Wireless Internet - How Wireless Internet Cards Can Cause Problems

Yes, it was exciting to hear the news when we all found out we could all now use our cell phones for Internet activities such as email, document exchanging, web browsing, instant messaging, downloading ring tones, and all that other great stuff.

While it was an added convenience of sorts, it was a mixed blessing with most cell phones being alphanumeric pads and micro small viewing screens. The Internet was not massively being consumed over cellular devices just yet but the birth of the iPhone would change all of that.

With the invention of the iPhone it was only a matter of time other phone manufacturers would get into the act and follow suit with the new line of cell phone known as the smartphone. With the growth of the smartphone demand ever growing, Internet usage over the phone has just as much seen it's growth to all the numerous carrier's delight. The one problem still was the portability vs. usability issue regardless of the advancements made with phones, due to interface sizes and design. The mobile Internet solution would have to land somewhere else for those that would need more productivity while away from their home-bases and it found it's place with the laptop utilizing wireless Internet cards offered by cellular providers.

The Benefit

The ultimate benefit for wireless Internet card users is the ability to access the web via broadband when other methods fail or are unavailable such as Wi-Fi hot spots and physical Ethernet connections. To be mobile and productive these days you need to be able to access information as well as be accessible. Such demands and requirements for business or personal use include email, blogging, document sharing, FTP, and more. Doing this on the go, cellular broadband cards give users the advantage of added connection options in their communication capabilities up to 3 Gbps.

The Bad News

The bad news is actually not an issue of technical woe but of the billing/plan process for broadband Internet access. It is unfortunate and it isn't entirely known why, but carriers currently only offer flat rate usage plans that cannot exceed 5 GB of monthly transfer. These plans do not block access after 5 GB limit has been exceeded but rather starts billing for every new Mb of Internet usage which easily can add up quick at 5 cents per MB. Larger allowances and variances in plans would be nice, yes, but being there isn't you must now decide if buying into a wireless card subscription makes sense.

Ways to Avoid Overage Charges

If you download 2 hour videos, tutorials, or movies you will have easily exceeded your monthly quota at only three instances in that month. It is important to monitor and realize what usage is necessary when you are away from home or the office. Plan on using Wi-Fi when it is available and only switching to your wireless Internet when no other methods of connectivity are available. If you have employees using a card for connecting online, make sure to share with them the appropriate limits of usage. You may need to even penalize over usage for Internet abusers if it becomes a problem.