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#108108 - 08/20/08 06:29 AM
Broadband or aircard?
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RochelleTx
New Member
Registered: 08/20/08
Posts: 16
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I currently have dial-up. My rural area offers Broadband or I can buy an aircard. I am not sure what an aircard is.
I noticed companies say DSL or Cable. Would Broadband be accepted?
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#108113 - 08/20/08 09:15 AM
Re: Broadband or aircard?
[Re: RochelleTx]
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14tonks
Member
Registered: 10/25/01
Posts: 7170
Loc: Only 3rd world country in US
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DSL, cable, satellite, and cellular broadband connections are all "broadband." I'm not sure what you are talking about when you say your rural area offers "Broadband." Is this the name or partial name of a company? The question is what kind of connection they are offering; since you imply you can't get DSL or cable, I'm thinking you mean this is a satellite service. In that case it will not be acceptable to many companies. An aircard is an external card, PCMCIA or USB, that allows you to access the internet using a cellular wireless broadband service. That may be acceptable to some companies, but there might be issues with others. It boils down to the fact many of the larger companies need you to connect over VPN. Satellite is notorious for slow connections over VPN, and companies are not generally interested in tangling with the complicated support issues for satellite VPN even if you can get a satellite VPN connection at something better than dial-up speed. The same may apply to supporting their VPN over a cellular connection. Cable and DSL are fairly straightforward when it comes to VPNs, and there are lots of people familiar with supporting VPN over those. Since there are also a lot of wannabe MTs in this country that do have access to one or the other, many companies figure it just isn't worth hassling the support problems and costs involved in hiring someone who can only get a satellite or cellular connection.
The bottom line is that you are going to have to cross a fair number of companies off your potential employer list if you can't get either DSL or cable. This is not to say that you can't find someone who will hire you with only a satellite or cellular connection (more likely with cellular than satellite), just that your selection of possible jobs will be much more limited than someone with hardwired broadband internet access. If a company has gone to the trouble to state DSL or cable in their help wanted ad, they mean just that--only someone with either a DSL or cable internet connection will be considered, so obviously this is a company you need to cross off your list.
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#108206 - 08/20/08 07:04 PM
Re: Broadband or aircard?
[Re: 14tonks]
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viola33
Member
Registered: 12/06/06
Posts: 1105
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I am assuming you are referring to 'wireless broadband' - Verizon advertises its cellular wireless that way, and it is very confusing.
I have satellite, and I have gone so far as to rent a space so that I can have access to 'wired' broadband. Several people I know have done quite well with wireless broadband, and I use it at my other job, although that wireless is radio signal. It's INCREDIBLY fast. I don't know what an 'aircard' is. You will need to find out what kind of wireless signal it is.
I have used a satellite connection with a few different VPNs, but it is true that it won't work with many platforms.
Before you get Verizon wireless broadband, find out which 'tier' of service is available to you. There are 2, based on how close you are to cell towers. The 'lower' one is a complete waste, considerably worse than satellite and not much better than dialup. The 'higher' one is supposed to be pretty good.
Before you get an 'aircard,' find out what kind of wireless signal it is and compare speeds to other wireless and to 'wired' services.
If you must work with satellite, make sure it's '2-way.' Some satellite connections use the satellite connection for download and dialup for upload, which will be of absolutely no use to you. Then, if you can, work for a company that uses eScription. I rented the workspace so I would have more options and so my searching would go a little faster, but the platform functionality is almost exactly the same.
Good luck.
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#108868 - 08/24/08 11:51 PM
Re: Broadband or aircard?
[Re: viola33]
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RochelleTx
New Member
Registered: 08/20/08
Posts: 16
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I do not know enough about the services. Our electric company offers broadband. My son uses his aircard at our house on his laptop and it is fast 
I will find out more.
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#109533 - 08/29/08 03:13 AM
Re: Broadband or aircard?
[Re: RochelleTx]
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mongersmom
Junior Member
Registered: 11/06/02
Posts: 38
Loc: Michigan
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I have a Sprint air card through the hospital I work for, as I am also rural, and it works just fine. The tech guy just mentioned to me last week that it was a decent speed. I don't have any problems with downloading, getting disconnected, etc.
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