Best wireless carrier for internet on Southewest Chief?

[Dan M]

So I'm going to be taking a trip on the Southwest Chief, all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles, and want to pick up a wireless internet access card for my laptop. As far as I can tell, my main options are AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. Does anyone know which of these providers (or any other I'm not aware of) has the most coverage along that line? More 3G is better, of course, but more coverage in general would outweigh a higher percentage of 3G.

Thanks!!

 

[Tony]

Do you already have an active cell phone?

I know that for Verizon, you can add their tether option which allows you to use your existing cell phone to connect your laptop to the internet. Why I mention that, is that Verizon allows that feature to be added and removed at will, no contract, and will pro-rate their $60/month charge appropriately (comes to about $2/day).

 

[Dan M]

Do you already have an active cell phone?
I know that for Verizon, you can add their tether option which allows you to use your existing cell phone to connect your laptop to the internet. Why I mention that, is that Verizon allows that feature to be added and removed at will, no contract, and will pro-rate their $60/month charge appropriately (comes to about $2/day).

My cell phone isn't tetherable, unfortunately. Thanks for the info though!

 

[Shawn]

I have a Sprint Air Card, and so far it works good all over. There are just some places that don't have any coverage...but so far so good.

 

[the_traveler]

I was on the SWC last month. I admit that I didn't have it on all the time, but my iPhone received coverage most every time that I tried to get an internet connection! I have AT&T.

 

[AlanB]

I don't have 3G, but I've used my AT&T cell phone on the SWC westbound twice and east once, with decent results.

 

[ctim2]

So I'm going to be taking a trip on the Southwest Chief, all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles, and want to pick up a wireless internet access card for my laptop. As far as I can tell, my main options are AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. Does anyone know which of these providers (or any other I'm not aware of) has the most coverage along that line? More 3G is better, of course, but more coverage in general would outweigh a higher percentage of 3G.
Thanks!!

I was on the SWC last October using a sprint card with my laptop to maintain contact with work for a major project. The sprint card preformed very well in supporting some very large up/downloads and e-mail synchronization with about 75-80% reliability for the trip. The worse connectivity losses occurred mostly in the Colorado Mountains, New Mexico desert before Albuquerque in some places in the Arizona desert.

If you just need to check in from time to time should be please with your connectivity, but problem was the transfer of very larger data files.

Hope this helps.

Tim

 

[jackal]

The SWC largely follows Interstate highway corridors (it's actually within sight of I-40 for most of its route to ABQ and then follows I-25 north to about the Colorado border--I'm not sure what happens to it after that as it heads east through Kansas and Missouri). Last I heard about anything, Sprint was very good and offered 3G on major Interstate corridors but not so good in rural areas away from the Interstates, whereas Verizon had more blanket coverage but less 3G. AT&T lags behind both of those in 3G coverage.

Given that the SWC is within sight of Interstate freeway for much of its route, I'd say you'd be fine with any of the three carriers. Sprint should be OK and may have the most 3G availability.

This info is probably a couple years old but is probably still true.

In late 2006 I drove approximately the route of the SWC (departed from it to the northeast somewhere east of Dodge City, KS) and had both my Alaska Communications Systems AirCard, which roamed on Verizon's 1xRTT (non-3G) network as well as my AT&T non-3G cell phone on virtually the entire trip. I had good service with both carriers along most of the trip with spotty or nonexistent coverage only in rural Kansas. However, since my ACS card only roamed on the 1xRTT network and not the EVDO network, I can't comment on how good 3G coverage was.

Don't know of an equivalent site for AT&T's HDSPA 3G network, but you can get some idea of actual EVDO coverage on Verizon and Sprint at http://evdomaps.com/. All three carriers should have maps showing 3G coverage on their respective sites, too.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

do the air cards go into the slot were you put a smart card.

 

[jackal]

do the air cards go into the slot were you put a smart card.

My AirCard went into my laptop's PC card slot (also known by the more onerous acronym PCMCIA, which, rumor has it, stands for People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms*), but most modern ones are simply go in your USB port and are about the size of an average flash drive.

*Yes, I know the real acronym is Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. The other one is more fun, though!

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

As a person who was born at the hip with his laptop and doesn't own a cell phone-- how much do these cards and plans cost?

 

[Ryan]

Signing up for new service, you should be able to score an aircard for free (def less than 50 bucks) and the monthly service runs $60/month for 5 GB on AT&T.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Signing up for new service, you should be able to score an aircard for free (def less than 50 bucks) and the monthly service runs $60/month for 5 GB on AT&T.

Christ, that's too expensive for my blood-- considering my money waxes and wanes.

 

[Tony]

Signing up for new service, you should be able to score an aircard for free (def less than 50 bucks) and the monthly service runs $60/month for 5 GB on AT&T.

Christ, that's too expensive for my blood-- considering my money waxes and wanes.

Verizon is $60/month for 5GB too. I agree, that's expensive for internet access, and why I suggested the alternative of a pro-rated $2/day if one only needs it while onboard the train.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Signing up for new service, you should be able to score an aircard for free (def less than 50 bucks) and the monthly service runs $60/month for 5 GB on AT&T.

Christ, that's too expensive for my blood-- considering my money waxes and wanes.

