Choosing the right mobile broadband card

By Dan McNaught

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Mobile broadband cards are the way of life for portable data these days.  It seems as if they are everywhere now.  From coffee shop notebook users to business travelers worldwide, mobile broadband cards are now the most efficient way of staying in touch with others without having to be digitally chained down at home, work or within a WiFi hotspot.  They are not free however, and there are some important things to look into before running out and buying just any mobile broadband card, so sit tight and I will help explain just what you should look for before plugging into the mobile data world, as well as how to begin using your new toy once you have it.

Picking the right mobile broadband card is not as easy as it may seem on the surface.  You have to know what to look for.  First, you have to pick the correct cellular carrier for your area of usage.  While some carriers have a better network overall, they may not cover where you are, so you need to check and see which one(s) will before moving on to your broadband card selection.  Now, generally speaking, Verizon Wireless and Sprint happen to have the most efficiently spread out networks nationwide here in the United States.  AT&T Wireless is not that far behind, with faster speeds in certian areas, so each has their pros and cons.  The important factor when comparing the carriers is who has the best 3G coverage.  This is the faster data transfer technology that cellular networks use today.  These 3G speeds are far superior to the old GSM "EDGE" and CDMA "1xRTT" speeds of a couple of years ago.  Heck, we'll be witnessing 4G network rollouts utilizing LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology beginning just next year in 2010, so it's paramount that you have great 3G coverage for now. 

Now, back to the carriers strengths.  As I said, they each have their pros and cons.  AT&T, for example, is doubling it's 3G speeds in many large metropolitan areas, making it even faster than Verizon and Sprint as they jump from peak download speeds of 3.6Mbps to 7.2Mbps to make your surfing experience that much faster and more enjoyable.  That's fast folks, but it's only in select markets and just not spread out everywhere yet.  Verizon, self-dubbed  'America's most reliable wireless network', has the most complete 3G network being more efficiently implemented in both the big cities as well as the rural areas.  Sprint is right there with Verizon in being solidly spread out with 3G coverage nationwide, and in Baltimore has already activated its 4G WiMax (their protocol for 4G instead of LTE) network, with blazing fast speeds capable of 2-3 times that of AT&T and Verizon's current high-speed Internet offerings.  So, while that fast speed in sporadic areas of AT&T and Sprint's networks might be tempting, in six months time all three carriers will both begin converting their towers to their respective 4G network protocols, and you might want the network with the better spread when that happens, as speeds will all be similar.

The next important step once you have your carrier picked out is to research which type of card you need.  All carriers have a similar selection of cards.  They'll have PC Cards, Aircards, ExpressCards and USB Modem Cards.  The ports on your notebook will determine which card you need.  Check and make sure which bay/port your notebook has, as each card has different physical specs and will only fit into certain ports on a notebook.  To simplify, if you purchased your notebook in 2007 or later, you can go with an ExpressCard.  ExpressCards are typically faster in data speed than older PC Cards.  These ports are implemented by almost all manufacturers of notebooks today, in order to provide more speed and lower power consumption for a better user experience, all the while while being smaller and taking up less physical space.  Now, if you purchased your notebook prior to 2007, you will most likely need either a PC Card or an Aircard.  If you're not sure, check your system configuration or call your manufacturer and ask them which mobile broadband cards are supported on your notebook.  There is one universal card in this equation.  A USB Modem Card will work in any notebook with a USB 2.0 port.  If you have one (and I'm not sure I've seen a notebook in the last 5 years that didn't), you can go with this type of card regardless of other ports for other cards.  They can also be placed into a desktop at home (or anywhere else), and are almost all 'plu-n-play' capable (no software to install prior to use) making them far more versatile for your data needs. 

Finally, now that you have your carrier and card picked out, and you're ready to pop that little beautiful toy into your notebook, you'll need to do one last very important thing ... install the software.  If you're not using a USB modem card, then your mobile broadband card came with a software CD with the necessary driver for your computer.  Without installing the driver software first, you could mess with the functionality of the card.  It has the possibility of creating some serious headaches if you're not tech savvy, so make sure you install the software first and then place your broadband card in when installation is complete (or you are prompted to).  From this point forward you should simply be able to place your card into your notebook to create a connection between your notebook and the cellular network and begin surfing away. 

Congratulations on your new toy, and welcome to the mobile data era!