WiMax San Antonio TX

Have you ever noticed around Christmas time especially, or in the grocery store when it’s the night before a holiday, that the item you really wanted, wasn’t on the shelf at the store?  Too much demand for the current supply chain.

Well, with the big push this month in August for the “Back to School” special deals on all CLEAR 4G+ modems and hotspots, the demand has out stripped the available supply of 4G+ Hotspot modems. 

At only $50/month for service, plus $5.99/month for equipment, this item has proven to be extremely popular with the customers, breaking sales goals set by corporate, just like the San Antonio market has exceeded its sales goals for 2010 SIX MONTHS EARLY.

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Inside the packaging we find the CLEAR 4G+ Hotspot & CLEAR's instructions

One of our clients recently ordered (from us) and just received their CLEAR 4G+ Hotspot today. Gary was kind enough to let us be the one to open the new box, photograph it for this website, and then show him how to set it up.

This device is tiny!  Smaller than we had expected, based upon the size of the other CLEAR 4G Hotspot that only does 4G.  We’ll do a photo review of that one next.    About 3 inches square, and 1/2 inch thick.  Looks like a Hocky Puck in all shiny black (that attracts lots of finger prints, and makes it hard to photograph with flash).

This CLEAR 4G+ Hotspot runs on both the 4G and 3G network.   When first activated on the 4G side, it may take up to 2 hours before the 3G activation takes place, because CLEAR’s computer has to tell Sprint’s computer to activate it, and that takes a while.  It MUST be activated inside a 4G service area the first time, or it won’t activate at all.   Please do not frustrate yourself, us and CLEAR Customer Care by failing to follow  those simple steps as we indicate in our photos below.

The USB Charging cable is the same as the one used for the Sprint EVO, the micro USB cable, very flat thin connector (see photo later).   The CLEAR 4G+ comes with a 3 foot long USB cable and AC adapter that you plug the USB cable into. You can also buy (not included) a car USB charger adapter from Walmart, etc, that will let you charge up to 2 USB devices at a time, etc. for under $15.  You might even already have some if you are using Smart Phones that use USB charging method.  We bought a spare 10 foot cord from local Altex Electronics store for about $9 plus tax.  if you do go buy a spare / longer cable, take your original with you to verify the new cable has the right connector on it.

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Effective August 1st, for a limited time,CLEAR’s “Back to School” promotion has lowered the pricing for their line of 4G+ dual band modems (4G/3G combo), including their personal hotspot line of products.  4G pricing remains the same, only the 4G+ versions were affected.  How long will this sale last?  We don’t know, but do know you are good thru the end of August at this rate, and once locked into a rate, CLEAR normally won’t raise it and risk losing a customer.

Get any 4G+ device from CLEAR and save $60/year on service fees.  Pricing has been lowered from $55/month to only $50 a month for this promotion period.  Now is the time to get one of the 4G+ plus mobile devices and save.

We’re a bit lucky in the San Antonio / Austin markets, as our pricing hasn’t gone up for monthly fees like some of the prices on the CLEAR website indicate.  We just visited their site and found $60.99/month for 4G+ USB Modem service, $43.99 for the 4G only USB or Home service.  We’re only $50/month for 4G+ and $40/month for 4G service.  Oh, and remember our $55/month 4G combo of Home & USB modem?  Clear’s website wants $63.99/month now for that combo service plan.    When will these increased prices reach us in Texas?  We don’t know, but you ought to sign up this month to get all the lower price deals and not get caught short holding a higher price tag for delaying.

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Thanks to CLEAR coming out with new, more compact and easier to use 4G and 4G/3G personal hotspot devices, even folks who chose to limit themselves to the iPhone 4 can now experience the speed and thrill of CLEAR’s 4G network here in  San Antonio and other markets in Texas.  And now you can easily share your 4G signal, unlimited use on the 4G side, with your friends, or even just with your own smart phone if you don’t own an EVO already.

CLEAR has released two new devices, the CLEAR Spot 4G and the CLEAR Spot 4G+, this month.  Don’t confuse these with the older model called a “Clearspot” made by Cradlepoint (PHS300).  You don’t need to plug in a separate USB modem to these new devices, it’s all built in!   Each also has an internal battery so you can slip either one into your shirt or pants pocket, or for the ladies, their purse. 

We recently attended a training session in San Antonio where we got to touch and feel one of the Clear Spot 4G units.  It’s so tiny!  Only about 2.5″ wide and 4″ long, about  4 or 5 ounces in weight (with battery installed).  Simple to operate with LED lights to tell you what’s happening.  And if you forgot what color LED light means what, the instructions are written on the bottom of the device.  Talk about simple!

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We just returned from a CLEAR Wimax Dealer’s briefing on the new 4G+ USB modem (4G/3G combo) that will be available in the San Antonio, Austin and nationwide markets effective July 1st.  We learned about the new modem that is Mac Compatible!  Yay!  My wife will be very happy as soon as she gets one of these, cause, as our readers are aware, my wife is a Mac Consultant  (www.MacAnswers.com).

This disc shaped USB modem can swivel 180 degrees, making it easier to fit more computer’s USB port configurations.   The swivel is metal, not plastic, which should help in both durablity and heat disipation.  But see that little cover on the right edge of this photo?  That’s for an external antenna connection. 

Yep, you can connect an external antenna for about $20 (according to Sierra Wireless Rep)  to increase your signal by about 50%.  

