# How does mobile internet access work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-mobile-internet-access-work/242593 "2004-04-29T00:45:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-mobile-internet-access-work/242593/1 "2004-04-29T00:45:43Z")
Now that used laptops are available for as low as $300 or less (for a slow one that you can write papers on and browse the internet on) i am moderately thinking of getting one. However i dont know much of anything about how internet access works. Do you need a cell phone to get internet access anywhere? How does WiFi work? What are WiFi hotspots? I assume colleges and libraries, anywhere else? It seems that unless i get a cell phone or get WiFi and am at a college or library i couldn’t get online. is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-mobile-internet-access-work/242593/2 "2004-04-29T01:10:58Z")
I’m no expert but I have a wireless network at home and use it with a laptop. I have not used commercial hotspots. A cell phone with broadband Internet service and the proper software and connection to your laptop will get you connected to the Internet anywhere you have a phone signal. However, that level of service isn’t free. Browse rates at [www.verizonwireless.com](http://www.verizonwireless.com) for examples. WiFi is just a radio connection between your computer and a router, instead of an Ethernet cable. You need a wireless card for the laptop (runs maybe $30-80 range, lots of new ones have it built in). When you are within range of a wireless router (a “hotspot”) your laptop will pick up the signal. If it is a pay-for-use connection, I think you get a web page on your browser that lets you make a payment; I’m not sure, I’ve never used one. Some coffee shops or other businesses have them either free to customers or at a fee. There are a bunch of web sites that list WiFi hotspots. Try searching on “wifi hotspots”. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-mobile-internet-access-work/242593/3 "2004-04-29T01:22:21Z")
Just wanted to add: “Wireless Internet” (Internet over a cell phone-like connection) is _very_ slow and costly. But you can roam around while using it, just like a cell phone. WiFi is much faster and cheaper. But you can’t roam around a lot without having to re-establish a connection. There are other wireless connectivity systems like Bluetooth which are Future Dead Technologies. There is also the start of “wireless USB” but that’s really for use within a home or office. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-mobile-internet-access-work/242593/4 "2004-04-29T04:32:32Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Just wanted to add: > > “Wireless Internet” (Internet over a cell phone-like connection) is _very_ slow and costly. But you can roam around while using it, just like a cell phone. Nextel’s currently offering (right now, only in Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill) [wireless broadband](http://www.nextelbroadband.com/personal_plans.html). As of now, $50 a month gets you 750K download/200K upload, where $75 gets you 1.5M down, 375k up. Burst speeds of 3M down are not uncommon, and depend on network conditions 😉 Sadly, it’s only available in that one market, where it’s being productized, and will not be on the main screens for the immediate future, if at all. Would be a hell of a product, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-mobile-internet-access-work/242593/5 "2004-04-29T05:02:55Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Just wanted to add: > > “Wireless Internet” (Internet over a cell phone-like connection) is _very_ slow and costly. But you can roam around while using it, just like a cell phone. 1xRTT can get up to 144 kbps, and averages around 60-80 kbps. It’s not great, but it’s faster than a modem. It’s currently available nationwide - Verizon calls it National Access, Sprint calls it Vision. 1xEV-DO apparently [averages 300-800 kbps](http://www.nbc4.com/technology/2045536/detail.html), and can get up to 2+ Mbps. That’s comparable to DSL. It’s currently available in San Diego and Washington, D.C.; Verizon says they’ll have it in most large markets by the end of this year, and nationwide by the end of next year. Sprint is skipping EV-DO and going straight to the next level, 1xEV-DV, which I believe can get up to 5 Mbps. I don’t know when they plan to roll it out. As for the price… yes, it’s expensive if you use it during peak time. I don’t know about Sprint’s prices, but Verizon has plans that bill NA out of your regular voice minutes, so you can use your free nights & weekends to get online.