Going wireless is the next step on the internet. As offerings increase you now have a choice between different providers. The best offerings in the market are the Reliance data card(CDMA device licensed from Qualcomm) and the Indicom USB device( both due to lack of any serious contention). If you have watched the ad, you probably have smiled at the repeated how and Waowwws of the three females!(Now isn’t that limited vocab?!?)
The usual Question - why do you require another connection when you already have a connection? I do have a wired BSNL connection and while the connection is the cheapest in the market with the least downtime while offering me 32 kbps(Enough for personal and office needs), I can’t travel with it, can I?!? How do I stay in touch from another city/location, on the move, or from the terrace of the same house?
And so, I saw the need for mobility… There are currently two types of offerings. Mobility within a fixed distance. Wimax connections still require a wired point within the same house but offer wireless connectivity within it. I know - the connectivity is good though ver-ry expensive! Your mobility is limited to the same home/neighborhood of 15 -30 metres.
And then you also have SC cards, USB cards and other types. The SC cards and USB offerings are available in India for true mobility(from any location).
Reliance offers the SC card(Sierra manufactured Wireless cards. If you have an old card and are missing the CD, you can download the software from the Sierra site.) I think so does Airtel, but am not sure as I am yet to see any users.
The other is the Wow, How? Wow Indicomm USB device as the ad goes. I can vouch(without having used the Indicomm card) that both these devices are handy at multiple locations providing they can offer the speed of usage.
Reliance offers me different tariffs with the least charge plan being
- a minimum rental of 172/month and any additional would be usage charges. You can also make voice calls by connecting the Voice option. I have used this card at multiple locations and find that the connectivity is at best – 4 – 12 Kbps depending on the location.(There may also be a lack of connectivity if you are at an unconnected destination)
Either way, I find it tough to open webpages and it takes some time to load/update software. You retain the same settings regardless of the location.(No change in IP or any setting is required) Sierra manufactures these cards using Qualcomm specs for multiple service providers. The Qualcomm SC connect offers a good medium. The antenna however, is somewhat of a danger. Even with a collapsible antenna, I am scared of it being broken. The newer cards, I believe do not have the antenna.
The advantage of the Reliance card is that I can make calls and also connect to the internet while on the move. The calls feature is fine, though I do require a headphone to be connected alongwith the card itself for making the calls. The connectivity speeds appears to be the same regardless of the rateplan. The only difference is the usage charges. I am guessing they are mainly due to connectivity issues.
The reason for opting for the cheapest connectivity is that most of my net based work is at office. It’s only on weekends that I ‘may’ have to check from home. A wireless internet is required if you are a frequent traveler and have to run to the internet café with a floppy worrying about the viruses you download rather than the attachments!
No, I haven’t used the Indicomm card, so I’ll restrict myself without bashing it. It is a good product provided *the connectivity is around 32 kbps constantly. I *think wireless offerings should offer better connectivity due to the higher tariffs if they want the market. It’s a growing market with better revenues and the existing controls for wired internet are not applicable here. But will they ever address the speed concerns? They do not seem to be even interested in improving the speed. What say?