I live out in the boonies with extremely slow internet (dial-up) access. No way to get DSL here, and satellite creates other problems. Then yesterday a relative was visiting and had his laptop going with a sprint PCS card, and came downstairs saying his internet connection was a "5" on a scale of 1-5. I asked him to try it in my office (downstairs) where my PC sits, and all he could get was a pretty slow "2", but walking out the office door, the further he went the better the signal, and at 40 feet it was back to "5". So here's my questions, and remember I know nothing about Wi-Fi:
Does his having a Sprint card mean I need to deal with Sprint only, or do other providers send their signals from the same equipment? (If I get Sprint signal, will I probably get everyone elses, or any others?)
What do I ask for to put in my PC (a Dell Deminsion) to get the signal?
Is there some equipment that I can put somewhere outside to pick up the signal where it's strong, and bounce it inside to my PC, and what's it called?
Will I have to have a cable from the outside equipment, or can that be wireless too?
Once I buy the equipment, is there a monthly fee?
Where do I go to find this stuff? Internet? (All we have in this town is Radio Shack)
The more specific your answers the better I will understand this. I know there are very knowledgable people on this site, and I thank you for your help, in advance.

 

I'll preface my answer by saying that I am not a pro with this particular service, but I have used it a year or so ago at work and we do have a few people with them.

WiFi generally has a short range signals measured in hundreds of feet. Unless you happen to be within 500ft or so of a WiFi hotspot, then he was probably connected to Sprint's CDMA2000 1x network.

Sprint's wireless data service is akin to mobile phone service - that is, where ever you can get a Sprint cell phone signal, you can get data capability. The real-world speeds I remember getting with Sprint's previous generation technology was anywhere from about 40 Kbps (about the speed of dialup) to 115 Kbps (about the speed of ISDN). To put it in perspective, cable modem service generally downloads between 1.5 and 3 Mbps and uploads around 256 Kbps.

I did look at Sprint's website to see that they offer a combo WiFi / CDMA2000 solution where you would connect to a WiFi hotspot when within range, then use the CDMA service everywhere else. They appear to be close to launching the next generation service called 1xEV-DO which should be significantly faster.

Now on to your questions:

While you can sign up for the service with anyone that sells Sprint service, you pay Sprint directly.

The adapters that I've seen are generally PC Cards which all laptops have a slot for. You can buy a PC Card adapter for your desktop so that you can slide the PC Card into the slot.

Dont know about any outside equipment. I bet Sprint could answer that for you.

There is a monthly fee for the service, but should not be for purchased equipment.

You should be able to get the service from anyplace that sells Sprint service. Additionally, you should be able to go to Sprint's website to order directly.

 

All you need to put a wi-fi card ($20 ?) in your computer and you'll have internet access. Technically you'll be stealing bandwitdth from whoever has the wireless network. i don't think that it is illegal, and the guy that has the network probably does not pay per megabit, meaning you arn't stealling anything, just getting free internet. Now if you only have 1 or 2 neighbors it's probably them with the network, you can talk to them about it, maybe agree to give them a few bucks a month to leech off them, well you get it, work it out.

 

NO, wifi is not available to him. He's in the boonies...no dsl or cable.

the sprint card is using 1xRTT, a 3G data network and it runs from sprintPCS' towers.

If one of his neighbors had satellite service and a wifi router, then he could maybe buy a wifi card and work out a deal with them.

 

DaveZ is correct, here is the info:

http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/ueConten...ccessFromSprint

Now to answer your questions.

Does his having a Sprint card mean I need to deal with Sprint only, or do other providers send their signals from the same equipment? (If I get Sprint signal, will I probably get everyone elses, or any others?) Yes your internet access would be thru Sprint. You would still be able to access an AOL, MSN or other accounts if you wanted to. The Sprint equipment only works with the Sprint service. I am not sure if other Wireless companies sell similar service yet. Remember this is only a cell phone signal, so if you know anyone with Sprint service in your area find out how reliable it would be.

What do I ask for to put in my PC (a Dell Deminsion) to get the signal?
Sprint will provide you with a wireless adapter for Laptops, then you would need to do what DaveZ mentioned. "The adapters that I've seen are generally PC Cards which all laptops have a slot for. You can buy a PC Card adapter for your desktop so that you can slide the PC Card into the slot."

Is there some equipment that I can put somewhere outside to pick up the signal where it's strong, and bounce it inside to my PC, and what's it called?
I think this is called a repeater, I know they exist but I am not sure if they are available for consumers. I think the cost might be too much.

Will I have to have a cable from the outside equipment, or can that be wireless too? With this service, the connection goes directly to the wireless card in your computer, no cables or other equipment required.

Once I buy the equipment, is there a monthly fee? Yes, it works the same as a cell phone, including minutes used.

Where do I go to find this stuff? Internet? (All we have in this town is Radio Shack)
You can order it on the internet, but Radio Shack is a Sprint provider, and should be able to get you setup.

Now with all that info, what does it all mean. I personally don't think that this is a good way to permantly connect to the internet from home. I still think Satellite would be better, but I have no experience with it, so I cannot say for sure. I have used this method before, but mostly for travel and even that is hit or miss.

And finally, yes I work for Sprint.

 

Thanks to all of you that answered me. Whitepony, that was a very clear response.
Now I think I will just shoot myself. I could build a space shuttle in the time it takes to download a 1 MB picture.
Guess I will look into satellite.
Thank you all again.

 

if you have sprint, and feel like upgrading your phone, check out www.futuredial.com

shows which phones are compatible with g3. Then you can install the usb driver for your phone, buy the data cable and software (from radio shack). and use your cell phone, which only needs Vision service.