Wi-Fi hot spots are great when you need online access away from the office. But what do you do when there is no nearby hot spot or you want to access your order entry or Web site at a client's place of business? EV-DO is a wireless broadband option that can give you download speeds up to 2.4 Mbps and is available in many major cities.
EV-DO or EVDO stands for Evolution Data Only or Evolution Data Optimized. Evolved from what? Actually, evolved from a more established standard called 1xRTT or single carrier Radio Transmission Technology. Both are in a family of wireless data services for cellular phone systems called CDMA 2000. CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access, a cellular technology that is popular in the United States.
The idea behind CDMA 2000 is that a cell phone service that is already digital can also deliver Internet data packets using the same transmitters and cell towers. That enables Internet services for cell phones but also stand-alone wireless Internet service for laptop computers. That's right. Your computer can get lower or higher speed broadband Internet service through a cell phone service without using the voice aspect of cellular.
1xRTT and 1xEV-DO are always-on Internet services. To access them on your computer, you'll need a plug-in adaptor like the Audiovox PC5220 Air Card. You plug it into a Type II PCMCIA slot
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on the
side of your computer and flip up the little antenna. A green LED will light to tell you if you
have service.
The 1xRTT is also known as NationalAccess because it is widely available on both the Sprint and Verizon cellular networks. Maximum speed is 144 Kbps and with typical speeds of 70 to 80 Kbps. That's easily two to three times what you'll get with dial-up Internet access. It'll probably be just what you need for e-mail and simple Web usage and it's available just about anywhere your cell phone works.
1xEV-DO is the "evolution" or upgraded service for CDMA cellular networks. It uses all of a single 1.25 MHz cellular channel for data service. EV-DO runs at a maximum download speed of 2.4 Mbps and typically 400 to 800 Kbps. That's as good as you'll get from many DSL and Cable Internet services with the extra advantage of mobility. Verizon is the primary provider of EV-DO with service in 32 cities.
EV-DO is perfect for road warriors who travel to these major US cities or for anyone living in those service areas who wants a wireless high speed Internet service.
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T1 Rex's Business Telecom Explainer offers easy to understand information about complex telecommunications and networking technology. T1 Rex explains how T1 lines work, VoIP telephone, PBX, virtual private networks, digital audio transport, Wi-Fi & WiMax, fiber optic carriers and other business telecom services.
John Shepler has been a published writer for over 30 years. With a background in electronics
engineering technology, he has worked in a variety of industries including radio broadcast,
aerospace and manufacturing. Involved in telecommunications since 1998, he combines his interests
in writing and technology with T1Rex.com and T1 Rex's Business Telecom Explainer.
Copyright 2003 - 2005 by John E. Shepler
Contact me at John (at) T1Rex.com
This was first published in June 2005