Engadget Labs: The best mobile data carrier in America
By Darren Murph 
posted May 26th 2009 4:41PM
posted May 26th 2009 4:41PM
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The cards
From the onset, we sought to pit the cheapest cards from the four major US carriers we could against one another. After all, performance at the bottom is a good indication of what you should be able to expect at a bare minimum. Furthermore, there's really no need to pay for a WWAN card these days; you're signing away your cellular soul for two years -- the least a carrier can do is toss you a card gratis. Furthermore, we chose only USB data sticks for two reasons. First, we wanted a uniform interface across the board, and T-Mobile only offers a USB card. Secondly, USB is far and away the most widely available connection, with not everyone moving to an ExpressCard-equipped machine just yet. It should be noted that none of the cards we tested had external antennas, so what you see is what you get. Without further ado, here are the combatants:
- AT&T: Sierra Wireless USBConnect Mercury, free after a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year data plan ($249.99 sans commitment)
- Sprint: Sierra Wireless 598U, $29.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a 2-year data plan ($249.99 sans commitment)
- T-Mobile: Huawei webConnect USB Laptop Stick, $49.99 after $200 instant rebate and 2-year data plan ($249.99 sans commitment)
- Verizon Wireless: UTStarcom UM175, $29.99 outright with a 2-year data plan ($79.99 sans commitment)
The testing
Before we get to the semantics, there's something you should know about mobile data: it's completely unpredictable. While one may have great coverage and throughput at home, heading down to South by Southwest or CES -- where towers are notoriously strained -- could throw a nasty kink in your upload plans. In short, there are oodles of variables when it comes to snatching and maintaining a solid WWAN connection, most of which you have little to no control over. A good thing to consider before buying one card over another is whether your actual smartphone has trouble with data. If you find that your carrier can't consistently provide solid data to your mobile browser due to overloaded towers (in an area that you frequent, obviously), you'll probably want to focus your attention on results of the other operators.
Put simply, we fired up each card on a Windows XP laptop, using a variety of urban, suburban and rural locales for testing. Currently, T-Mobile's webConnect card is the only one of the bunch that won't work on a Mac, though the carrier has been promising support "soon" ever since it debuted in March. To check download, upload and latency measurements, we used DSLReports' Flash 8 speed test, which has become somewhat of an unofficial standard over the years. We tested six separate locations a half dozen times, throwing out the outliers and coming up with an average that we felt was truly representative of our experience. We've got the full findings below, but here are the highlights:
- AT&T's download rates obliterate the other guys. Seriously, it's not even close.
- AT&T's upload rates are the strongest, though T-Mobile and Verizon held pretty close here.
- Each carrier's average latency was right around 150ms, which will undoubtedly make online gamers (snipers, in particular) weep.
- Sprint and Verizon's WWAN management software was far superior than that of AT&T and T-Mobile, and considering that T-Mobile's app won't run on a Mac yet, it gets yet another strike against it.
- As always, your miles (or data rates, as it were) may vary depending on location, network saturation, wind speed and amount of fairy dust in your pocket, but we're pretty confident these data are a solid guide.
- If you're used to thinking of upload and download rates in terms of KBps (much like you see when downloading a file in Firefox), here's the breakdown of that.
- AT&T: 239.01KBps down; 77.95KBps up
- Sprint: 121.27KBps down; 36.94 KBps up
- T-Mobile: 127.33KBps down; 54.05KBps up
- Verizon: 102.9KBps down; 63.22KBps up
The cost breakdown
As we alluded to earlier, we attempted to snag the cheapest card we could from each carrier. Sprint does offer a few free-on-contract cards, though they only had the $29.99 (on contract) 598U available for loan. T-Mobile has a grand total of one 3G data card, which runs $49.99 on contract, and Verizon's cheapest card was the $29.99 UM175 that we tested. At present time, AT&T offers a couple of free-on-contract cards to choose from.
