# Please help out an old guy who missed the last 5 years of wireless technology



## VictorBravo (Aug 23, 2010)

I'm not a technophobe, even if I still use a manual typewriter. I'm pretty familiar with most things technical, have built computers and networks, and know a bit of assembly language and other coding languages, etc.

But I have not been paying attention to the options for wireless communication.

It's been because I haven't really needed it. Our cable internet connection, wifi, and basic cellphone plans covered everything I seemed to need. We currently do not have any landlines and I haven't needed any for my business.

But now we are moving, I'm starting over by opening a new law practice, and I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of cost effective communication.

3G is available where we are going, but not 4G. Clearwire is also available. A cable company provides internet access. I'm trying to figure out plans and configurations. Does anybody have a link to information on trying to make cost comparisons among these choices? 


Basic needs:

Residential internet and cellphone coverage, approximately 600 minutes per month and perhaps 1 GB per month data use.

Business internet and cellphone coverage. Approximately 1000+ minutes per month with around 1 GB data use.

I mostly do email with attachments, file pdfs with federal court, and watch maybe 2 or 3 youtubes a month. But I need almost perfect reliability for phone and email.


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## jwithnell (Aug 23, 2010)

You might want to check with another attorney in your new town? Local knowledge is your best best due to differences in coverage, security and so forth. We use FIOS for residential voice over IP, internet, and movies via several internet sources.


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## VictorBravo (Aug 24, 2010)

jwithnell said:


> You might want to check with another attorney in your new town? Local knowledge is your best best due to differences in coverage, security and so forth. We use FIOS for residential voice over IP, internet, and movies via several internet sources.


 
I did try that. One guy said he used dial-up and didn't know what all the fuss was about. He checks his email once a day on his aol.com account. Another guy said he used cable and had never heard of Clearwire. The cable company had problems answering their phone, so I wasn't really encouraged about that. 

It looks like it boils down to Verizon, ATT, and Clearwire. I'm just trying to decide if I can choose one of those for everything I need, or if I'd be better off having a separate phone and internet service. 

I think my question was too open-ended. Can someone tell me if Verizon 3G is suitable for a primary internet service? If anyone has experience with Clearwire, are they reliable?


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Aug 24, 2010)

When I moved out of my home office into a commercial office the option I chose for my intellectual property forensic analysis practice (I am not an attorney, but a wireless communications technology expert) was with the local telco's small business solutions division. I recommend you meet with their representative, tell them your needs, and get a quote for a package that bundles the services you require.

For wireless needs outside the office, my opinion is forget WiMAX (such as Clearwire) and look to 3G and 3G+ (e.g., LTE) solutions. WiMAX is destined to be the betamax of the wireless future. You read it here first, folks! Stick to a cellular radio standard such as 3G and the emerging 4G LTE-Advanced technologies. 

Of course within the office you may want to use wireless LAN technologies, such as 802.11 a/b/g to avoid the costs of wiring, unless your office comes pre-wired for standard wired LAN 100Mb technology. Mine did, so I used that existing wired infrastructure.

For in-office telephony, I purchased a small PBX with the usual bells and whistles and set that up on my own. Anyone with some telecom savvy could do this. Some telcos today provide virtual PBX features from their central offices so you can avoid the purchase of a small PBX (mine cost about $3000 with twenty line capacity). Your telco may even offer VoIP solutions.

I think your business level data use estimation is quite low. Data is measured differently by many providers, such as bits passed on the bit pipe, download and upload bits, etc. Simply viewing this forum consumes quite a bit of bits (get it?) per viewing session. Get as much bandwidth as you can afford.

You will likely need a local server for some of your office operations, too. A machine that clients can access to drop in large files, that you can share files with others, support storage of client records for easy access and backup (as an attorney, your ability to recover from disaster will be vital), etc. You will want client files stored at a central location and not dispersed all over the office. A server will also allow you to host your own web pages, too. Barring that, and assuming your web pages will be hosted elsewhere, try something like a secure file sharing product - FilesAnywhere: Free Drive, Online Storage, Dropbox, Backup, Send Files I still use this service for exchanging large files, such as USPTO file history files, with my clients.

