AirCard Rental Review | (AirCardRental.com)

See the 2011 AirCard Rental Review for the most recent info.

2 year mobile broadband contracts aren’t for everyone. Neither is having prepaid wireless broadband hotspots all across the country.

Sometimes, you just need to be able to get online for a couple days while you’re at a business conference, on vacation, or RV’ing across the country on a roadtrip. That’s where AirCardRental.com comes in.

While they advertise $5.66 per day AirCard rentals, note that you’ll get that rate if you’re renting for 30 days or more (as with most other mobile broadband rental companies). Since we last took a look at them, they’ve expanded their product line to include a variety of devices.

Contents:

1. How Does It Work?
2. How Much Does It Cost?
3. What Devices Can You Get?
4. Should You Get It?

 

How Does AirCardRental.com Work?

Like most mobile broadband rental companies, AirCardRental.com works in 4 steps:

1. Order Your Broadband Card
2. Receive in your mail via courier
3. Install software, plug in your broadband card, use it
4. Return it via a prepaid mailing envelope for $10.95 included at the time of rental.

Since process doesn’t change much from provider to provider, the major differences come down to the company, how much it costs, the underlying network provider (speed & coverage) and what devices you can get.

 

Update: I had the chance to experience AirCardRental.com’s service 1st hand. See the AirCard Rental.com 598U and Sprint MiFi RoadTest for the details.

 

 

Coverage & Speed With AirCardRental.com

AirCardRental.com relies on Sprint’s mobile broadband network. As such, they inherit their 3G and 4G speed & coverage.

To access 4G speeds, you’ll need a 4G capable device like the Sierra Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot (see the device section below for more info)

Mobile Broadband Provider
Speed
Advertised Download Speed	600 Kbps  – 1.4 Mbps (3G) 3 – 6 Mbps (4G)
Real (Tested) Download Speed	600 Kbps – 1.4 Mbps (3G)   3 – 6 Mbps (4G)
Advertised Upload Speed	350 Kbps – 500 Kbps (3G) 1 Mbps (4G)
Real (Tested) Upload Speed	250 Kbps – 425 Kbps (3G) Up to 1 Mbps (4G)
Coverage
Regional or National?	National (3G) Regional (4G) Check Coverage
Full Review Available?	Sprint Mobile Broadband Review

 

If you need to check Sprint’s coverage in your area, you can find their coverage tool here and on AirCardRental’s updated coverage page (at the time of this review, some of the tool did not fit on the page. We recommend viewing the tool on Sprint’s website if you encounter any issues).

Be sure to select "Data, Email and Multimedia" then plug in your address to find out if you’ll have coverage where you need it.

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How Much Does It Cost?

AirCard Rental’s pricing & terms of service change based on which of the 4 broadband devices you’re renting (from cheapest to most expensive):

• USB Broadband Cards
• 3G Mobile Hotspot
• 4G Mobile Hotspot
• Mexico & Canada USB Broadband Cards

 

—————-

Prices sourced on 7/18/2010 from AirCardRental.com

USB Broadband Card Plan & Pricing

3 days $30.00 4 days $40.00 5 days $50.00 6 days $50.00 7 days $50.00 8 days $60.00 9 days $70.00 10 days $80.00 11 days $90.00 12 days $90.00 13 days $90.00 14 days $90.00

15 days $100.00 16 days $110.00 17 days $120.00 18 days $130.00 19 days $140.00 20 days $140.00 21 days $140.00 22 days $150.00 24 days $160.00 25 days $170.00 26-30 days $180

 

USB broadband cards have a 2GB per week data allowance. If renting for a month, that’s 10 GB (double the amount provided by traditional postpaid carriers such as Verizon).

On the other end of the spectrum, that works out to 292 MB per day. As such, it’s best not to use it for downloading movies and the like. Streaming services such a Hulu or YouTube would be fine, just be sure to keep track of usage.

If watching the ‘clock’ isn’t your thing, unlimited data is available for an extra $20 per week. Otherwise, going over the weekly limit is $0.02/kb (that’s $20.48 per MB. If over the limit, downloading two songs could run you about $100).

Do these numbers look like a foreign language to you? Put it in perspective by seeing how other providers match up in the mobile broadband rental comparison & How Much is 5 Gigabytes?

 

3G MiFi Hotspot (Unlimited Data)

AirCardRental.com now carries the MiFi 2200 with a flat rate pricing model similar to WiFiRents.com but without the 5 GB data cap (both are $100).

While $100 may be a high price in comparison to Virgin Mobile’s $60 for 5 GB that doesn’t expire for a month, this will be most beneficial for families or business teams in the field. Since it’s unlimited data, you can share the device with up to 4 other people (5 in total) without worrying about the data cap.

 

 

4G Sierra Overdrive (Unlimited Data)

Like the MiFi 2200, the 4G Sierra Overdrive is also available.

Although it’s pricier at $150 per week, the difference between the two is the ability to access Sprint’s 4G network. As mentioned in the coverage and speed section above, 4G is up to 6 times as fast as 3G. Coupled with unlimited data, it’s an attractive option if you’ve got a need for high speed on the go.