The Sierra Wireless Rep showed how she  velcroed her external antenna to the upper lid of her laptop, so when it was opened, the antenna would be sticking up in the air more.  One might even assume that you could connect to a really external antenna, stuck up higher in the air, over in a nearby window, or some other place where you can pull down a better / stronger signal.  At this time, we don’t know if the CLEAR dealers can sell those antennas with the modem, or if you will need to visit www.SierraWireless.com to purchase direct from them.

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Nothing ever stays the same in the tech world, especially pricing.  But it was announced by CLEAR earlier this month that  CLEAR customers wanting to buy their own equipment from CLEAR, rather than leasing it under a 2 year contract, can now expect to pay higher prices.   CLEAR has reduced the subsidy amount they had been applying in the form of discounts at the time of purchase.  Of course if you go on contract, the up front cost is much much less.

Home modems are now running $84.95, while USB modems (depending on model) are running $59.99 – $69.99 each. 4G  Combo modems (i.e. 4G/3G USB modems) are running $224.99 (same price), but the new Mac compatible 4G+ modem is only $112.99 (available starting July 1st).

CLEAR slashed the price of their current CLEARSpot router (aka Cradlepoint’s PHS300 router) from $139.99 to only $49.99 (no lease or contract required), but you still need a CLEAR USB modem of  some sort to make it work on the 4G or 3G network.  We’ve used ours (paid a lot more for it) with both the 4G and 4G+ modem in the past few months.

CLEAR has announced some other changes also, so watch for more postings by us on this topic also.

We are now selling CLEAR services in the San Antonio and Austin Texas markets, including New Braunfels and San Marcos along the IH-35 corridor between the two cities.  Contact us if you are interested in getting CLEAR and we’ll bring it to your door!  Call us at 210-771-7075 or email us at lee@wimaxsatx.com with any questions.

This new USB 4G+ CLEAR Modem (Series S) is scheduled to be made available in July 2010, according to what was distributed to the dealers in the San Antonio, Texas market earlier this month.  . 

Limited market release will be happening in June (not including San Antonio), but the national release won’t be until July 1st.  So, please be a bit more patient and all you Mac Users will have the solution you have been looking for! – Lee

The big difference between this new model and the current 4G+ USB modem, to us, is that this model is also compatible with the Mac computers (Leopard & Snow Leopard).  It also has a “cute” round disk shape that perhaps will make it more attractive to the Mac community of users.

Now if only CLEAR would release drivers or a USB modem to work on the Linux operating system.

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It was great weather today for a cruise outpast Helotes, past the San Antonio Ranch, all the way out to the Sanctuary, a new subdivision being build by Wilshire Homes and Gehan.  

No CLEAR 4G service out there yet, but the combo 4G+ USB modem worked quite well.   We sold one of the 4G+ modems plus a ClearSpot router to a new homeowner in the Sanctuary, then talked with a few other new homeowners down the street about CLEAR’s services.

We checked our email while we were there, found an email from Edward in the San Antonio Ranch asking about CLEAR, so we decided to take a cruise thru nearby San Antonio Ranch as well. 

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We received word that there are plans to release a new 4G+ USB modem to the San Antonio market (and presumably elsewhere) in June, if all goes according to schedule.  Hmm, where have we heard that phrase before?   

This new 4G+ modem is the combo 4G/3G USB modem, but unlike the current 4G+ modem which I own and love to use do much, the new modem will reportedly be compatible not only with current Windows operating systems, but also with the current Mac operating systems, just like the plain 4G USB modems now perform. 

My wife, who is a Mac Consultant in San Antonio (www.MacAnswers.com)  has been chomping at the bit, figuratively speaking, to get a combo 4G+ modem instead of being limited to just 4G on her Mac notebooks.  Perhaps it will get released around the same time as the Sprint EVO 4G phone in June, and be just in time for my wife’s birthday in July.

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Clear 4G+ Modem

Back in February we ordered our first very own 4G+ CLEAR Mobile Modem to play with.   One of the benefits of being in the business is being  able to justify all the toys.   The next business day later, a small brown box arrived via next day FedEx, on time as promised.  

CLEAR is using the same U300 USB modem that Sprint offers, and has not (yet) released the U301 that Sprint has started offering.   The CLEAR 4G+ Mobile Modem is NOT compatible with Mac operating systems at this time.

We went online to activate (remember, we’re already an existing active CLEAR customer ourselves) and waited for it to change the browser over to htpp://home.clear.com to let us view CLEAR’s terms and conditions.   Naturally since we were already a current customer, it skipped that first page and went direct to our account, saying we were good to go.

Now normally this means you get instant 4G access, and then 2 hours the 3G access gets automatically  authorized by Sprint’s computer system.  Two hours later, you ought to be good to go.   Key word “ought”. 

CLEAR Connection Manager says (on the 3G tab)  3G Initialization Started…   then 3G Initialization Failed… then Log on using 4G to accept the terms and conditions first…

We first went online to the chat tech support, but they were no help.  One agent even told us that it was because we were “still in a 4G network area, so it won’t work until you go outside the 4G range.”    We knew that had to be 100% pure hogwash, but we drove NW 20 miles out past Helotes on Hwy 16 until we lost all 4G signal and then some.  We were now in an area that we had previously used our Sprint 3G card with 1.3mbps download speed!    Same error message received.

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