Best way to connect a desktop computer to a 3g network

Question

A friend of mine is moving to a building with no Internet connectivity. Ethernet and wifi are out of the question. What is the best way for him to get his desktop connected? The most obvious solution is for him to get an unlimited 3G data plan. What is the best way for him to set this up? I am assuming he should get something like Verizon's MiFi 3G access point, but does this have an ethernet jack?

Answer 1

If he has a smartphone, he can connect it to his computer via USB and use something like PdaNet to share his internet connection. It works for Blackberry, Windows Mobile, iPhone, Palm OS, and Android.

If the phone is Android based and it runs Android 2.2, you can also set up the phone as a WiFi hotspot, as long as his cell provider hasn't disabled that option.

Answer 2

There are no unlimited 3g plans they are all capped to five GiB of data (in the United States). If he is an area with clearwire service you can also try that as well, as most clearwire modems do have an Ethernet port adapter built in. Just be aware that service does perform bandwidth throttling, if that is an issue.

Answer 3

Move to a building that does have internet connectivity... I would never move to a place without internet. It kind of hard to beleive anywhere in the US doesn't have some sort of broadband option.

If you have cable tv of any way you can get internet through that cable connection.. most areas have this, It it probably the most common. See if you have any providers in the area that have DSL. It uses phone lines that 99% of building have.

Answer 4

My internet is through a MiFi; these don't have an ethernet jack. (It has been my experience that the WiFi [NOT 3G] signal strength is sub-par, though not bad, and it also has a 5-computer-at-a-time limit. Just some good things to know.)

Verizon does USB dongles as well; my 3G was through a USB device before the MiFi. The USB thingie's main disadvantage is that WiFi is easier to set up; and the USB is harder, but not impossible, to share with other computers simultaneously. The MiFi also doubles as a USB dongle, however (though [somebody correct me if I'm wrong] I don't think it can be a WiFi router and USB dongle at the same time), so it can be used that way as well.

Answer 5

I have an access point similar to the one you describe. Overall I have good experience - whole house has reception, except the cellar.

Mine doesn't have an ethernet port - but it's possible to add one using a device like this, or simply configuring your computer to forward ethernet to it's ports.

Main limitation on my hotspot is that it only serves 5 devices which is a bit tight in modern households - and god knows how to hack it for more (see my question about it here)

Answer 6

If you only want to connect the 1 computer, get a 3G USB modem. They're extremely cheap. Note that there are very few truly unlimited 3G plans in most countries ..