Contrary to popular belief, all four major US carriers offer capped mobile broadband plans to consumers. In other words, it's not unlimited. In fact, you'll only get 5GB of throughput per month before those nasty overage charges start to kick in, so you should go ahead and cast aside those dreams of using an AT&T data stick to replace your in-home cable internet service. We can't say we like the cap, but that's just the way things are at present time -- hopefully we'll look back in a year or so and laugh at the preposterousness of plans past.
| Cost Breakdown |
Return to Top | |||
 AT&T USBConnect Mercury
|
 Sprint 598U |
 T-Mobile webConnect
|
 VZW UM175
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card Cost (on contract) |
$0.00 | $29.99 | $49.99 | $29.99 |
| Monthly Plan Cost (5GB) |
$60.00 | $59.99 | $59.99 | $59.99 |
| Overage Costs |
$0.49/MB |
$0.05/MB |
$0.20/MB |
$0.05/MB |
| Other Plans | 200MB for $40/month; overage at $0.10 per MB |
None | None | 250MB for $39.99/month; overage at ~$0.10 per MB |
| International Data Cost (base) |
$15.36/MB in Canada; $19.97/MB elsewhere internationally |
$16.38/MB |
$10/MB in Canada; $15/MB elsewhere internationally | $2.05/MB in Canada; $5.12/MB in Mexico; $20.48/MB other Intl. CDMA regions |
| Extra International Options |
Yes; see here |
No | No | No |
| Activation Costs |
$36.00 | $0.00 | $35.00 | $35.00 |
| Other Stipulations |
GSM; worldwide roaming capability |
300MB/month max use on non-Sprint networks; CDMA; no worldwide roaming |
GSM; worldwide roaming capability | CDMA; no worldwide roaming |
So, here are the highlights:
- Every major plan runs right at $60 per month for 5GB of throughput.
- Sprint is the only carrier that avoids dinging you with an activation fee.
- AT&T and T-Mobile are the only two with true worldwide roaming support (GSM bands).
- International data roaming is absurdly expensive; you're infinitely better off just buying a prepaid data card in the country you travel to.
- AT&T offers the most data card options; T-Mobile offers the least (just one).
- Even domestic overage charges are pricey; don't buy a data card to act as your primary ISP -- this stuff is for backup / traveling only.
- Sprint will cut you a $9.99 discount if you bundle a data card in with a phone in a Simply Everything package.
The coverage
Coverage is a funny, finicky thing. And oftentimes, you can't even take those blotchy coverage maps as the absolute truth. For example, your data card can typically roam on partner networks if you find yourself in a remote location, so things may not always be as hopeless as they initially look.
Verizon Wireless Data Coverage
Based on native coverage from each carrier, Verizon Wireless (shown above) has the best coverage in the United States, with AT&T (shown below) close behind, although it's 3G service isn't available in many locales. Sprint follows behind them, though it's roaming network is quite vast; we should remind you, however, that your $60 monthly data plan only allows for 300MB of throughput while roaming, so that benefit is severely hampered. T-Mobile's US data coverage is borderline pathetic at this point, but considering that it just got into the 3G data card game a few months back, we'll cut 'em some slack now in hopes of seeing massive improvements in the near future.
We're providing coverage links for each carrier below to allow you to scope things out in the area you call home, but we can already say that T-Mobile probably shouldn't be your top choice at the moment. The anemic network and inability to roam domestically really kills it when compared to the other guys.
T-Mobile Data Coverage
Oh, and then there's the matter of international roaming. Without a doubt, the only cards for jetsetters to get are those sold on T-Mobile and AT&T's networks. These are the only two that operate on GSM frequencies, which is far and away the dominant technology outside of the US. In fact, only a few nations outside of North America have any significant CDMA coverage, so if you plan on spending any amount of time surfing in Europe, it's GSM or bust. That said, we actually wouldn't recommend selecting a carrier here in America based on how robust the international roaming options are. In every scenario, it's drastically cheaper to head overseas and pick up a prepaid data card from a local carrier -- like O2 in Germany, for example, which offers a USB data stick with a month of unlimited usage in the country for just €69.99 ($96). A Benjamin for unlimited usage in Deutschland, or $20 per megabyte? An easy choice, obviously. Of course, it's nice to have the option of hoping online in any corner of the world if necessary, but with the growing pervasiveness of WiFi, we certainly wouldn't rule out the CDMA carriers here in the homeland just because of that.
