- Not too long ago, the 80211.a and 80211.b wireless standards were cutting edge technologies, enabling consumers to connect to the Internet without having to be hard-wired to a LAN or Internet connection at home. Providing wireless connection speeds of up to 11 Mega bytes per second (MMPS), the 80211.b wireless standard gained in popularity as broadband usage increased over the last few years. 802.11b wireless Internet connections did, however, prove to have significant security issues, which resulted in widespread adoption of the 802.11g standard in recent years. The 802.11g standard provided increased potential connections speeds up to 54 MBPS, significantly improved security protocols, was easy to upgrade, and was backward compatibility with "B" standard hardware. Although use of the wireless "G" standard remains widely popular throughout the world, there is a consumer base which demands constant wireless connectivity in geographically diverse locations. As a result, the cellular industry has deployed EVDO Internet bump cards, which permit high speed access in most locations where cell service is available.
- EVDO (Evolution Data) Internet bump cards are available from a number of cellular providers. An EVDO card enables a consumer to be online all the time on any computing device that has a USB port and compatible operating system. Unlike the traditional wireless protocols, EVDO networks ride on CDMA signals, allowing users to be online at speeds rivaling at-home broadband connections. Similar to how DSL uses the same phone lines a hard-lined home or business phone does, EVDO does the same with 3G network cellular networks. Unlike Wi-Fi networks, EVDO does not require a user to find an Internet hot-spot or paid service when traveling away from the home or business to use the bump card (see Resources below).
- Although still in its relative infancy with respect to the use of Wi-Fi, EVDO has the potential to be the enabling technology for even greater expansion of Internet use in the world. Eliminating the need to install extraneous routers, modems and other peripherals in the home or business, EVDO offers high speed, always-on Internet in most places consumers will travel to.
Cellular providers have kept the monthly EVDO subscription rates relatively high as compared to at-home broadband prices (around $60 versus $25 to $40) due to the little advertised fact that the more EVDO users there are in a market area, the slower and more bogged down the network will become. As the technology continues to mature, providers will lower the monthly rate in order to obtain greater market share.
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