Again, business teams and families will benefit the most here. Splitting 3G service with up to 5 devices can slow down the service quite a bit. If one person’s streaming YouTube, another music over Pandora all while you’re trying to get some work done downloading documents, things might slow down more than you like.

The Overdrive would fix that.

If you need it for more than 2 to 3 months, talk to Clear about the month to month plan. However, if you need it for less time, AirCard Rental may be the place to service your needs.

 

 

Mexico & Canada USB Broadband Cards

AirCard Rental also uses a weekly rental pricing model here. At $110 per week, it’s definitely an viable option versus AT&T’s or Verizon’s international mobile broadband plans (ranging anywhere from $130 to $200+ for limited amounts of data).

 

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What Devices Can You Get?

A quick glance at AirCard Rental’s broadband card selection will tell you they’re exclusive to Sprint.

This is a good. Sprint’s got one of the best networks for 3G coverage and have done consistently well with mobile broadband speed.

Also to their credit, you’ve got the 3 types of broadband cards I outlined in "How To Pick The Best Broadband Card". In short form, you should be able to find something to work with it no matter what kind of computer you have.

 

AirCard Rental Broadband Cards

AirCard Rental Broadband Card
Full Review	Sierra Wireless 598U Broadband Card	Sierra Wireless AirCard 595	Sierra Wireless AirCard 597e	Sierra Wireless Compass 597
Video Review		N/A	N/A
Form Factor	USB Broadband Card	PC Card (PCMCIA)	ExpressCard	USB Broadband Card
External Antenna Jack	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Max Download Speed Potential	3.1 Mbps	3.1 Mbps	3.1 Mbps	3.1 Mbps
OS Compatibility	2000 / XP / Vista / Windows 7; Mac OS X; Linux	2000 / XP / Vista / Windows 7; Mac OS X	2000 / XP / Vista / Windows 7; Mac OS X	2000 / XP / Vista / Windows 7; Mac OS X
Network Compatibility	Sprint 3G Network (EVDO Rev. A)	Sprint 3G Network (EVDO Rev. A)	Sprint 3G Network (EVDO Rev. A)	Sprint 3G Network (EVDO Rev. A)
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extra Storage	microSD (up to 32 GB)	No	No	No
Support Info	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Price	Included in AirCard Rental Fee	Included in AirCard Rental Fee	Included in AirCard Rental Fee	Included in AirCard Rental Fee

 

AirCard Rental Mobile Hotspot
Full Review	Sprint MiFi 2200	Sprint Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot
Video Review
Form Factor	Personal Hotspot	Personal Hotspot
External Antenna Jack	No	No
Max Download Speed Potential	3.1 Mbps	Up to 10 Mbps via WiMAX / Up to 3.1 Mbps via 3G
OS Compatibility	Anything that works via WiFi (computers, phones, game consoles, etc)	Anything that works via WiFi (computers, phones, game consoles, etc)
Network Compatibility	Sprint 3G Network (EVDO Rev. A)	Sprint 3G / 4G Network (EVDO Rev. A / WiMAX)
GPS	Yes	Yes (when in 3G mode)
Extra Storage	No	microSD (up to 16 GB) & is shared via WiFi with any connected device
Battery Life	4 Hours (with one device)	3 Hours (36 Hours on Standby)
Support Info	No	Yes
Price	Included in AirCard Rental Fee	Included in AirCard Rental Fee

 

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AirCard Rental’s terms and conditions page has a summary for those that ‘don’t like to read legalese’:

• The first day of the rental is when we guarantee that you’ll receive the aircard by the end of business day.
• The last day you ship back the equipment counts as the last day of the rental.
• There is an unlimited e-mail and internet browsing in the USA, fair usage policy applies
• We include a prepaid packet for the return, we use USPS and Fedex
• There is a 2 Gig data usage included per rental, extra is $0.02/kb in USA.
• There is a 300 MB data usage included per rental, extra is $0.05/kb in Canada and Mexico.
• International aircard data usage: $0.03/kb.
• You have the option to cancel and avoid the rental fees, if you notify us 48 hrs before shipping the aircard. Send an email to [email protected]
• To extend your rental beyond the last day send an email 24 hrs before to [email protected].
• Aircard rental $5.66 /day based on a monthly basis rental

For the most recent information see AirCard Rental’s Terms and Conditions.

Should You Get It?

Since the last time we reviewed AirCardRental.com, they’ve made some significant improvements. With an expanded product line and competitive pricing, they stack well against the competition.

Unfortunately, having only Sprint as a partner works against them in comparison to a variety of other providers other mobile broadband rental companies provide.

If you like what you see, check out AirCard Rental and tell me what you think.

As with all other companies, check out how they stack up against the competition in the Mobile Broadband Rental Comparison before making a final decision or read about my experience with AirCard Rental here.

 

Related Reviews:

2010 Wireless Broadband Comparison

2010 Prepaid Mobile Broadband Comparison

2010 Mobile Broadband Reviews