In general, for things that my paycheck depends upon, I have always opted to obtain services from a local telco or cable company. Unlike wireless carriers, they are a very regulated environment, with lots of scrutiny by the state's public utilities commission.  Thus, the quality of service will be greater and the uptime much higher than a non-regulated wireless carrier.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? 

AMR


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## LawrenceU (Aug 24, 2010)

Patrick is right about WiMax. I know in some areas it is all the rage. So were 8 Track tapes.


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## VictorBravo (Aug 24, 2010)

Thanks Patrick and Lawrence. That helps a lot. I had not followed the WiMax vs 3G developments at all. I only started research that a few days ago.

And Patrick, I am a bit overwhelmed, but at least I'm pretty comfortable with a fairly robust nearly paperless office. I had a similar feeling about local companies that you could have come have them come to the door--I'll give the cable company more of a chance. The telco is competent but limited regarding service, but might be more reliable.

I already have cloud-based backup and case management, and my server needs are essentially nil and have been for several years.

I guess now I'll have to start researching smartphones too.


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## Semper Fidelis (Aug 24, 2010)

Your data needs are pretty slim Vic. If you have 3G coverage where you're going to work, you could get a Smartphone (Droid) and use the phone as a WiFi hotspot (or tether you computer to it) for your computer by connecting through 3G. You don't sound like you need high throughput rates so you would probably save money just paying for the smartphone rather than having a separate at home internet plan.


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## BJClark (Aug 24, 2010)

You may want to check out ATT's U-verse 

What is U-verse?


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## VictorBravo (Aug 24, 2010)

Semper Fidelis said:


> Your data needs are pretty slim Vic. If you have 3G coverage where you're going to work, you could get a Smartphone (Droid) and use the phone as a WiFi hotspot (or tether you computer to it) for your computer by connecting through 3G. You don't sound like you need high throughput rates so you would probably save money just paying for the smartphone rather than having a separate at home internet plan.


 
I was thinking along similar lines, Rich. But I can't leave my wife at home without internet. It's her lifeblood too. I was trying to figure out how to deal with a separate internet account for my office (which will be away from home). 

I know Patrick was concerned about underestimating my usage, but I really can't see myself going over 2 GB a month. I deal primarily with text documents. Even a big pdf with 1000 pages is typically only 40 MB, and I certainly don't send or receive that kind of attachment every day. I can't imagine surfing the PB or a few other websites add all that much. The AT&T usage estimator puts me at around 1.22 GB a month, and I was trying to be pretty liberal with my guesses on what I do.

I'm wading through the dataplan offerings of Verizon and AT&T. It's painful because I have to learn all this lingo. And I see that AT&T at least adds another $20 a month for tethering. I think I'm going to have to call the various folks and tell them what I want and what they can do for me.

Which brings me to the next topic: What kind of smartphone should I get if I want to tether? Or should I just get one of those USB transceivers for the laptop and use a plain cellphone?


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## VictorBravo (Aug 24, 2010)

BJClark said:


> You may want to check out ATT's U-verse
> 
> What is U-verse?


 
Thanks for the try, Bobbi, but the locator says it's not in our area. It didn't actually say this, but it implied that it would never be in our area (it suggested that I retype the address because no such address exists. . . Clarkston WA is definitely flyover country for fiber optic networks.  )


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## VictorBravo (Sep 8, 2010)

I'm bringing this thread back to life 'cause I ran across Virgin Wireless Broadband prepaid. $40 dollars per month with unlimited data through a 3G network. It has coverage in Clarkston. Has anybody tried this company?

Broadband2Go | Virgin Mobile USA


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