Sprint Data Coverage
- AT&T Coverage Map (click 'Data')
- Sprint Coverage Map (click 'Data, Email and Multimedia')
- T-Mobile Coverage Map (click 'Data Coverage')
- Verizon Wireless Coverage Map (click 'Broadband & V CAST')
Other considerations
As with most everything in life, the devil's in the details. Sure enough, there are a few non-glaring things to take into consideration beyond the obvious when it comes time to select a WWAN card, so we'll do our best to cover those here. First off, Mac users should avoid T-Mobile's card -- at least for now. OS X software has been "coming soon" for far too long, which just doesn't rub us the right way. Also, we had a mess of a time getting Sprint's application to play nice with OS X 10.5, though OS X 10.4 had no problems with it. Possibly a one-off thing, but hey, there it is.
As we stated earlier, Sprint and Verizon Wireless' connection management software was easily the best. AT&T and T-Mobile could really use some work on the application end; both apps got the job done, but they certainly aren't robust in any way. Sprint's portal even provides easy links to GPS applications, speed tests and all manners of extras.
Flexibility wise, T-Mobile and AT&T are superior. If you run across a pal with an AT&T data card, you can just pop their SIM in your stick and use that monthly allotment if need be, and the same goes for T-Mobile. Also, T-Mobile and AT&Ts cards are far more useful overseas due to their GSM nature, but again, we don't expect you to take advantage of that too often with the international roaming rates being as ludicrous as they are.
As for card design, all four of the units that we tested were pretty average. We will say that Verizon's UM175 was our least favorite, as it was definitely the largest and had a rather strange spring mechanism for covering and uncovering the USB head. We greatly appreciated the microSDHC slot on the webConnect and the microSD slot on the USBConnect Mercury / 598U. As you could likely guess, the VZW unit was the only stick sans some sort of expansion port, and unfortunately for Big Red fans, the carrier doesn't provide an awful lot of choices when it comes to WWAN cards.
As for deals, you can trim $9.99 per month (in theory, anyway) from your monthly data plan with Sprint should you also buy a smartphone and snag the $149.99 Simply Everything plan. AT&T users with a LaptopConnect plan of $59.99 and up will receive complementary AT&T WiFi Basic access at thousands of the outfit's hotspots around the country. Similarly, those who buy a T-Mobile webConnect card will get unlimited WiFi throughout the company's 'HotSpot' network.
Finally, we'd be remiss of our duties if we didn't point out a little solution by the name of MiFi. The Novatel-sourced device is essentially a pocket-sized EV-DO router that creates a WiFi hotspot for any and all WiFi-enabled devices to tap into. Sadly, the plans that accompany this device -- which is only being made available on Sprint and Verizon Wireless for the time being -- are still capped at 5GB. In other words, this thing makes it a lot more convenient to dip into those overage charges each month. Still, it's a viable option for those who can live with a unit larger than a thumb drive (and dig VZW / Sprint), though the up front price of $99 (after rebate and two-year agreement) is on the high side for this discussion. Hey, you pay for added functionality.
Wrap-up
Sadly for consumers, we can't compare these options on monthly throughput allowance or monthly rate plans. In a fashion that only a colluder could love, the big four here in America all have matching monthly rate plans with matching monthly caps (5GB). So much for choice, right? In our view, it's also somewhat frivolous to compare the offerings on international compatibility considering that you're always better off just picking up a prepaid option from a local operator upon your arrival overseas.
