All posts in: Mobile Broadband

How fast is mobile broadband -- really?

Computers & Internet
By Tara Tuckwiller on July 24, 2011 in

mobile broadband speed

"AT&T is lying about 4G. Shamelessly," PCMag.com's Sascha Segan writes, after AT&T's 4G phones prove slower than its 3G phones in tests.

"If I see another press release from T-Mobile with the words 'theoretical peak download speeds,' I think I might jump out the nearest window," Laptop Magazine's Mark Spoonauer declares as he ruthlessly brands each carrier's mobile broadband efforts with a letter grade (T-Mobile gets a C+). "Consumers could care less about how fast something is theoretically. You should tell them the speeds they should expect in the real world."

Mobile broadband promises an ideal: Blazing-fast Internet (like the kind you might enjoy at home -- hence the "broadband" tag) that you can tap into wherever you can get a cell phone signal. But real-life speeds don't always live up to the promise, we found in our latest report on mobile broadband. Read more

Mobile broadband: Can it replace your home Internet connection?

Computers & Internet
By Tara Tuckwiller on July 17, 2011 in

Mobile broadband at home

It's an alluring idea: Get a mobile broadband plan, take the Internet with you everywhere you go, and wave goodbye to the wired web (and the redundant bill) at home.

But will it really work? Mobile broadband beams the Internet to your smartphone, tablet or laptop via cell phone signal, but as we found in our latest report on mobile broadband, there are a few drawbacks you should consider before cutting the cord: Read more

How to turn your smartphone into a modem

Computers & Internet
By Molly McLaughlin on April 19, 2010 in

smartphone and laptop

Having access to email and the Web on your smartphone is super convenient, but it still can't quite compare using a laptop over an extended period of time, especially if you need to access to more than a mobile version of a site, or have to write out a long email with attachments. Typically, if you're using a laptop, you'd just hop onto a Wi-Fi connection. But if you're out on the road without access to Wi-Fi, you're sunk. Same if your power goes out. And even if you do find a Wi-Fi hotspot, it can be costly. Many coffee shops and airports charge by the hour ($1 to $5), while hotels typically ask for as much as $20 per day for Internet.

Why tether?

What if you just need 15 minutes of web access? That's where tethering comes in - using your cell phone signal to get web access on your laptop.  Aside from the convenience factor, another benefit to tethering is security. You don't have to connect to a dodgy, unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot and worry that someone's stealing your passwords. Finally, if you recently purchased an Apple iPad, tethering means you don't have to wait for the 3G version to come out - and you don't have to limit yourself to AT&T's network.

Read more

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