My Sprint experience

Pulltab

Well-known member
I originally purchased a Spint aircard and router directly from Sprint back in May. When I received I tried it out and unfortunately in the area I am in the service is not good. So I decided to return it and go with ATT who's service in my area is at least better. So I call Sprint and got a RA number. Sent it back they received it on May27th just 3 days after I got it. I used it one time , service was poor so I put it back into the box and returned. Here is where it gets irritating. Sprints website say NO RISK GUARANTEE for 30 DAYS. Uh huh, whatever! After talking to 6 different people today and having to answer the same question for everyone of them cause they are not intelligent enough to transfer information, I believe I MAY be getting my money. They issued me a credit for the aircard within a week. Problem is I don't need a credit on my bill as I do not use sprint! Finally on Monday they sent me a check for that credit. SO where is my money for the router one might ask? Today they said they would credit me $249 for the router.............uh excuse me I paid $267 for it and what about the rest of my money ($32) well after over an hour they finally agreed to return ALL of my money. Experience rating with Sprint 1-10 -20!!!! I have saved you all the other 10 phone calls I have made over the last 2 months to get my original purchase money back.

Just my personal experience. Good luck if you decide to use them. My advise would be do NOT purchase online but thru the store, at least then you can yell at a human being from the US and not india! :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Tab,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am on year 3 with Sprint. So far so good on access where I need it.

But on my current Express card, I got it from the 3G Store as I needed drivers and activation for a Mac. Lucky me - their main office is near me. Went in - got'r done.

Jim
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I have had a Sprint 595 air card since May 2007. I have only had a problem with reception in La, Ms & Al. They did not let some of the major Cellular companies in to provide service in the early years. I am at Geneva SP, Ohio and have a weak signal with a Wilson Trucker but I do have EVDO.. In most places I have had at least 1xRTT even when I did not have AT&T cell phone service.

I bought my own Linsys Router for the 595 card and have good service.
No complaints here..
 

Pulltab

Well-known member
Yeah, I thing reception is spotty on on the different companys, that really wasn't an issue. I took a shot the sprint would be good and it wasn't. Im really not bothered about that could have just as well been ATT or verizon. My problem was the hassle I had to go thru to get my money back. I pay you $395, you pay me $395 like your guarantee says, not $95 now 249 later and who knows what would have happened if I had not asked about the balance. We all have had issues with companys that others have not, just the luck of the draw. I think my real point here is if you are new to sprint and are going to buy their equipment do it in person not online. WAY to impersonal and no one to yell at when things go wrong :) I have heard a lot of good stuff about them but as of now I will never do buisness with them for the way they treated me. :(

I went to AT&T in person and got my aircard and then ordered the router from 3g, then were a big help getting it setup.
 

sjrellis

Well-known member
I purchased a Verizon aircard to use on a desktop. He assured me that it would work on a "desktop", even though the booklet said..."insert into your laptop". Anyway, it did NOT work. I returned it, got the refund and ended up with a $3.50 credit! Ha... I was at home for several months and did not need an aircard until now. I have also bought a laptop. I'm flying back to Houston tomorrow and will buy another Verizon card for use on the road with the new laptop. Why do ya'll need a router? Do I need a router? The aircard will be just for my computer and no others.

Another question about aircards. What is the safety in accessing bank records via the internet with an aircard? Do I need to be paranoid?
 

Pulltab

Well-known member
Jim, I use a router so that my wife can access the same air card. The card actually plugs into the router itself instead of the computer. If you had a router with the other card your desktop would have worked as long as you have wireless capabilities on it. If you are the only one that is going to use the card then you don't need a router.

As far as security, I'm not even close to an expert but I have never been concerned about it. Websites usually provide the latest security technology. But that is my opinion :) Im sure Alex can provide the answer to your question. Nothing is 100% secure I suppose, some people spend all their lives trying to figure out how to steal rather than get a real job.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Jim,

Like Tab, we use the router for Internet sharing amongst more than one computer.

But I also have a new thing I use it for. Wireless printing to a printer I store in a cabinet. I set it all up at home and it worked fine. I now have the printer mounted in the cabinet and now just need to re-add the router to the RV and try it out.

One last thing and this one is a fringe application to be sure. In my previous truck, for an entire season of RVing, I have a dash mounted IP camera. That camera captured images and using the router and AirCard, the images were uploaded to my website. Nothing more fun that to see what some guys truck sees while it moves around town or down the highway.

I would also save the images locally to the hard drive of a PC, then later, make a movie file out of them. It was fun and it improved my Google AdSense revenue on my Ram Cam page. Soon, I will have a camera up and running in my Ford.

Jim
 

AlexSian

Mobile Broadband Consultant
... Im sure Alex can provide the answer to your question. Nothing is 100% secure I suppose, some people spend all their lives trying to figure out how to steal rather than get a real job.
broadband cellular connections are secure/encrypted.
would agree that nothing is 100% secure. you have to trust your carrier, and your financial institution. if one of them had a bad employee (if?), they could do bad things with your info once it got to them.
 

AlexSian

Mobile Broadband Consultant
Why do ya'll need a router? Do I need a router? The aircard will be just for my computer and no others.

Another question about aircards. What is the safety in accessing bank records via the internet with an aircard? Do I need to be paranoid?
broadband cellular connections are secure/encrypted.
people who are overly cautious with their personal/financial info are not "paranoid"... to me... they are just overly cautious.

routers are used primarily to easily allow more than one computer to use the internet connection at a time.

some people use routers so that there is nothing attached to their laptop and they have increased freedom of movement. (especially if they have their aircard attached to an external antenna)

-- alex
 

mike3fan

Well-known member
One last thing and this one is a fringe application to be sure. In my previous truck, for an entire season of RVing, I have a dash mounted IP camera. That camera captured images and using the router and AirCard, the images were uploaded to my website. Nothing more fun that to see what some guys truck sees while it moves around town or down the highway.

I have a web cam set up in my semi so my girlfriend can "ride" with me from home,I have it set up pointed out the windshield and she can complain about all the cars cutting me off like I do:)
 

mrcomer

Past Ohio Chapter Leaders (Founding)
I originally purchased a Spint aircard and router directly from Sprint back in May. When I received I tried it out and unfortunately in the area I am in the service is not good. So I decided to return it and go with ATT who's service in my area is at least better.

Hey Tab,
Where in Ohio were you when you hade poor Sprint service and better ATT service?

Mark
 
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