So, what are we left with? Raw speed figures and coverage, really. Based on coverage alone, we'd select Verizon first (from a national standpoint) and AT&T second. Naturally, you'll need to visit those links in the 'Coverage' section to see which carrier is superior in your neck of the woods. Unfortunately, Verizon was the slowest of the bunch (albeit not by much), and AT&T was the victor by a country mile in terms of Kbps. If it's speed you're after (and really, who's not after speed?), we can't help but recommend AT&T -- if you're within one of the carrier's limited 3G areas. The other caveat here is that for whatever reason, AT&T's reliability -- particularly in densely populated areas -- has been disreputably suspect. If you're an existing AT&T user and can't seem to get a solid 3G signal on your smartphone where you're at, don't expect a LaptopConnect card to act any differently. Frankly, that goes for all carriers. Aside from T-Mobile, which just doesn't have the coverage to compete right now, you can hardly go wrong with any of these options. But as our speed tests have shown, you'd need a darn good excuse to avoid AT&T if the coverage and reliability is right.
those prices are INSANE! Why on earth would you pay 60 bucks a month for 5 freakin gigs?! I don't get it, the G1 has unlimited internet for just 25 bucks why do they charge more than double that for the SAME connection? I sure am glad I have a teather app lol.
Well, that is $25 plus their phone services which the cheapest is $30, so the entire service is $55 bucks a month (as an alternative you could use a VoIP service like Skype over mobile broadband). Also AFAIK the android tether app is banned in the US ( which it is most likely banned because they want to charge $60 a month to connect a PC :P ).
I had a friend who had a hacked sprint phone which he could use to tether, and he was on SERO, but he hardly used it because they could ban his account if they detected it.
Everybody have the same price and 5GB cap. Competition FAIL. Any one of these companies that offer a bit more/no cap and/or cheaper monthly price will get a lot of customers, but nobody is doing it. Collusion? Probably.
T-mobile just rolled out their 3G coverage in my area. It's not even a week old yet & it's twice as fast as AT&T's 3G coverage here. Not to mention since it's so new; there's barely any 3G traffic. I'm sure it'll change soon...just lucky for now I guess. :P
I had considered getting an AT&T aircard when I got my iPhone earlier this year. But luckily Cricket came out with two Aircards that cost me less than $100 including activation. The best part about it is that it's unlimited for $30 a month.
I am not convinced about the differences mentioned in WWAN management software. WWAN management software for all 4 carriers is "EXACTLY" the same - it is developed by the same company, same group, same bunch of developers. If you don't believe me, you can see the names of binaries in your install directory :)
Only difference is the UI, which is merely a skin on top of a base WWAN management software they make.
... so when will Engadget be doing this test in Canada? I'll be very curious to see if they'll say the exact same thing. I also wonder if they used the exact same computer each time, or if they were using multiple computers of the same model, or if they were using multiple computers of different models? There's really very little detail here at all, I hate to say.
After doing my own test on my Telus HTC Touch Diamond, I can happily say that the EV-DO rev. A is clicking along at a very happy 647 kbps within Toronto (where virtually every smartphone offered now is branded 3G for all but one carrier). While Rogers is offering apparent 7.2 mbps service, I have a very tough time believing that I'd want to increase my data speed by all of a few kb (or tens of kb, or even hundreds of kb) that I will never notice... seeing as my phone has loaded things just as quickly as my buddy's iPhone... in exchange for a severe loss in not only 3G coverage, but even edge or basic cellular coverage. For you who think I'm kidding about that... I wish I was.
So this test, to me, while I was expecting a slight speed advantage to AT&T... this doesn't sound right. Something definitely isn't right here. Heck, I am in a very densly populated urban center, and I'm not bumming around at a mere 120-odd kbps as Engadget seems to think I should be.
Did they test AT&T first thing in the morning and then all the rest at lunch-hour or something?
DONT POST ENGADGET
T-mobile actually keeps right up with the medium. Surprising since their only running on a 4.5 3g network. I'm assuming the other carriers have restrictions on their data network.
