Testing EVDO

I am located near Chicago. If you are looking to talk with users using EVDO, post your question on http://www.EVDOforums.com, you will get a response up there.

Where are you located? I am trying to find people in San Francisco, Pacific Heights specifically, who are using EV-DO service.

The average speed (that Verizon claims) is 400K - 700K download and 50K - 100K uploads, so yo are actually getting above what the averages are. However, that depends on your location, terrain, etc. I once benchmarked EVDO at my home at 1.9mb (now I get 700K - 1.1mb).

Actually, the only card that is supported in Mac OS X is the PC5220. Apple built drivers in from 10.3.5 - 10.4.2. You stick in a PC5220 and you see the "magic menu" and it works. The PC5220 is no longer available from Verizon and it was the first card (been out 2+ years). We have drivers for the Novatel V620 at our web site (we are the only ones), BUT you do not see signal strength, you do not see what network you are on (EVDO vs. 1xRTT), and you cannot activate the card, so you need a PC and you need to insert your card in a PC every few months. The Kyocera KPC650 doesn't require this, it is fully supported (you see signal strength, network, and it can activate a card without needing a PC).

I'm pretty sure you don't even need Verizon's access manager app, as Tiger has Verizon EV-DO card drivers built-in (for certain cards at least - the Novatel one with the flip antenna is one of them I'm pretty sure). There's even a menu extra that gives you a cellphone-like signal strength reading. Haven't set any of this up, but Joel Johnson had this set up on his 15-incher when we were doing some work down in NOLA. Quite a bit more elegant than the VZN Access Manager - just pop in your card, your account info (phonenumber@vzn3g.com) and the password (which I think is 'vzn'), and the phone number (777), and bam! =)

I just tested internet access through Bluetooth to the Verizon Motorola E815 over EVDO. I wasn't sure whether the Bluetooth DUN method would enable full EVDO speed, but I was pleasantly surprised with the speed. Didn't test uploads, but downloads seemed quite fast, with various files coming in at 50Kbps - 150Kbps. Very nice! A great option for 12" owners, or for anyone that could use occasional remote net access and doesn't want to shell out $60 a month for unlimited access.

Glad it is working well for you, keep us (and everyone else) updated with your results and comments. BTW, the first time you install the card, the first time you startup, there is an extra 2-3 minute process while the card does a first time activation. This only happens the first time you use the card.

Here in the UK I have been using Vodafone's equivalent 3G service for over a year now. When it works it is quite incredible, I have even managed to share the connection via Airport to create a portable wireless network. However here in the UK coverage can be patchy, for example there is 3G coverage on one side of Starbucks at Glasgow Airport but not the other side. Using it on the train can be fun as well, as you move from areas of 3G coverage to GPRS to areas with no connectivity. Having said that I would recommend it.

I've been using Sprint's EVDO ("High Speed Wireless") using a Novatel S620 card and an external antenna and got this: Your download speed : 529316 bps, or 516 kbps. A 64.6 KB/sec transfer rate. Your upload speed : 102259 bps, or 99 kbps. This is in Reno, NV. I'm quite happy with the service. There's some latency, so don't plan on playing twitch games. It adds something like 500ms to latency in WoW, for instance.

Think I could get one of those to test out?