Karma "Go" wireless

[Abeltaine]

We just got our Karma.
Easy setup
Hoping to use it to handle school and business while on the road.

wondering if others have found solutions that work for them and/or have advice.

The Karma Go uses the sprint network (which our phones use too, which isn't ideal! eggs in one basket and all that...) so I'm considering getting a Verizon modem. But haven't seen any as nice as the Karma.

Anyone have experience using Sprint as your carrier in Arizona/NM?

I consult over Skype, blog, and run meetings using google docs.
My beloved is in the online degree program with OSU.
So we MUST have working internet at certain times of day and on certain days.

thanks!
Amy

[techfan]

We have had good luck with Verizon in all but the most remote areas. We had T-mobile and had great luck near big cities but not out, so we changed. That was 2 years ago and T-M may have improved. Phone service is not data. If you are going to be way out I don't think any of the services are going to give you great data. Maybe Jon V could weigh in here as he uses a lot of data and has traveled to far-flung places.

[tractors1]

Most providers work along the major routes - particularly interstates. We've had ok service with ATT in the southwest although we don't use it for streaming. Set up with a Wilson cradle and external cell antenna and we use an iPhone for a hot spot.

[Rossue]

An old adage in the wireless industry: Coverage Is King". In the U.S. the crown goes to Verizon and those in Canada tell me if I'm wrong in naming Telus as the leader there.

In the U.S.- thankfully T-Mobile still exists; otherwise we would be paying about 25%+ more. They are the ones who started a price war.

[Abeltaine]

I just found the coverage maps for the Karma and sprint and dove down into the details. Looks like Lost Dutchman State park (by Mesa, E of Phoenix) is completely covered by sprint and Catalina state park is covered (N of Tucson.)
Las Cruces NM will be spotty, haven't decided where to camp there yet... And Silver City will be weak. We might make that a day trip...
Amado AZ, looks covered, Bakersfield, and San Fernando and Las Vegas. (though we'll just hotel it in Las Vegas, no way we want to be dragging a 19' travel trailer through those streets!)

PHEW! So I don't have to run out and by a wilson product to enhance cell reception to my hotspot.
Nor do I need to get a device that is connected to Verizon. At least for this trip.

At least until real life experience tells me something different! LOL

so many details!
Amy

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by techfan

... Maybe Jon V could weigh in here as he uses a lot of data and has traveled to far-flung places.

I can only speak for a Verizon Jetpack (a Netgear AC791L) & an AT&T iPhone. No problems at Lost Dutchman (in 2013) or Catalina this year with either. In general, Verizon provides better data service than AT&T, although AT&T is covering more areas on this trip than it did in 2013-14. I still get more dropped data connections with AT&T than Verizon. Overall, it is rare to go for more than a day or two without finding a Verizon connection. The only exceptions were in Canada (I could connect to a Canadian service, but the cost was outrageous) and much of Alaska where Verizon is just starting service.

That said, I have always be able to find places where there is no data connections from anyone. The most recent was at Teklanka Campground in Denali National Park in Alaska. No cell phone, no data, no FM or AM radio, no XM Radio. (It was quiet, but wonderful!)

If you look through my daily posts for my trips (there is an index for each trip that usually mentions the campground & location), I usually note the locations where I had no cell service.

[Mike Lewis]

I also use a Verizon Jetpack, and when I travel I use it with a Wilson (now WeBoost) cradle amp and external antenna on a mast. On a long trip earlier this year I did not have data service in Big Bend, North Cascades, Mt. Rainier, and Great Basin national parks, Craters of the Moon National Monument (in Idaho), U.S. 93 in Idaho, and Davis Mountains State Park in west Texas, unless I went on top of a nearby hill. I also didn't have service in northeastern California near McArthur but I did a few miles away in Burney.

I did have data service elsewhere in Texas, eastern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, Utah, eastern Washington, coastal Washington, Oregon, and western Nevada in the Fallon area. Can't think of any more dead areas right now. Overall I'm pretty happy with the Verizon Jetpack, and I use it at home as well.