DSLReports test measures in Kbps, not KBps.
KBps = KiloBytes per second
Kbps = Kilobits per second
8 bits per Byte.
Yesterday we were driving home from up north, and went thru the Baltimore Harbor tunnel. I was using the VZW MiFi2200 and my ipod touch to find some place to eat. It never dropped a packet. How do the other carriers fare inside tunnels? I'll also note that VZW is the only signal you'll get in the DC Metro tunnels, too.
Yeah Verizon is king of the underground in DC. I would assume Sprint is too, since they roam on VZW. AT&T and T-Mobile won’t have underground service until 2012 iirc.
I recently bought a Cricket broadband modem on Craiglist for $50. It was already activated and had a month already paid, so it was a sweet deal. It's not as slow as I thought it was gonna be, but it's can get faster in certain places and so far it's been pretty reliable.
AT&T Mercury...... CAUTION
If you hook up a external antenna to it be careful. I broke the connection inside the Mercury just from normal pluging in of the external antenna. I called AT&T for a warranty replacement or repair, they said that I broke it and that its covered under my warranty. So make sure to buy insurance on it if you use an external antenna. Oh yeah, when the connection broke the Mercury would to pickup a signal anymore, making it totally useless.
NOT covered under my warranty
I guess I'm confused on how at&t is close behind verizon? If you read the map engadget provided for the at&t coverage, it's a verizon map with at&t overlapping it in the darker colors...which there is barely any. That isn't an at&t map, just a comparison. So I wonder if engadget didn't bother to read they key at the bottom.
Interesting comparison but it all boils down to the network...and Verizon wins that contest hands-down. What good is it having the fastest connection rate if you can't get a connection. AT&T has great service in cities...get out into the country and see how well it performs.
Why use Verizon's map to display AT&T coverage? It's outdated, and Verizon has no wish to update it to show that AT&T's 3G is growing.
http://www.xti9.com/att/att3gfull.gif
Hasn't been updated to the most recent (5/1/09) but is better than Verizon's map, dated from 2/2008.
As usual, Verizon oversells. The other services are at least honest enough to show great/good/ok/none on their maps, where Verizon says "Sure we do!" on the entire state.
Surprisingly, of the graded maps, T-Mobile claims coverage in my area, where I'm just off the fringe for Sprint and AT&T. Verizon /claims/ coverage, but I know better.
If an Alltel retail store is still around in your area, jump on Alltel's mobile broadband offerings while you still can. Alltel's service is the same price as the big four, but gives you usage with NO CAP. Plus, if you are a current Alltel customer and have one their Smart Choice plans, they'll knock $20/mo off the mobile broadband rate.
New Login Test
First off Engadget doesn't even know kilo bits for kilo Bytes so how can I trust anything they do...
Second that is an old map of Verizon's coverage Oregon alone has had a significant increase in 3G coverage... take a look at the Central/SE parts where u have no mans land 2G roaming on verizon's new GSM formerly unicel.... Im sure other other areas have changed as well.
Couple of things or so:
Why pay $50/month? The hotel I'm in temporarily charges $9.95 per day for internet service.
ATT USB Mercury on Mac: Requires no connection software. Shows up on the Menu Bar. I am on line in under 20 seconds after plugging the card in.
Southern California speeds: Close to or faster than those listed in the article. Downtown, Glendale and Woodland Hills, plus while cruising around the OC. I know it's cool to hate on AT&T, but this card has worked pretty flawlessly, except for one night when they were upgrading the tower.
One last note: Check the firmware on the Mercury...Should be updated to 1.1 (J1_0_1_26AP on the Sierra website) which appeared to give me higher speeds in both directions after installation.
Some Points:
*Why doesn't Engadget just turn off posting when they don't want posts?
*VZW: coverage is great, both b/c VZW is massively popular and CDMA usually has longer range than GSM. No SIM card is a deal-breaker for me, although this will change with LTE in the next several years. International BlackBerrys are great, (GSM compatibility) but you can't pop a SIM in a VZW wireless air-card, and I travel overseas every chance I get.
