
With iPAD2 32GB version wi-fi only we end up with twice the storage and save $30 over 16GB with G3. I need/want the internet access at home so it makes for a very workable arrangement.
Now one last cavat ... Verizon is going LTE ... in the long run LTE will be GSM not CDMA. I think you can figure out why this is best for us.
