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Sick of Wireless 5GB Caps

2009

I live 15 miles away from a lovely town called Winchester, VA. 1

We do not have cable where I live. We also don't have DSL. That's right, no highspeed. All that we have is Satellite.

I'm a web developer, I need something a little more relable than a Satellite connection. 1000ms latency while you're trying to admin some server just doesn't cut it. It never will. 2

So I go to my local Verizon shop and pick up a Wireless broadband card. Much to my dismay, I learn that there's a 5 GB cap every month. 5 GB. Yes I'm serious? I use that in a day of casual browsing easily. And if I'm in the mood for some new software, I could easily use that in under an hour. 3

Turns out, all wireless broadband providers have this ridiculous bandwidth limitation. But I needed more bandwidth. So I made it happen.

After much masterminding, I came up with the perfect solution. Here it is :)

Sprint has the fastest 3G network around (plus I don't owe them $500 for going 1 GB over my cap like I do Verizon), so I chose them. 4

All that you need is a phone which supports the following:

  • Windows Mobile 5 or 6
  • REV A Support
  • 802.11b Support

In my case, I bought a Palm Treo Pro. 5

The next step is to download WMWiFiRouter, which allows you to share a given network connection over WiFi as a hotspot. It gives you enough control to select which data connection to use so you don't have to use Sprint's installed "Phone as a modem" connection (also capped).

Annndddd you're golden. Unlimited, broadband internet. Portable anywhere. No cap. Life is good. 6

Honestly, I shouldn't have to to go through such lengths to get such a service though. If I'm willing to pay for it, I really see no reason why they shouldn't offer it. The networks can certainly support it.

I always encourage everyone to look at both sides of the issue, but I can't possibly imagine what other side there is in this case. This is unacceptable. 7

  1. This rural connectivity challenge was extremely common in 2009, highlighting the digital divide between urban and rural areas. Many developers and remote workers faced similar constraints, making workarounds like this essential for professional viability.↩

  2. Satellite internet's high latency (1000ms+) made real-time server administration nearly impossible. This technical constraint forced many rural professionals to seek creative solutions, as responsive remote access was becoming essential for web development work.↩

  3. The 5GB monthly cap seems absurdly low by today's standards, but in 2009 it reflected carriers' concerns about network capacity. The rapid consumption described here (5GB in a day or hour) shows how quickly power users could exhaust these limits, especially when downloading development tools and software.↩

  4. Sprint's EVDO Rev A network was genuinely faster than competitors' 3G at the time, and the mention of owing Verizon $500 in overage fees illustrates the punitive cost structure that made these caps particularly harmful to users who exceeded them.↩

  5. The Palm Treo Pro was one of the last great Windows Mobile devices, released in 2008. The specific requirements (Windows Mobile, REV A, 802.11b) show the technical knowledge needed to create this workaround - not all smartphones had the capability or software flexibility required.↩

  6. This solution exploited a loophole where phone data plans often had different (sometimes unlimited) terms compared to dedicated wireless broadband cards. WMWiFiRouter was a clever third-party tool that enabled this bypass of carrier restrictions.↩

  7. This frustration reflects the broader debate about net neutrality and fair access to internet resources. The argument that "networks can certainly support it" proved largely correct - unlimited plans eventually became standard as network capacity improved and competition increased.↩