*T-Mo: AWS 1700 MHz throws a wrench in the works since nowhere else in the world uses it yet. Since the 3G service is new, it will have good throughput, but its coverage is even more limited than AT&T.
*Sprint: this company seemed to be going down the drain, but maybe the Pre will revive it. See VZW for additional info, though not coverage. Xohm and Clearwire will be great, but the technology is not-yet-standardized globally, and thus essentially proprietary. Yuck for maximum competition.
*ATT: still uses different spectrum from Europe, but more widely used than T-Mo's 3G band. Like T-Mo, it doesn't have the benefits of CDMA or VZW's coverage, but the GSM spec is beginning to incorporate CDMA with UMTS. Access has been reliable for me, save for call quality in my NYC apartment. Annoying. I love tethering on my FUZE. Coverage is sometimes an issue, but I love the flexibility of unlocked devices and SIM cards. It's healthier for the global market in leveling the playing field. I think the Engadget map is OK as long as you notice the differentiation between 3G and EDGE zones. I don't know about AT&T being in "close second" on coverage, though. Maybe just "second".
*Cards bought on eBay: this applies for all carriers, but since I bought an internal card for my netbook and a PC Card one for my laptop, it's great to use ATT and swap SIM cards between the devices, and they were fairly cheap since purchased on eBay.
*iPhone: I'd say the iPhone 3G has added impetus for ATT to improve their 3G service rather than the reverse. The iPhone's a great device, but I love my FUZE for its (despite its sometimes-erratic behavior) flexibility.
*Rate plans: I used to love ATT's $20 pre-paid data, (finished) but since I want 3G on PCs without tethering, (better for the train, buses, etc.) I plan to add another voice line for an eBay-bought cheap-phone and then add a MediaNet plan to the Family Plan. But my Dad wants to stay honest and has agreed to pay the $35 difference between adding the line and doing LaptopConnect. I've done VPN on both APNs, and speeds seem comparable.
Wow... wireless broadband is pretty expensive in America, comparing to Europe. One of few things that we in Europe get cheaper...
Your coverage comparison is lacking. Sprint is tops in terms of number of people covered by Mobile 3G Broadband. The coverage map doesn't look as impressive because of all the rural areas they don't cover, but in major metropolitain areas, they're miles ahead of AT&T and Verizon.
I'm going to have go ahead and call this article bogus. You cannot have a real article comparing these devices. The throughput speed are based on your location. I'm in NJ and I use the Sprint card, I get speeds of 950kbps to 1.5Mbps every time on average. I have an AT&T Pocket PC phone for my work phone. I never broke 500kbps. Ever. Not once. And I'm a field tech so m over the state and have tested it numerous times. I have also tested the Verizon network, I got 1.1Mbps but only tested one time from one location. I have never test T-Mobile.
So in NJ Sprint wins hands down and AT&T a distant 3rd.
What about Cricket Broadband?
Their 3G service is $40 a month and there's no usage cap.
i want to know... of this article, did the carriers provide you with the cards or did you go out and purchase them from your local store? then that begs the questions, did they send you a card that had priviledged data rate over the rest of the subscribers...
reason why im asking, is because we had an at&t usb card here at work, and it got no where near the speeds posted for down or uploads. and we are in the SF bay area, where coverage for all carriers are pretty good.
please elaborate (re: james comment)
James @ May 26th 2009 5:22PM
T-Mobile + $5.99 prepaid plan + hacks FTW!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH!!!
only nubs pay retail!
.......
I wish James would explain how he does this....
there is 1 MAJOR flaw with the review.... and that being that they said that AT&T is close behind Verizon in Coverage but if you look at the AT&T coverage map provided, all the yellow areas are VERIZON 3G only not AT&T. The only coverage AT&T has on that map are the pathetic orange dots. Therefore Sprint comes second, then AT&T by a long shot