Changing internet?

May 2nd, 2007 at 10:48 pm

So we have this new thing in Portland...Metro-Fi has made portions of the city wireless. You can access it for free if you can put up with ad banners, or you can pay $20/mo for it. Because of where I live, in order to pick up the signal I'd need to buy something to boost their signal. Which costs about $120ish. Right now I'm paying $48/mo for Comcast.

I wish I could try the service out at home first without having to shell out so much for the wireless modem. I think it would be a great deal that would balance out soon enough...but I'm a little skeptical to try it.

My interview seemed to go well. They asked for references, which I sent them. Don't know when I'll hear back. I figure I should give them at least a week or two and then figure they don't want me.

3 Responses to “Changing internet?”

I would try to find someone who already has it, ask them about their experience and ask it I could try it at their house. It sounds like a no-brainer if you like the service. I guess the trick is figuring out if you like it. On the other hand, if you could commit to living with it for 3 months, that would cover the cost of the $120.00 since you wouldn't be paying Comcast the $48.00 per month for those three months. Thus, if you kept it for 3 months and hated it, you wouldn't be out any more money than if you had the Comcast for 3 months. I guess the only downside would be if you had to pay charges to reactivate with Comcast if you did not like the new service.

Wow, $120? I wonder why? Is it a completely separate wireless modem? Depending on the modem, it may be possible to just buy an external antenna for around $40 to boost your reception. Or if you're feeling wacky and inventive, you can even create your own.

Also, you mentioned that you can try out the service right? Just have to put up with banner ads?

Well I live 300-500 feet from the nearest access point. I don't even see it right now. I might be able to find something else that's cheaper that will work, but $120 gets me the one that they recommend. I'm trying to see if I can find it elsewhere (craigslist, ebay) just so I can try it out. Since I don't have a laptop I can't venture into the territory where it would be stronger just to see what the service is like. http://www.metrofiportland.com is the website that has all the details.

I have friends that see it off and on which makes me wonder if even with the extra boost it would be stable. I'd love to find someone with the equipment to see if I could just borrow it and try it out.

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