[mdlug] build-in G3 opinions

[bob dion]

Thank you Joseph for detailed reply. I will be passing this info along.

I was leaning towards suggesting an add on card and your explanation 
will add some weight.

I was also going to suggest a Linux box, we'll see what happens there.

Bob

Joseph C. Bender wrote:
> bob dion wrote:
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> A friend of mine is looking to purchase a netbook or laptop with 
>> built-in G3. Anyone have any experience carriers or coverage they'd like 
>> to pass along.?
>>
> 	1.  You're effectively carrier-locked the minute you get a EVDO module. 
>   Sprint and Verizon generally will not activate each other's devices on 
> their networks as a "native" device.
> 
> 	2.  For the GSM carriers, EDGE is *terrible* for any kind of data 
> throughput and HSDPA coverage is still kinda spotty, no matter what AT&T 
> will tell you, and T-Mobile is so far behind on their HSDPA deployment, 
> it's not even funny.
> 	
>> Would buying an add-on card be better?
>>
> 	Yes.  For a few reasons.
> 
> 	1.  You didn't just buy a really expensive module that's a bear to tear 
> out if it goes bad or change carriers.
> 
> 	2.  The externals give you a couple of different things that make life 
> nice:
> 
> 		A.  They generally give you an external antenna jack, so if you need 
> to use an external antenna, you can.  This has come in handy a couple of 
> times.  The USB modules are also nicely remoteable from the laptop.  The 
> Compass 597 that I've got comes with a 2" USB extender that's got 
> stiffener wires built in.  The net result is that I can plug that into 
> my USB jack and pan/tilt the modem widget to get the internal antenna in 
> the most optimal position.  This beats trying to get the whole laptop 
> positioned *just right* so the internal module's antenna can get the 
> best signal.  I also carry a little rig I made up with a USB extension 
> cable and a suction cup+hook so I can slap the module on a window or 
> hang it up somewhere optimal if that spot doesn't happen to be near 
> where I'm using my laptop.
> 		
> 		B.  They've often also got nifty bells and whistles, like built-in GPS 
> that spits out standard NMEA sentences for use with mapping programs. 
> With the Sierra wireless devices, there's a string you can pass to the 
> module via modprobe that'll activate the port, and it shows up as a USB 
> serial port in /dev.
> 		
> 	3.  Linux support.  I've run across at least one internal laptop module 
> that really didn't want to play nicely with Linux, even though it should 
> have.  If you find that the external modem doesn't work right, you can 
> always exchange it in the time period provided.  I've had good luck with 
> the Sierra Wireless devices over the last couple of years, though I 
> haven't really done anything with their newest devices.  I like my 
> Compass 597 on Sprint, it's been really solid, and the built-in GPS is 
> really nice.  Developing a OpenBSD driver has been a royal pain for it, 
> but it works decently in Linux.
> 
> 
> 	Carrier-wise, I prefer Sprint for mobile "3G" data.  Verizon is really 
> nasty about their transfer caps, and they've dragged a couple of my 
> clients through some rather trying experiences trying to get their data 
> plans set up properly.  AT&T isn't even on my consideration list because 
> of their HSDPA coverage being marginal and the customer service hells I 
> and some of my clients have endured with them.  Neither is T-Mobile, who 
> doesn't even consider wireless data any sort of priority.
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> -JCB
> 
>