I am a cingular customer with GSM Nation 850 Rollover and MEdia Works (unlimited) on my current account. The SIM defaults to all the correct network settings (User name: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM, Password: CINGULAR1, APN: wap.cingular).
I'm in south-central Indiana (EDGE country) and when I swap my SIM into the GC82, I only see EDGE speeds (over 40kbps) on rare occasion. My questions are:
1. Will this "SIM swapping" lead to problems with cingular?
2. Is there something about the programming of the SIM which is lacking compared to a "data only" plan that could be holding the speed down to typical GPRS performance?
BTW, I was advised to do this per a local cingular store that was happy to propose the whole scenario and sell me the GC82.
I have never utilized Cingular's EDGE speeds but when I use EDGE on ATTWS (with a GC82), I pull about 150-180kbps (about 20kbytes/sec).
1. Will this "SIM swapping" lead to problems with cingular?
The SIM swapping won't cause problems with Cingular, but I think you may notice that on the MEdia plans Cingular has some ports blocked. This hasn't bothered me because I mostly only use the internet and FTP and occasionally SSH via Cingular. You may not be able to access the internet using certain services via your GC82 with MEdia Works.
2. Is there something about the programming of the SIM which is lacking compared to a "data only" plan that could be holding the speed down to typical GPRS performance?
First of all your SIM has nothing to do with the speeds you will get from Cingular (that would be a billing/system thing). I have heard that the MEdia Works speeds aren't as fast as Cingular's other true $74.99 "Data Plan." I am not sure how this would apply to EDGE because it is capable of higher speeds.
Thanks, Mike. I'm interested in making the GC82 work because PDANet (modem app for Treo) is pretty unstable. The EDGE speeds would be a nice benefit, too. Anyone else have any thoughts on all this?
well, the system probably thinks that you are only using your phone to do this internet access, that's why the "data plans" are in a sense faster, because the data plans have more compression on the data, and when going to a cell phone none or not much compression is needed because of the minimal amount of data is being sent and received......
I was disappointed with the EDGE speeds here in Indianapolis, so I added the $75 unlimited data access feature to get a real-world comparison in case any "MEdia Works vs. 'real' Data Access" issues are at play locally... I have yet to notice ANY increase in data speed. A local sales rep told me there was an open ticket re: GPRS issues here in the Midwest, so I'll hang in there and advise the forum prior to making any long-term decisions. Sure hoping for better results in the future, though....
I am impressed with ATTWS' EDGE speeds in my area. Cingular will get there someday.
Give them time if EDGE was just rolled out in your area, "it takes time."
I remember when GSM was launched in Houston, they didn't have GPRS working correctly for about 2 weeks, and even then it was unstable. Now, GPRS is working great for me, I couldnt be happier.
Supposedly, EDGE was rolled out nearly a year ago here (the cingular rep told me Indianapolis was the first market in the US to get it, and the maps show solid EDGE coverage in the lower 2/3 of Indiana). Either there are current technica problems, or it's pretty slow. I'll be doing more experimenting today.
Where is a good source for the GC82? There is a guy on ebay with good feedback selling the cards, but he never mentions cingular edge only ATTWS edge. I wonder if they are locked to ATTWS. The prices are good. His name on ebay is cell411. Any info on the cards or the guy?
I dropped the $75 data add-on plan and returned the GC82. A tethered old Sprint Sanyo 4900 just blew it away for speed and reliability. So, I'm using cingular for voice and changing my Sprint account to a business data plan and buying a connection card.
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