[El Scorcho]

So, my wife and I have decided to start cutting everything we don't use. Not because we need to, but in an effort to be good stewards. One of the things we've been not using for several months now is cable tv. We never watch tv anymore. Our DVR records shows and then they just sit there. In the rare event that we have free time, we usually just sit around with our laptops. Her doing coursework, me...on FlameFans. Anyway, we decided to kill the cable tv, and the cable Internet with it.

Now, I'm not completely crazy. The idea was just to switch to Verizon's slowest DSL service since it would suit us just fine. We're also keeping the very basic cable package. All in all, it'll leave about $650 a year in our pockets that wouldn't otherwise be there. I'm fine with that. The problem was that when I called Comcast and said I wanted to cancel my cable Internet service, they did it immediately. I thought with a company that big it'd at least take a day or two. Nope. They filtered out my cable modem right then.

I thought I'd be stuck without any kind of broadband until the 10th, when Verizon gets out here to hook me up. Then I remembered my Alltel phone can be an EVDO modem. I started the modem application, plugged it in to my laptop and bam! I have a half megabit connection to the Internet right out of thin air.

It is a marvelous age we live in.

[LUconn]

indeed, what an amazing age we live in, where you can live maybe 1 mile outside of a city and not be able to get DSL or Cable internet.

[Fumblerooskies]

Scorcho...can you explain to us non-techies how you were able to accomplish that? I'm assuming it has something to do with a data cable and rate plan you have to purchase from Alltel...

[The Rock]

Does this mean I'll be getting EVDO on sprint soon?

[JDUB]

my alltell phone is supposed to be able to do this. i figured out how to connect it to the laptop via bluetooth, but can't figure out how to get on the internet yet. also, will i get charged more for this than regular minutes? i probably should go to alltel and ask them to explain it to me

[Fumblerooskies]

my alltell phone is supposed to be able to do this. i figured out how to connect it to the laptop via bluetooth, but can't figure out how to get on the internet yet. also, will i get charged more for this than regular minutes? i probably should go to alltel and ask them to explain it to me

More fun to ask Scorcho...plus he won't try selling us something we don't need.

[The Rock]

they do use your minutes and you have to have it set up in your plan to be able to use it for your modem. it's not a added feature like Voicemail. I know with sprint its something like $35 a month

[JDUB]

so it wont work without me calling alltel and changing my plan?

[El Scorcho]

Scorcho...can you explain to us non-techies how you were able to accomplish that? I'm assuming it has something to do with a data cable and rate plan you have to purchase from Alltel...

First, I don't purchase anything. It's all courtesy of my employer. Before you get too jealous, do realize that this is the first time I've had a perk as the result of having to carry a phone and leave it on 24/7. I'm under contract to answer my phone every time or call back within 15 minutes, no matter what.

Second, yes, it is the result of having an unlimited data plan with Alltel. You switch on the modem application the phone, plug in the USB cable and (after you have the driver installed) you can use it for a dial-up Internet connection that happens to be pretty speedy.

Does this mean I'll be getting EVDO on sprint soon?

Alltel went live with their EVDO sometime around Christmas, I think. I've heard that Sprint was working out a contract with them to piggyback on their EVDO network. So far, that doesn't seem to have happened. My wife has an EVDO Sprint phone and it hasn't shown an EVDO coverage yet.

my alltell phone is supposed to be able to do this. i figured out how to connect it to the laptop via bluetooth, but can't figure out how to get on the internet yet. also, will i get charged more for this than regular minutes? i probably should go to alltel and ask them to explain it to me

What kind of phone is it? Plugging it in via USB is a lot faster than Bluetooth for a data connection. I mean, the wirelessness is cool and all, but faster is better. As for being charged, I'm not sure what kind of plan you have. Our data plans are separate from our minutes, and we have unlimited data. So for me it doesn't use any minutes at all. It's funny. I can run Skype on my phone and make phone calls over EVDO or WiFi and not use any of my Alltel minutes.

