Review: Clear Wireless Broadband 4G Internet

When Clearwire Internet launched, it was done with fanfare for an alternative and cost effectiveness and terrific 4G cutting edge WiMax broadband, over  a year ago i signed up for both a wireless internet hub and portable wifi 4G & 3G device.  So how did it stack up?

The pricing on 2 broadband points were very competitive and with an upgrade to 3G service from Sprint on the go  where 4G Clearwire isn’t present for peace of mind. When i am in my office, the internet has been great.  Stationary and in a good signal location in Los Angeles, it has been stable and good.  A solid amount of bandwidth, it compares nicely against DSL and it provides good service.  In the one location i stay.  Benefits are unlimited 4G bandwidth.  Which can be great if say you are at your office/home and want netflix, iTunes, Slingbox or more. It has good amount of throughput in clear 4G great signal locations.  So we were able to use computers or Apple TV remotely, use computers or similar.  Which with an unlimited data cap, at its best Clear can be a Wired Broadband Replacement or substitute with fantastic ease of mind of not fearing for bandwidth overages like one would be hit by on AT&T or Verizon 4G Broadband.
Clear on the go? Sadly not so fast, Clear service has been very spotty for this road warrior. Sometimes being solid, othertimes not so.

• Las Vegas, @ The Strip: 4G service was not available. stepped down to 3G Sprint
• Sarasota, FL, signal was light, but worked.
• Miami, FL ? not so hot, Sprint 3G coverage again.
• New York, NY? on the Upper West Side limited 4G signal near window, but 3g otherwise
• Austin, TX? Partial Coverage 4G, other areas 3G

When you contrast to broadband from Verizon, it is clear, they have a much better network. Clear’s has been spotty at best, if you are in a location with good 4G signal, your sitting pretty, solid service and great pricing.  But… if you are on the go it just isn’t that solid. Reliability on signal is spotty and not so great when you are on the road.  Often I had to use Sprint’s 3G signal for basic coverage with costs slightly more than the basic Clear service with a 5gb limit.

Clear’s benefit is that pricing is great with unlimited bandwidth. But… it seems that Clear hasn’t had unlimited success or income, it  has lost about $2.5 billion a year. Just doesn’t seem to be catching on and if it is a sign of quality of service… it is a mixed bag.

But on the positive side, if you do not need to travel, and have a location where you have great 4g signal, it works really well. Better than a DSL line but not as good as a Cable Modem.  Sometimes if you use VOIP phone calls or gaming, the ping or signal would not be ideal, so there are limitations based upon the network usage load.
The largest shareholder is Sprint Wireless and it is a strange relationship.  Sprint has its own network of stores and users, yet Clear is a separate company.  Many users are confounded for reason for this and the separate networks.  Sprint has also announced plans to launch an 4G LTE network and have Clear build out for this also.  But there is a coming problem that there will be a significant switchover period to switch from Wimax to LTE and it essentially EOL (End of Line’s) Wimax which has fell short worldwide as a technical standard.  So whatever equipment you have now will probably have to be swapped out in a year or two for better 4G LTE equipment.

Yet at the current time, Verizon has the #1 LTE US based coverage network with lots of major cities covered and on the minus side bandwidth caps.

Lots of advantages and disadvantages to Clear. But if you have good 4G signal when you need it, it is pretty good. Just not very reliable on the road with lots of holes in their coverage map which made me rely on Sprint’s 3G network, which isn’t an option on most of the Clear mobile devices available today on their website, so coverage on the go is potentially very poor depending on your destinations.