{"id":3961,"date":"2011-01-20T23:25:59","date_gmt":"2011-01-20T23:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/redmonk.com\/gearmonk\/?p=3961"},"modified":"2011-01-20T23:25:59","modified_gmt":"2011-01-20T23:25:59","slug":"clear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redmonk.com\/gearmonk\/2011\/01\/20\/clear\/","title":{"rendered":"Clear 4G and 3G Wireless Broadband – a Review of 8 Months Use"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Clear<\/a><\/p>\n

(Above: 4G and 3G speed tests I’ve done throughout the year. See bigger chart and raw data<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Since May 2010, I’ve used Clear<\/a> 4G and 3G for my Internet connection in the office and on the road. I’ve gone through a couple different options in that time, and overall it’s been a great experience overall. The pricing is straight-forward and (for me) affordable enough. There are drawbacks around equipment availability, national coverage, and the limited functionality at their retail locations. Their customer service is generally excellent and the connection speeds have been getting faster, as the chart shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speed<\/h2>\n

The two things Clear advertises are mobility and speed. As my collected speed tests in the US since May shown<\/a>, the speeds are pretty good on 4G and, when needed, 3G. I’ve been able to use 4G in most places I’ve needed, most importantly in Austin. I’ve had bad experiences in San Francisco and Boston, but recent San Francisco speeds have been fine.<\/p>\n

Recently, I’ve been expecting speeds from 3 to 5 Mbps download when I’m on the road. Upload speeds are terrible which is to be expected, but really annoying for all the podcasts and videos I upload. Looking at the chart, you can see that I’ve been getting faster speeds throughout the year – I don’t know if equipment has been upgraded, or what.<\/p>\n

Equipment<\/h2>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

For most of my time, I’ve used an older Clear Spot along with the USB dongle (see it in use above). For whatever reason, I didn’t want to use the bull Clear Modem – I think I imagined that I’d be taking the Clear Spot with me into the field to hot-spot for my laptop, phone, and friends.<\/p>\n

\"Clear<\/a><\/p>\n

The old ClearSpot is too bulky to really be useful on the road (see above). If it had a USB power adapter instead of the power cord, the bulk might be fine. There are new, fancy-looking and compact 4G\/3G ClearSpots<\/a> which I’m looking to get. But, last I checked (a few weeks ago) Clear has run out of them. That’s been one of the problems with Clear: having to wait for equipment. I had to wait for the 4G\/3G adapter for my Mac<\/a> (see below) as well.<\/p>\n

\"Clear<\/a><\/p>\n

Recently, I switched to a Clear Modem to address some connectivity problems I’ve been having (Skype dropping calls 20-30 minutes in). I’ve since come to think that the problem was the USB wifi client adapter I was using, but the ability to use ethernet with the Clear Modem has been nice (coupled with a Buffalo NFiniti wifi\/router<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Setting up these devices has always been straight forward, with no real hassle.<\/p>\n

Clear Spot 4G<\/h3>\n

I haven’t had the chance to use the Clear 4G Hotspot<\/a>. These look really nice in that they’re small, even pocketable. My floor-mate Charles Lowell has one. The portability is great, but for all the traveling I do I really want the 4G and<\/i> 3G coverage. As coverage increased, that need may change. What’s nice about these is that you can run all your devices off them: laptop, iPhone (or Android, etc.), and iPad (for folks like me who don’t want to pony up for the iPad 3G plus service plan).<\/li>\n

4G\/3G<\/h2>\n

\"Clear<\/a><\/p>\n

For the road, where Clear 4G coverage may not always work, I have a USB connector that works with my Mac that’ll do 3G when needed. Connecting with 3G is rarely good, but it’s typically better than nothing.<\/p>\n

The software on the Mac can be a little cranky – there’s always a couple windows warning me about something or another being incompatible that I just click and everything works fine.<\/p>\n

This little device has worked well for me and I’d recommend it.<\/p>\n

Paying for it<\/h2>\n

I have two services with Clear:<\/p>\n