I keep hoping Alltel is going to get some EVDO modems in and get into the local Internet business. It's only 0.5Mb, but if the price is right, it'd be a sweet deal for people like LUconn who can't get any kind of broadband otherwise.

[El Scorcho]

they do use your minutes and you have to have it set up in your plan to be able to use it for your modem. it's not a added feature like Voicemail. I know with sprint its something like $35 a month

That's on Sprint. Alltel does it differently. It doesn't use minutes and the unlimited data plan is just an add-on.

[JDUB]

my phone is an LG. it doesn't say what model, but i think if i remember right its a AX355? i didn't connect it with a cable because i don't have one, and my laptop has bluetooth, so i was just messing around with it to see what it does. so far i've found nothing it can be used for, as i can't transfer pics from my phone or connect it to the internet. my plan is national freedom family plan? i think its like 900 minutes and 300 texts or something. i'm going to the beach this coming week, so i was hoping i could get online through my phone, but its not lookin like i can

[JDUB]

scorcho, do you think i need special computer software to use my phone for dial up

[LUconn]

I keep hoping Alltel is going to get some EVDO modems in and get into the local Internet business. It's only 0.5Mb, but if the price is right, it'd be a sweet deal for people like LUconn who can't get any kind of broadband otherwise.

My friend had a modem from Ntelos for a while. It was an alright connection speed at a very reasonable price but I kept getting booted when playing Gears of War. Apparently it was not fast enough. Oh what I wouldn't give for cable internet. With a hookup to Xbox live my gaming time would increase exponentially.

[El Scorcho]

Anything is better than dial-up.

Anything. I sometimes think it would be better to have no access at all than just a dial-up connection.

[Hold My Own]

I use the sprint network card. I live at a bottom of a hill so I have to use an external antenna. It's a little faster than dial-up but hopefully they'll be switching over to EVDO very very soon.

[62Strat]

JDUB I think that model of phone is what they call closed bluetooth the only real use for the bluetooth is to use a wireless headset. My local alltel store has cards for lappys but I think they are separate plans. scorcho, just curious what phone you are using I recently got a moto Q and I know it is supposed to be able to do that, but I havnt tried it out yet, but with the whole pkg I got the unlimited data was a bonus.

[JeanW]

I use the Sprint data card and it is awesome. I love that thing and use it all the time! I pay $59/mo for unlimited use and it's reasonably fast.

[El Scorcho]

My local alltel store has cards for lappys but I think they are separate plans. scorcho, just curious what phone you are using I recently got a moto Q and I know it is supposed to be able to do that, but I havnt tried it out yet, but with the whole pkg I got the unlimited data was a bonus.

Yes, Alltel has the data cards here too. I misspoke before when I said I wished they'd get EVOD modems. They have those. What I want is actually the home routers that you can pop EVDO cards into to use at home.

The Moto Q is sweet, and yes it can "tether" to a laptop for EVDO usage. Google around for more info. I have the UTStarcom PPC6700, better known as the HTC Apache. It's the Windows Mobile phone with the big touchscreen. I really don't like it very much, but I do enjoy using it as an EVDO modem.

JeanW: If you're in Lynchburg using the Sprint data card, you should definitely switch to Alltel. EVDO is about 15-20 times faster than what Sprint can offer right now. It's nearly as fast as Verizon's basic DSL connection.

[mrmacphisto]

These things are great. When I was working on the road a couple years ago and our trailer blew a tire in The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, NM (or AZ... we were right near the border), we were able to Google the nearest garages and call them from the side of the road to compare prices. It truly was amazing.

[JeanW]

JeanW: If you're in Lynchburg using the Sprint data card, you should definitely switch to Alltel. EVDO is about 15-20 times faster than what Sprint can offer right now. It's nearly as fast as Verizon's basic DSL connection.

Thanks so much. But I'm on the other side of the country in the HOT southwest. Sprint is the best choice in my small town and I'm really tied in to them with a 5-phone family plan . . . . . but it works well for all of us.