Posted on 08/04/2012 5:06:59 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck
Clear (tm) wireless service has recently begun offering a deal where you can order a 4G antenna dongle, which looks similar to a WiFi dongle but taps into a cellular-like data service, for free. Only hitch is that this has to be plugged into a computer (typically a laptop, but there's no reason a desktop machine couldn't use it too). Are there small self contained routers that can use one of these dongles? That is, if the economics would even make sense (because after all you can buy a full size router and Clear service receiver for $50 right now). I've often wonder why there aren't Windows-in-a-cigarette-pack type machines for things like this. Certainly there are Linux machines this little. I suppose a cast off laptop could be pressed into such service... but still.
SonicWALL TZ210 or NSA240. I’ve used them both. Not cheap, but rock solid.
Maybe WinGate? I used that years ago and it worked well.
cradle point routers are prone to excessive dns poisoning attacks threw mine in the trash....
I bookmarked this thread so I could understand what you were talking about.
I still don’t.
So I wouldn’t get free cable or high speed internet? Right?
I’m pretty basic and techno challenged. :)
The dongle/antenna/aircard is free in this deal. The service isn’t; you have to subscribe to it. $35/month for a slower service or $50/month for a faster service. Both without limits on monthly data volume (beyond the speed of the connection). Even the slower version will support You Tube videos, but just barely.
A friend used Clear for a while until a wired service became available, and had no complaints. Supposedly, all the places where I want to use it are in the middle of dark green coverage areas according to the Clear maps so I think I’d be as well positioned as any to use Clear. But did you have problems even there?
It's an added circuit that plugs into one of the ports of the PC to allow some software to run. I know that some software used a Parallel Port dongle to establish a hardware authorization for the software that was rented - when the time was up returning the dongle completed the contract as the software wouldn't run without it.
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong! ;^)
Haven’t had that issue. Perhaps because i am dynamic IP?
Thanks!
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