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5:10pm: First it was free internet hot spots are Starbucks, then Barnes and Nobles, and eventually every major fast food joint caught on. Almost everywhere you can go with your laptop, there’s somewhere you can go to put in a poker session. What are the costs and benefits of this approach?
1. What are EVDO Cards?
Finally, you can have wireless broadband internet access to your Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux laptop without the need for a hotspot! Insert an EVDO Card into your laptop and, seconds later, you are connected to the internet at DSL-like speeds (500K-1,000K) - - - you are your own hotspot!
EVDO or Evolution Data Only/Evolution Data Optimized (often abbreviated as EVDO, EV-DO, EvDO, 1xEV-DO or 1xEvDO) provides fast wireless broadband (3G) internet service directly to your laptop. You take the internet with you and surf the web in your car, on the train, in the airport, at a convention, on the road in your RV…
The broadband-speed 1xEVDO is currently available in most metropolitan U.S. cities (Verizon and Sprint are both continually upgrading their service areas to Revision A - the newest development in EVDO that provides dramatically increased upload speeds averaging 300-400kbps). If you are unsure whether you have EVDO coverage in your area, please visit EVDOMaps.com and see the results EVDO users across the country are experiencing in their area.
Update: Verizon’s EVDO network is now 100% Rev-A
EVDO is based on the 1xRTT standard, which is available in almost all cell phone coverage areas and provides Internet speeds of about 2-3 times that of dial-up (about 60K-100K). If you go out of the 1xEVDO broadband coverage zone, you will automatically be switched onto the 1xRTT standard, which means that you can still access the Internet almost anywhere your travels take you! learn more about 1xRTT vs. EVDO here!.
Currently, EVDO is available on the Verizon and Sprint networks. Verizon was the first provider to offer EVDO, but Sprint has been rolling out EVDO coverage very rapidly and their coverage is catching up to Verizon’s.
2. OK, I understand What EVDO is. Now, who offers EVDO?
Verizon Wireless and Sprint are currently the leading providers for EVDO coverage. There are multiple EVDO Cards (in PCMCIA, Expresscard and USB formats) that are available:
On Verizon:
- Novatel USB720 (USB)
- Novatel V740 (Expresscard)
- Sierra Aircard 595
- Sierra Aircard 595U (USB)
- Novatel USB727 (USB)
- Audiovox PC5750
On Sprint:
- Novatel U727 (USB)
- Franklin CDU-680 (USB)
- Novatel EX-720 (ExpressCard)
- Sierra Aircard 597E (ExpressCard)
- Merlin S720
- Pantech PX-500
- Sierra Aircard 595
- Sierra Aircard 595U (USB)
I would also like to mention that there are a number of these cards available for FREE, as long as you sign a two year contract. If you choose not to be under contract, it will cost you anywhere from $150 to $400 for the card, so that’s something you’ll have to balance when deciding if this is right for you.
3. Are they reliable for Poker?
Yes, but not AS reliable as land based cable connections. I’ve played probably 10 sessions since the fire, and I have yet to experience any kind of lag on my end by using my EVDO card. I got mine for free at Verizon (with 2 year contact). Here is a picture of my unit:
Just to give you an idea of what to expect:
- Average Download Speed: 125kb/s
- Average Upload Speed: 25kb/s
- Average Connection Time Before Service Drops: 4 hours (note: even if the service drops, you can be back online within 45 seconds). Just make sure you are in a relatively populated metropolitan area, and you may have no problems at all.
- Multi Table Capabilities: YES
- Noticeable lag between poker servers and verizon servers: MINISCULE, if any
- Can download things while playing poker: DONT RECOMMEND
All in all, I’d say that anyone who has not invested in an EVDO card should at least give it some thought. How many times has your home internet connection went down, and you knew you were being blinded out but there was absolutely nothing you could do about it. Having a back up internet connection method would be a great safety net for to take comfort in during all your sessions. The service is usually $60/month. But to that, I say that if it even helps you win one more match that you would have normally disconnected on, then it pays for itself.
Start a Clean Slate at a New Room, a New Sharkscope, and Keep HFL Free in the Process
