<p>I am emboldened by D1s experience this week as I drop her off at a European university for a semester abroad. We have had great success getting her (1) an unlocked cell phone with a SIM card and (2) a USB modem for her computer with a SIM card that gives her wireless internet access anyplace anytime. Just like a flash drive, but you put a little SIM card in it, and it connects to the internet.</p>
<p>D mentioned that her second semester of off campus study (in the US) does not have wireless internet in their housing, and it got me thinking that if we could get the same kind of deal she got in Europe for her US semester on a USB modem SIM card, it might be worth paying for. I took a look online, but initially only saw deals through specific companies (like Verizon) where the modem is “free” with a 2 year contract.</p>
<p>D will already own the USB modem from this semester, she just needs to find a SIM card deal to provide the access. We would prefer one that does not have a long term contact. Her Europe country deal is month by month. Does anyone have any experience with this?</p>
<p>I know what you mean – my daughter had Yota in St. Petersburg and it was wonderful – but these are available only in certain cities. It still has to connect to a signal – its just a different type of signal than wifi. </p>
<p>Google the term “4G” which is the type of service my d’s Russian ISP was providing. It’s like “3G”, only faster. I found that CLEAR is available in Portland, Las Vegas & Atlanta. Otherwise, I think you are pretty much limited to the Cell companies and their plans (Sprint, Verizon, etc.).</p>
<p>Another option might be to check for wireless hotspots from services like Boingo. Your d. might have to wait until she arrives to see if she’s near a hot spot. I live in a small city that is serviced by city-wide broadband (wireless) – plans are between $20-$30 month depending on desired bandwidth. So you might also try to Google “wi-fi [city name]” to see what’s available. </p>
<p>Finally – your d. said that the housing does not have “wireless” – check with your daughter to find out if she means they have no internet, or if she just means that it is internet that requires that she plug in with an ethernet cord. If it is the latter… just buy the cord! (You can get cords very cheap on line, so she could buy a very long one that would let her roam around the room). She could also buy a short cord and a wireless router to attach to the end of the cord, probably for less than the cost of signing up for some other service.</p>
<p>T-Mobile sells a SIM card for $39.99 a month IIRC and will definitely do it on a monthly basis if you have an unlocked USB modem. You have to explain this to the person slowly and carefully a few times because it is not what they normally do, but they can do it. This will work for you if there is T-Mobile coverage where she will be (and the modem she has is set up for GSM and not CDMA, which is likely if it is from Europe).</p>
<p>Hmm, thanks for the input. Her 2nd semester will be in Washington DC. She will have ethernet access, but she (we!) are finding this USB modem so convenient to be able to use it at all locations that we at least wanted to look into it.</p>
<p>What she has now is 3G, and it is country wide coverage in Finland (not really sure it would work way up in Lapland, but she probably won’t be testing that out :)). </p>
<p>Shawbridge, we will have to check out whether her modem is GSM or CDMA, thanks for the tip!</p>