3g usb modems - good idea or bad idea?

something that has become very common down here is people using 3g usb modems.


for some people, this is bred out of necessity. they just don't have internet access where they live. for others, they may need it to travel with and always have an internet connection.


however, if you are down here and pricing out your internet options, i would strongly advise against purchasing one of these.


why come, mr.negativo? well, that's senhor negativo to you and i'll tell you.


first of all, they offer limited bandwidth. they top out at around 1mb down. that means that when you are downloading something you will see a speed of around 100kbps. i come from land of uber download speeds. i miss you uber download speeds. you don't even write anymore.


well, here's the kicker, in my neighborhood they have DSL. but the top bandwidth speed is 1mb down. yes, the same speed as the usb modem. so, why wouldn't you just get the option that offers mobility?


most all of the 3g usb internet providers have recently changed their policy and plans. you no longer pay for internet speed. you pay for internet usage. you will see that these plans involve things like, 1gb, 2gb, 4gb, and 8gb. what that means is that you can download up to these amounts.


what happens if i go over? certain providers will charge you up to 10 centavos for each additional megabyte. other providers will cap your bandwidth limiting it to about 128kbs. back at home, my left shoe had better download speeds than that. you're now sporting something that has the speeds that would have only made al gore happy about circa 1976.


the bandwidth capping is the better of the options and i know was offered through Vivo. however, if you used up 8gb, chances are you're downloading a lot of stuff. if you've gone past 8gb, well, grab a caipirinha, no, scratch that, grab the whole bottle of cachaça. it's gonna take awhile to download anything else.


the overage fees are what will really screw you. let's say that you like downloading something large like movies. you've also maxed out your 8gb allotment of usage. let's say that the typical movie is 700mb. well, do the math, you've just paid 70 reais for that movie on overage fees. quite the deal!


for that amount of money, you could have bought about 14 bootlegged movies on the street.


the reality is, in this day and age, 8gb of internet usage is not really all that much. between, your computer and programs constantly accessing the internet to update and check in with the mothership and your addiction to youtube and other sites, you'll max that out halfway through the month.


my suggestion, go DSL, if they have it in your neighborhood. talk to your neighbors about splitting an internet connection. they won't mind an extra wire running between houses. i mean, it is just another wire...


the first thing i did when i moved into my new place down here was to talk to everyone and see if they had something they wanted to split. more often than not someone will have a connection they'd like to save money on.


if they don't have DSL in your area and you are forced to use these 3g usb modems, that's understandable. you gotta do what you gotta do.


then who are these good for? people that surf the internet like my mama. you know... they log in, check their email, maybe look something up on the internet and then log off. 


then who are these NOT good for? the rest of the modern world who grew up on the internet. people who like to download music and movies, watch endless failblog clips, do video and audio chats, and anything else bandwidth intensive.


remember, this has recently changed. they used to offer unlimited usage. not any more. 


be careful.


that 1080p HD rip of avatar (12gb) you just downloaded may have cost you 1200 reais.


DSL ftw.