How do they sell those Internet Sticks?

[jon]

I thought it might be cool to not have to find someone's free wi-fi every time I take my netbook out and about. After pricing a stick like the Rogers Rocket and all the competitors I could find at TELUS, Bell, Wind and Mobilicity, I had second thoughts.

Yeah, I could get one for free but I'm not wild about a 2 or 3 year contract. Most are $130 without a contract, with Mobilicity and Wind at $100, but Mobilicity charges $10 more per month for their plans.

It's the Plans that kill my plans. $30/month for 500MB/month which my low mobile usage would probably not exceed ($25 for 1GB/month at Wind) . Some even charge setup at $35!

Mobilicity's half price offer for their plan when you have a phone with them got me thinking. I'd probably be better off dumping my current pay as you go cell phone, even though its only a few months old, and buying a smartphone with tethering so I could just connect my laptop to the smartphone and get Internet access that way.

I wondered what that would cost: cheapest TELUS plan is $50/month, and you still only get 500MB/month. Wind is $15 + $35, which also works out to $50/month. Mobilicity is $25 + $20 (half price data plan) which is $45/month, but they don't cover my part of town with their coverage, even though I'm well within not just City limits, but a highly populated area.

For now, I'll stick with my TELUS $10/month pay as you go cell phone, which I can upgrade for $5/month to provide e-mail and web access on the phone. Not a smart phone, but, so far, it does the trick for me.

[PMC]

I thought it might be cool to not have to find someone's free wi-fi every time I take my netbook out and about. After pricing a stick like the Rogers Rocket and all the competitors I could find at TELUS, Bell, Wind and Mobilicity, I had second thoughts.

Yeah, I could get one for free but I'm not wild about a 2 or 3 year contract. Most are $130 without a contract, with Mobilicity and Wind at $100, but Mobilicity charges $10 more per month for their plans.

It's the Plans that kill my plans. $30/month for 500MB/month which my low mobile usage would probably not exceed ($25 for 1GB/month at Wind) . Some even charge setup at $35!
.

I have a Telus stick (air card) and it is $35 a month. It works everywhere that a cell phone does. If I am using it in my notebook in Victoria, or Vancouver, or Tofino, it works for the same price because you are buying mobility. Air cards are also used for things other than surfing the internet and getting e-mail.

You forgot to mention that Rogers will give you an HP Notebook with a built in air card, on a three year contract... this is actually a very good deal if you are on the road alot and need a new laptop, or want to have a spare machine at the summer cottage etc.

[jon]

You forgot to mention that Rogers will give you an HP Notebook with a built in air card, on a three year contract... this is actually a very good deal if you are on the road alot and need a new laptop, or want to have a spare machine at the summer cottage etc.

Are they still offering that for free? All I could find was a $50 deal on one:
https://www.orderrogers.ca/rocket/laptop
Still a good deal compared with everything I was talking about.

[Buckley]

The problem is that places like Best Buy/Future Shop/The Source will try and sell those to the average person that doesn't know anything about bandwidth caps. "Sign up for a 3 year internet plan with the Rocket Stick and we'll give you a free laptop!"

How can you go wrong, right? You're shopping for a laptop, you're going to want to go on the internet... great deal, a free laptop and you were going to pay for internet anyway!

Thing is, this day in age 500MB is NOTHING. A half a day spent watching YouTube videos and creeping Facebook and you're bound to reach your monthly cap in less time than it takes to slow-cook a roast (and have to start paying ridiculous overage fees).

These internet sticks are great for their intended use (business people who just want to get online to send an e-mail or have something sent to them from a colleague, and need something more than just a smartphone for their day to day work on the road), but they really shouldn't be selling these to people for home use. My parents don't really download anything and they still rack up about 2gb's of use a month, I can only imagine how angry someone would be when they realize they're stuck in a 3 year contract and the most they can do every month with their free laptop is check their e-mail and watch like one YouTube video a day. I also don't think the average person should be expected to know really anything about bandwidth usage when signing up for an internet package, a company should be responsible enough to ask a few questions and say, for example, "Oh, you have two kids? Yeah, you're going to need at least 65gb of bandwidth a month". In fact, I think bandwidth caps should be done away with all together, but that's another "why the internet was better in the late 90's" rant for another day

[another dog]

Jon, I have a Bell stick. I used to use it with my laptop, and now don't use it. Offers ??????? It has about 7 months to left of a 1 year deal before it goes month to month.

As far as Bell goes, they are on the Rogers thing. Actually here they are better than Rogers if one looks at their coverage maps.

Price-wise Bell goes for $30 for 500 mg. so they are about the same as some of the others out there.

Before I forget Jon, the very best to you and yours this holiday season.

[Mike Cleaver]

Do more research.
If you look at what bandwidth costs in other "civilized" countries and what we're charged here, you'll continue to go to Starbucks or any other place with free Wi-Fi.
Unless you absolutely need one of these things to check email, don't give these bandits any more of your money.
Internet use of any kind is wildly more expensive in Canada and the US and more restricted than in most other G8 countries and even some that are not in that elite group.
We're being gouged, overcharged, tethered to three year deals and given limited bandwidth.
Use the free wireless connections.
There are more and more every day.

[groundwave]

There's way too little competition taking place among the major players in the Canadian teleCON industry. What Mr. Cleaver said.