2009 Sprint AirCards & Broadband Cards
For the most recent info, check out the 2010 Sprint Broadband Card & Mobile Hotspot Review
Sprint AirCards come and Sprint Broadband Cards go. If you've taken the free Mobile Broadband Buyer's Guide, you already know that broadband cards come in 3 forms: USB, ExpressCards and PC Cards. You'll also know the nitty gritty details on why PC Cards are being phased out.
Netbooks typically don't have ExpressCard slots. That means you'll need a USB broadband card.As a testimony to that fact, you can walk into any Sprint store or retailer online and you'll only see ExpressCards and USB broadband cards. As a matter of fact, you'll see mostly USB cards as they try to reach out to the netbook market.
Why USB for netbooks? Well, the whole concept of a netbook is a little portable laptop that does just enough (i.e. hop online or type a couple documents). As such, to conserve on space (and cost), they don't have ExpressCard slots. In my opinion I think that's a bummer. The form factor on ExpressCards usually beat USB as they don't stick out from the laptop as much.
Before we hop down to the actual Sprint AirCards, let's cover some basic to moderate questions about Sprint broadband cards.
A question that comes up enough to make a worthy mention is "will the type of broadband card I get affect my download speed or coverage?". In short, no. If a card is labelled as EVDO Revision A, that means you will get download speed up to 3.1 Mbps and upload speeds up to 1.8 Mbps.
Currently, all Sprint broadband cards meet the EVDO Revision A standard. As a matter of fact, Sprint entire network is now EVDO Revision A with the exception of 1xRTT areas (think dialup speed in the boonies). In other words, not too much to worry much about. If you do live in a rural area check our mobile broadband fringe area solutions.
'Flip-up antennas are said to provide better coverage. The verdict's still out on this one.The only potential performance difference between Sprint ExpressCards and USB broadband cards is coverage (or reception to be more accurate). Some Sprint ExpressCards come with and expandable 'flip-up' antenna for 'better reception'. Do they actually work better? I have not personally tested it myself but it is a fact that external antennas do help reception.
While there are not any significant performance differences, USB broadband cards tend to one or more features than ExpressCards. Typically, newer cards come with a microSD expansion slot that can turn your broadband card into a flash/thumb drive (great for those who like combo devices).
Enough lecturing for now, let's get on to some Sprint AirCards and Broadband Cards:
(Click on any card for the full review)
Have experiences with or questions about the Sprint Broadband Devices? Share them here.
Sprint Broadband Devices
| Sprint Broadband Card | Flip Antenna | Compatibility | GPS | Current Price |
|
|
Internal Antenna | Anything that works with WiFi | Yes | Run a Price Check |
Sprint ExpressCards
| Sprint Broadband Card | Flip Antenna | Compatibility | GPS | Current Price |
|
|
No | 2000/ XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Mac | Yes | Check Price |
Sprint USB Broadband Cards
| Sprint Broadband Card | Compatibility | GPS | Extra Storage | Current Price |
Sierra Wireless 598U Broadband Card
|
XP (Service Pack 2 or later) or Vista / Mac | Yes | microSD (up to 32 GB) | Check Price |
Novatel Ovation U760 USB Broadband Card
|
2000/XP/Vista /Mac/Linux | Yes | microSD (up to 32 GB) | Check Price |
Sprint PC Broadband Cards
| Sprint Broadband Card | Compatibility | GPS | Flip Up Antenna | Current Price |
Novatel S720 PC Broadband Card
|
2000/XP | Yes | Yes | Fetch the Price |
Retired Models:
- Novatel Ovation U727 USB Broadband Card
- Sierra Wireless AC597E ExpressCard
- Novatel EX720 ExpressCard
- Franklin Wireless U680 USB Broadband Card
- Sierra Wireless Compass 597 USB AirCard
By The Way...
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If you haven't already, definitely check out the review on Sprint mobile broadband speed as well as the Sprint coverage area if you're serious about getting one of the Sprint AirCards. It's definite must on your checklist. For now, let's talk about Sprint customer service. Oh what fun...
Need more info? Check out the rest of the mobile broadband reviews.
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