Internet Access on The Drag

Jon

2008-02-22 20:58:04

Yay! Finally, fast, cheap internet access anywhere you have cell coverage. This became available last year when the cell towers were upgraded to digital in southeast. I know one person who has it and he says it works anywhere he had coverage in SE.

Verizon 'BroadbandAccess' via Wireless PC Card (EVDO)

Unlimited minutes

5GB/month, anymore reduces your overall speed.

600Kbps to 1.4Mbps download

500Kbps to 800Kbps upload

$59.99/month

$35 to activate

$175 to terminate early

~~[url=~~http://www.verizon.com/][url]http://www.verizon.com/

There are also boosters and a marine antenna available and tons more information at:

EVDOinfo.com

EVDOforums.com

3Gstore.com

-Jon

JYDPDX

2008-02-22 21:59:48

Great! Now people can send nasty emails or IMs instead of wasting the airwaves on 16 bitching and moaning. :D

Benmar

2008-03-08 08:15:09

ACS offers the same service, I happened to find them before I saw this post. I'm wondering what the difference (if any) would be in coverage areas... or are they using the same stations/hardware to cover SE?

BTW, great to have a site like this thanks Jon. I knew there were trollers on the web in the winter....

Ben & Jess F/V Glenmar

Jon

2008-03-08 16:04:00

Hi Ben & Jess, welcome to the forum. If we can't be out fishing, this is the next best thing :D

Both companies have the same coverage area (it's all shared equipment).

Jon

2008-03-08 16:17:25

ACS' plan is $20 more per month unless you qualify for their bundle discount.

robert644

2008-08-25 00:37:28

I was faced with a similar situation while in Iraq. My solution was to purchase a satellite phone and pay for data service. It was extremely expensive, with the phone costing well over $1000. And not very fast, just good enough for email. I currently use the cell phone as my internet solution and with the new '3G' service, I get high speed internet wherever I want.

There is a nice setup here (New York) where all the truck stops along the interstate offer free wireless internet. If someone was innovative they could install the equipment at the canneries so when people docked up they could do their emails and such. I have one of these

http://www.radiolabs.com/products/antennas/2.4gig/backfire.php

that I am holding onto, just in case I need it. Another interesting thing I saw satellite radio, In America we have the Sirius and XM companies, but overseas there is a company called 'WorldSpace' that broadcasts over satellite. In addition to music they broadcast internet content, you can't 'send' but when you hook your laptop up to the antenna it receives the content, BBC, various news sites, educational material. It's designed for developing countries, places where regular internet is an impossibility. Interesting idea I thought.

Bill M

2008-08-25 05:54:14

verizon does not work in the Ketchikan area.

Jon

2008-08-25 15:07:27

I've been able to get reliable internet anywhere North of the double 19's at Cape Cross to just South of Icy Point. It works in Takanis, Deer Harbor, and Surge Bay. It's spotty on the West side of Lemesurier Island, but works East of the Island. I can get it on the outer fingers of Pelican Harbor and anywhere in Lisianksi Inlet North of Pelican.

I noticed my signal was not as good as it had been at the beginning of the year. I narrowed the problem down to the 'marine' antenna on my mast.... Climbed up there and I found it was full of water. I let it dry out for two days and re-installed it using ample amounts of silicone.

1 x Marine Antenna - Digital Antenna 288-PW (AT-MA) = $129.95

It's NOT waterproof! :)

salmontroll

2008-09-01 21:35:03

do you have at &t or acs? or verizon. I have verizon broadband access. It works well in all states except Alaska I guess. I purchased my plan from Verizon with the promise that it would work in SE Alaska. Then when contacting them to tell them it doesn't work, I was told there was nothing they could do. I think the solution now is to switch to AT and T which also would allow you to use an Iphone. I don't really trust any of the providers though. I get sick of putting up with two year contracts and BS.

Jon

2008-09-03 19:14:46

I am using Verizon right now in the gulf of Alaska, near Yakobi Island (West of Pelican). I know another person who also has Verizon Internet and it works here too.

I have the Novatel V740 ExpressCard which can plug into my computer directly, or into our Cradlepoint MBR1000 WWAN router which re-broadcasts the signal via 802.11b/g/n to any computers in range.

-jon

Jon

2008-09-03 19:16:34

I use a booster and external antenna, but it works in some places (like Cape Spencer and Cross Sound) without either one.

salmontroll

2008-09-08 05:41:06

thanks Jon,

do you use the verizon national access broadband plan? and it's working?

Jon

2008-09-08 17:11:16

Yep, that's the plan I use. I believe it's $60/month. It works everywhere there's cell reception.