How to Use Mobile Broadband Service

Whether you're in the wilderness, downtown, your mother-in-law's house or at the beach, here's how to get online with mobile broadband.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Laptop computer
• Mobile broadband card or USB receiver
• Mobile broadband account with a major cellular provider

1. Pick the cellular provider best for the geographic areas where you'll be going online. Verizon, AT&T and Sprint/Nextel are pretty safe bets, but you might find a smaller regional provider works just as well or better for your needs.

2. Pick a provider and sign up for mobile broadband service. You'll most likely have to buy a broadband card or receiver from them. This is essentially a modem that plugs into your laptop's USB, PCMCIA or PC Express port.

3. Wait for your broadband receiver and SIM card to arrive. Then activate your account and SIM using the provided instructions.

4. Install any required software that came with the receiver, following the instructions provided.

5. Plug the receiver into your laptop, making sure it fits snugly in the port and the power and/or data lights are active.

6. Using the provided software, the receiver will begin to search for a mobile broadband connection. With most major networks like AT&T, you should be able to get high-speed Internet service anywhere that mobile phone service is available, regardless of whether you're roaming or not.

7. Just like with cell phones, better coverage means better service with higher download speeds in major cities. But you'll also be able to connect in remote locations.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to get a plan that includes some kind of trial period to make sure you are satisfied with the service before a contract kicks begins.
• You can find mobile broadband cards on websites like eBay, but most major providers currently offer rebates that make the card nearly free (with the required service contract, of course).
• You might have to fiddle around with your software a bit. For example, AT&T's software requires you to shut down and restart the software program occasionally, like when returning the laptop from sleep mode.
• Be sure you can live with the service for two years--that's the length of most contracts.
• Upload speeds can be considerably slower than download, often as slow as dial-up.

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