Mobile Internet Plan - Laptop

[Matt4x4]

Can someone please explain how this works on lets say a Telus plan.

I buy the Mobile Internet Key for anywhere between $0 and $200 depending on key and how many years I want to have a contract. Same as a cell phone right?

Then do I have to buy the plan as well?
$30/month plan includes 500MB of data.
Is this transfered data over the air waves to the cell site radio tower?
How do I know how much data I use even on a desktop computer?
I definately wont be downloading nothing. No tunes, games, videos. I just use internet.

Google maps, listen to tunes on youtube, email. I do play simple games on the internet such as pogo.com, but I dont download nothing onto my computer.

[FiEND]

yes, it is a plan and has a phone number just like a cell phone.  you sign for X years
$30 plan is a basic plan

yes transfered over cell towers, 3G or better so fairly fast

you can go online and see your data useage just like for your cellphone.  for your desktop you can use monitoring software or call telus/shaw and ask them for the bandwidth monitor on your internet account.

dont know how you listen to music on youtube since it is video streaming with audio.   thus you play the videos and hear the music, meaning your 500MB could be used up in 1 day, easily, on youtube.

what you want to do with the key is VERY LITTLE.  have your laptop connect to your home network, work network, free network anywhere you can.  and places you have no network, then you use your internet key.

[Rich99]

Using the internet is downloading my friend. Every web page is a data download. Heaven forbid your laptop does a windows update while connected on that keyfob. And yes YouTube is a bandwidth killer - beware. Games are so so.

If you can pay $200 for the key and get pay as you go - "no contract" then do that. At least you have some choices you can make later if the bills get stupid. It is usual for those bills to run pretty high unless you are real careful. My daughters iPhone is running $150 a month and that is not really excessive use. She has wireless enabled as well so most of the time she is not using the 3G network. I am almost positive a $30 basic plan won't work unless you never use the device.

I see these keyfob solutions as useful for people with lots of money and no cares or for people who need them for emergency use (when necessary for work etc).

[Matt4x4]

Interesting........It all makes sense, thanks.

I currently use library computers and internet cafe type deals and always wondered how those keys work.

Whats a good free monitoring bandwidth software that you know of that I can use or download onto the library or internet cafe computers just to see what the bandwidth is for certain programs, websites etc.





Thanks

[Rodzilla]

My solution for no internet was my Blackberry Storm 2. I wanted to upgrade my phone anyway and with my plan through telus it came with 500Mb and for an extra $5/month I upgraded that to 1Gig. Thats lots of downloading for webpages but stay away from video unless you want to pay big later. Great thing about the Blackberry software that you install is its a breeze to get you connected to internet, and it updates in real time your usage so your not wondering how many bytes you are burning thru. of course you can always just go on the browser right on the phone but its a pain to constantly be zooming in to read stuff etc.

[apex]

I have used both Telus and Bell EVDO 3G cards. Fortunately, work covers the $100/month "unlimited" data plan. It also helps that our company pools data plans across all users. I know i've crossed 10 gigs in a month and I've never been busted. On a consumer plan though, that would've been a $800 bill.

Please keep this in mind... It should not be used to replace conventional internet connections.

there are two nice features on the bell service over Telus. Bell's connection software will track you upload, download, and total data transfer during a session. Unfortunately it also wants to manage all your wireless connections. Bell also gives you access to what they call HotSpots. If you are at a Second Cup for example, you'll see a wireless network that you'd be able to connect to using your Bell credentials. Though this is done with any Bell account, the rocket card helps expedite the process of connecting.

Connection is remarkably fast upload and download. Comparable to a 3-5mbps DSL connection for download. I've used mine for ridiculous uses... transferring gigs in a day, pushing content to remote FTP's, remote database access (Citrix) , office VPN tunneling, video conferencing, skype... you name it, I've done it on the card.

Because so much of my work is done out of the office and electronically, it is a must have tool. I had the choice between a BlackBerry or an aircard. Very glad I took the aircard.

[FiEND]

My router keeps a log of my home network data useage. If I want to monitor a single computer ( mostly in the past ) I would use DUMeter which you can google. It is tougher on laptops with multiple network interfaces as you wouldn't normally know what data was wireless and what data was cellular. They may have updated that by now so you can keep things separate.

Now though most everything I do on my iPhone

[LLYJ]

Be careful with these sticks

We bought two last summer, the data counter softwear that comes with it does not work.  We bought it at a telus store and the kid sold us a bad plan - despite barely going over the limit our first bill was for over $18000.00

The whole thing went south fast and my wife was pressured over the phone to settle for a ridiculous amount of money.

Luckily it all worked out because I ranted in a post about it on a flyfishing site I frequent and ,by chance, a former exec from telus read the post, got me in touch with the president of the company and our money was refunded in the end.

I think we were lucky, and the fact that "marketplace" episode featuring a contest to find the country's highest cell phone bill was aired a few weeks after (BTW we would have won by a long shot) all contributed to telus resolving out issue.

But like I said, we were lucky to get it resolved and get our money back.

(ironic that ranting on the internet, which in my experience has almost always been pointless, in this rare case, really paid off)

[rocnrol]

well, i have a lap top that i use for work. its my own so i use it for person stuff as well. its in my tool box during the week and on all day hooked up to the internet. i am loged on the my companys remote log-in so i can acsess my e-mails an other company stuff. i use this plan here and have hit the second tier only once.               http://www.bell.ca/shopping/en_CA_ON.Flex-plan/TSFLEXN.details

[Marco]

I got mine from sasktel. 75 a month unlimited. Ive downloaded a ton of stuff in a month before with $50k price but it gets waived cause its unlimited.I ended up cancelling my home internet and just use the stick when and where i need it.Yes sasktel will sell to you with an alberta address.

[parabs]

I got mine from sasktel. 75 a month unlimited. Ive downloaded a ton of stuff in a month before with $50k price but it gets waived cause its unlimited.I ended up cancelling my home internet and just use the stick when and where i need it.Yes sasktel will sell to you with an alberta address.

x2

And I have tried to get belus to match that offer, but they wont.