Verizon is $60/month for 5GB too. I agree, that's expensive for internet access, and why I suggested the alternative of a pro-rated $2/day if one only needs it while onboard the train.

Yes, it sounds like a good deal. But I have no cell phone.

 

[AAARGH!]

Signing up for new service, you should be able to score an aircard for free (def less than 50 bucks) and the monthly service runs $60/month for 5 GB on AT&T.

Christ, that's too expensive for my blood-- considering my money waxes and wanes.

Verizon is $60/month for 5GB too. I agree, that's expensive for internet access, and why I suggested the alternative of a pro-rated $2/day if one only needs it while onboard the train.

Yes, it sounds like a good deal. But I have no cell phone.

Aircards are wireless modems. You don't need a cell phone.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Signing up for new service, you should be able to score an aircard for free (def less than 50 bucks) and the monthly service runs $60/month for 5 GB on AT&T.

Christ, that's too expensive for my blood-- considering my money waxes and wanes.

Verizon is $60/month for 5GB too. I agree, that's expensive for internet access, and why I suggested the alternative of a pro-rated $2/day if one only needs it while onboard the train.

Yes, it sounds like a good deal. But I have no cell phone.

Aircards are wireless modems. You don't need a cell phone.

Yes I know what they are... but Guest_Tony suggested using a cell phone to tether to my laptop. Since I have no cell phone I cannot use his idea, though it is a good one.

I just wish there was a "bare-bones" plan out there somewhere--

 

[Tony]

Aircards are wireless modems. You don't need a cell phone.

While that is correct, aircards also need the commitment of their own contract for service. That's a lot of money to concider if one has to go for like a 2-year contract.

Tethering a cell phone requires no such commitment. Like I said, one can add a tethering feature to their existing cell phone, and then take it right off again, as needed.

However, I do understand that this will unfortunately not work for ALC_Rail_Writer.

Another possibility is to find a cheap aircard (eBay?), and get Verizon's BroadbandAccess DayPass. Kind-of expensive, but it doesn't have any commitment beyond just that one day.

 

[AAARGH!]

Yes I know what they are... but Guest_Tony suggested using a cell phone to tether to my laptop. Since I have no cell phone I cannot use his idea, though it is a good one.I just wish there was a "bare-bones" plan out there somewhere--

Oh, I missed that.

As Rosanna Rosanadanna would say... "Nevermind..." :huh:

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Aircards are wireless modems. You don't need a cell phone.

While that is correct, aircards also need the commitment of their own contract for service. That's a lot of money to concider if one has to go for like a 2-year contract.

Tethering a cell phone requires no such commitment. Like I said, one can add a tethering feature to their existing cell phone, and then take it right off again, as needed.

However, I do understand that this will unfortunately not work for ALC_Rail_Writer.

Another possibility is to find a cheap aircard (eBay?), and get Verizon's BroadbandAccess DayPass. Kind-of expensive, but it doesn't have any commitment beyond just that one day.

I'll say that, I can spend five or more days on a train-- might as well pay the $60 for that month if I want to go that route...

 

[Guest]

Tethering a cell phone requires no such commitment. Like I said, one can add a tethering feature to their existing cell phone, and then take it right off again, as needed.

That is quite useful! Can it be done all online or does one have to visit the local verizon office to turn off/on this feature? I used to be able to tether my cell phone for free for years, however, I believe verizon has now disallowed this. But $2/day sounds quite reasonable.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Oh well i don't need one anyway-- I want to be cut off from the rest of society while on the train.

*Says the one who always looks for a quick open network at every station stop on the EB*

 

[jackal]

Another option is that some carriers will, I believe, let you add an AirCard to an existing cell phone plan, even if your phone is not capable of tethering, for only $30 per month. You must have a cell phone with that company, though.

ACS up here offers capped usage for less money, though the caps are ridiculously low--something like (last I checked) 50MB for $20, $100MB for $40, or unlimited for $80 (which is what I paid). Not sure if they still offer the capped usage plans, since they've restructured their price to the more uniform $60 for unlimited and have added a $30 option if you already have an ACS cell phone.

I'm using AT&T with an iPhone now, and if/when I get my laptop functional again and need on-the-road access, I'll tether through that for an additional $30. (Not sure if iPhone tethering is available yet, but it will be by the time I get my laptop functional again...)

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Signing up for new service, you should be able to score an aircard for free (def less than 50 bucks) and the monthly service runs $60/month for 5 GB on AT&T.

Christ, that's too expensive for my blood-- considering my money waxes and wanes.

Verizon is $60/month for 5GB too. I agree, that's expensive for internet access, and why I suggested the alternative of a pro-rated $2/day if one only needs it while onboard the train.

Yes, it sounds like a good deal. But I have no cell phone.

Aircards are wireless modems. You don't need a cell phone.

Yes I know what they are... but Guest_Tony suggested using a cell phone to tether to my laptop. Since I have no cell phone I cannot use his idea, though it is a good one.

I just wish there was a "bare-bones" plan out there somewhere--

you can rent a card and then pay $6 a day for service but the card costs $70 with shipping.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

you can rent a card and then pay $6 a day for service but the card costs $70 with shipping.

With what company is this, any links?