Gobi 2000 Mobile Broadband

[ahinz04]

I recently purchased a T510 with the Gobi 2000 mobile broadband card. I'm looking for any feedback on network usage -- are you using Verizon, AT&T, or something else? Any thoughts on the carrier? It seems pretty clear that Verizon has the broadest network, but I've been reading that AT&T has improved their network substantially over the past 6-12 months and now tends to offer superior download/upload speeds vs. Verizon and some of the others. Since pricing is basically the same, it seems my decision will be based on coverage vs. speed. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[msnflier]

Hi,
I haven't visited the site in awhile and just noticed your post. I see you're from Milwaukee? I am often in Minocqua and other somewhat remote areas of Wisconsin and I have to say that VzW is your answer. Why? Because everywhere you get a VzW signal in WI - or pretty much anywhere nationwide - will be true 3G. AT&T may have invested in their network, but VzW's is so far ahead of AT&T when it comes to nationwide availability of 3G that it will take AT&T years to catch up. In fact, it's probably going to get worse because VzW will be lighting up their version of 4G - known as LTE - in 25 - 30 areas by the end of 2010 and they're committed to transitioning their entire 3G footprint to 4G by 2013.

Here's an anecdotal example for you: my family's place in Minocqua is about seven miles west of town off of Highway 70. I can use this laptop (T400s with a Gobi 1000) in my family room and get at least two, sometimes three, bars of 3G signal. In fact, the signal is so reliable that I dropped my dial-up because it's so slow compared to the VzW broadband. By comparison, a couple of my friends have AT&T WWAN service and neither of them can get a GSM signal, and what they do get is 2G or 1G. Two other friends have iPhones and they can't make a call, much less use their phones for 2G data.

I haven't looked into whether I can get a Gobi 2000 for my T400s, but I think a wiser idea (for me) might be to hold out for a VzW-capable 4G (LTE) card. Hopefully, it will work with the existing wiring in my T400s.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.