Opinions on Mobile Internet
Does anyone out there have any experience with either Rogers Rocket Mobile Internet Stick or Bell's Mobile Internet (with Turbo Stick).
Both services appear to be widely available in eastern Ontario and western Quebec, starting at $30/month for 500MB download (total).
Readers would be interested in service reliability and speeds in various parts of eastern Ontario and western Quebec, as well as installation and setup, pricing, and customer service incidents.
Let me know.
Both services appear to be widely available in eastern Ontario and western Quebec, starting at $30/month for 500MB download (total).
Readers would be interested in service reliability and speeds in various parts of eastern Ontario and western Quebec, as well as installation and setup, pricing, and customer service incidents.
Let me know.
posted by Chris Spencer at 8:47 pm
10 comments
10 Comments:
Hi Chris, I posted the question with respect to the Bell / Rogers Mobile sticks in your last article. I have decided to take the plunge and sign up for the Bell Mobile stick. I should have it up and running by Jan 2 and I would be glad to email you a report of my findings (installation, speed tests, reliability, etc...) as I use it. Feel free to use any of the information.
Cheers,
Mike.
Just to follow-up my last post, I did purchase the Bell Mobile Internet stick (model U998) and have it working at home. The installation was simple and the service has so far been extremely reliable.
On a Win XP system, I was consistently getting less than 1Mbps download speeds, but on a new Win 7 system, I have hit download speeds of over 4Mbps. From other forums I have read, there appear to be performance issues with these devices on XP.
I have not had time to do as much testing as I had hoped by now, but the initial results look promising. I will post more as I continue to use the new stick.
I just noticed that Virgin Mobile also offers a mobile internet stick service, called Broadband2Go.
Some of the details listed include:
- Compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista
- Mobilink Connection Manager Software
- Data Speed (downstream): up to 3.1 Mbps
- Data Speed (upstream): up to 1.8 Mbps
- 1 GB of downloads per month.
The stick is $99 (prepaid service), but you get a $45 activation credit if you activate online. Monthly service fee is $45.
From their coverage map, it looks like they have eastern Ontario and western Quebec well covered.
Virgin rides Bell Mobility's network for voice, so they are probably riding Bell's network for this service as well.
Aside: I have a prepaid Virgin cellphone account, and I couldn't be happier with the service I get, even when I've had to call customer service (no long wait times + people who can actually help you).
See http://www.virginmobile.ca/vmc/en/broadband2go/index.html for more info.
I purchased a Virgin Broadband stick(Ovation MC760) and activated it on Jan 6/10. After 1 week of calls to customer service because it would not work, I received a call from tech support. He said they use the Telus network in BC and Alberta and Telus has not yet configured the system to allow it. As of today Feb 3, it still does not work and I am returning it. The customer service reps are still not aware that there is a problem and they are still sold here. The techs have no idea when Telus will fix the problem.
There is a (somewhat) new contender in the 3G+ wireless Internet, oddly enough, its from Rogers, and after trying it myself, is actually, usable. :-)
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/internet-mobile/rockethub
The Rocket Hub has 4 standard network ports on it, PLUS WiFi. So getting all the computers connected in the house is simple.
Living South of Ottawa (Osgoode area), I was able to get 3~4Mb/s download, and ~1Mb/s upload.
The AWESOME part, is that they released a Data Price Plan just for the Rocket HUB, which is CHEAPER than the standard Data rates.
It starts at 30$/mo for up to 3Gb, then 45$/mo for up to 5Gb, and tops out at 60$/mo for 10Gb!
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/internet-mobile/hubplans
So thats more inline with other Wireless Internet options (ie: WiMAX, Storm, RipNET, etc).
I live near Ashton and currently use Xplornet fixed wireless. I'm fed up with the intermittent speeds; sometimes it's nice and fast and other times it's as slow as dialup.
I decided to try the Rogers HSPA+ Rocket internet stick. I didn't go with the Rocket Hub like the other commenter suggested because it only connects at HSPA speeds (not HSPA+). I was willing to spend extra for the *theoretically* higher speeds.
I've only had it for a couple days but so far the results are very promising. I've been running speed tests as often as I can and so far I'm pretty happy with the results.
ping 65ms - 95ms
down 1.7 Mbps - 4.5 Mbps
up 0.5 Mpbs - 1.5 Mbps
These speeds are similar to what I can get with Xplornet under ideal conditions but I rarely see these speeds during peak times or during bad weather. If Rogers can do this consistently then I think we have a winner.
My only complaint with Rogers is the 5GB limit for $65. 5 gigs is nowhere near enough. I'll have to keep Xplornet as my primary connection for now and just fall back on Rogers when I need the speed.
I have been using my U998 Bell Mobility stick for two months and it has been great. Everytime I connect it to a USB port, it finds the Bell connection and works seamlessly. I am consistently getting 3.5 - 4.5 download connection speeds.
It has been much more reliable than my previous wireless internet service.
I think that this stick, or the Rogers Rocket stick, are excellent solutions for rural internet customers.
I do not download very many music files or movies, so the GB limits are fine for me; but it might be an issue for heavy internet users that need alot of capacity.
Not only has this service been very reliable, but it is also approx $20/month cheaper and you do not need to install any antenna on your house.
The prices are just stupid.
I need 20GB.
At best, the Rogers Rocket Hub would cost me $60 + $10 * 10 = $160 a month.
Bell Turbo Hub @ $60 + $15.36 * 10 = over $210 / month.
NUTS !
I live in St-André, near Lachute Quebec. I've had the Rocket stick and it worked fine for the first few months. The speed then started to slow down considerably. When I heard about the Rocket Hub and it's cheaper price plan I jumped on it. Just a side note to one ov the comments, once your bill gets to around 105$, it will not get any higher.
Again, the first few months, very good speed. Again, the speed has now slowed down to dial-up speed on many occasions and to top it off, I now often get disconnected.
Four of my friends in my area have also taken up that service and the same happens to them. One of them also took the phone service, he gets upset because his phone conversations get cut off.
I'm waiting on Rogers service as I type, I've been complaining since the 25th of May and it is now on what they call 2nd level complaint department.
Finally some answers. I've now been told that Rogers can tell from wich antenna I get my connection from every and anytime I connect. Following their investigation, they found that the antenna that I connect to most of the time does not have enough line capacity for the service that it is asked of. Apparently, more capacity will be added in October.
I'm not completely satisfied but at least now I know that they've been working on the problem and that something should be done to improve the service.
I'm the guy from Ashton who was raving about the Rogers rocket stick. I just wanted to give an update on my experience. Ever since labour day, the speeds have been getting slower and slower in peak times. Because the problem is only during peak times, I'm convinced that they've over sold the service.
Ping times during peak hours are all over the place. One second I'm at 60ms and the next I'm at 2500ms with about 10% packet loss.
I've just canceled my account and I'm back to Xplornet :(
I have high hopes for 4G.
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