Should I replace my Comcast internet service (cable) with wireless broadband?

August 2, 2007 5:55 AM

Should I replace my Comcast internet service (cable) with wireless broadband?

I'm considering replacing my Comcast cable internet service with broadband wireless (either the one offered by Cingular or Verizon). It might be slightly cheaper, since both services offer a 15% discount through my work. And I'd have the advantage of an internet connection via the laptop when I travel within the US.

Can broadband wireless reliably substitute for my cable internet? I do some downloading (a few songs and TV shows via iTunes), but most of my internet surfing is for email, shopping and research. I am on the computer a lot. I would be giving up the TV part of my cable service if I make this switch, but that's not a bad thing, as I already do most of my TV watching via Netflix and iTunes. FWIW, I have both a Mac laptop and intel iMac.

I do have decent Verizon and Cingular signals in my home.

posted by bchaplin to computers & internet (7 answers total)

Verizon's BroadbandAccess TOS prohibits the downloading of TV shows and movies. They also will cut you off if you download more than 5gb per month.
posted by dcjd at 6:00 AM on August 2, 2007

I'm two weeks in to using Sprint Mobile Broadband, which was a choice I made specifically so I didn't have to sign up with Comcast moving to a new apartment. Speeds are good (1.5Mbps down), but not spectacular. Good enough for standard browsing. Reception has been solid as well, no instances of getting dropped. It's early, but I'm happy.

(No good evidence regarding torrent or iTunes d/l, but I do grab the MP3 from This American Life every week, and that is a fairly slow d/l. I'll live.)
posted by peacecorn at 6:17 AM on August 2, 2007

VZW works decently well with torrents, podcasts and the like, but you will not see the same speeds as cable, the max speeds are on the order of 100KB/s. YMMV.
posted by ngn01 at 7:08 AM on August 2, 2007

Well, I just ran a speedtest of my Sprint card (EVDO Rev A) - I got about 800k down. @home, where I have comcast, I get 6000k. Downloads there are speedy. Via the card - good, bearable for surfing, and even a little youtube. But just be patient.

It'd be critical that the tower near you is RevA for the speeds to be okay.
posted by filmgeek at 7:19 AM on August 2, 2007

There are three things to be concerned about when going wireless:

1. Bandwidth: You'll get less of it than a typical dsl or cable connection.

2. Reception: Less reception means dropped packets, high latency, and lower bandwidth.

3. Latency: The round trip of a packet from your house to, say, google is typically between 15-25 ms. With a cell modem its 10x that. This is a problem with fast paced on-line gaming and stuff like VOIP.

A lot of cell phone companies will let you do a free 30 day trial. You might want to do that and see if their wireless service works for you.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:24 AM on August 2, 2007

Thanks for all the different things to consider. I might investigate getting a free trial, and I will read the terms of service.
posted by bchaplin at 9:30 AM on August 2, 2007

The ToS is usually pretty onerous. They provide high speeds, but since the capacity of a single tower (which serves several square miles) is fairly limited (just a few megabits), they have a strong interest in preventing you from maxing it out for more than a moment at a time.

That's not likely to change unless someone invents a way around everything Shannon taught us about channel capacity.

Mobile broadband is wonderful for web surfing and email, but not suitable for games, heavy downloading/uploading, or other "serious" usage. Note that most terms of service also prohibit *uploading* lots of stuff, as a photographer might wish to do while in the field.
posted by Myself at 1:10 PM on August 2, 2007