Technology For Agents

I’ve just heard word that Verizon Wireless is releasing a replacement for their V640, the V740. These are the wireless PC Cards that go into your laptop to allow you to have wireless service all over town.

Set to hit the shelves on March 30, 2007, this model will feature 25% faster downloading and uploading at 500-800% faster according to EVDOinfo.com:

• EVDO Rev A ExpressCard/34
• VZAccess Manager Support (and also V740 support via Apple WWAN update)
• Built-in Antenna
• Antenna Port for antennas and amplifiers
• MacBook Pro Support
• Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista Support
• ExpressCard/34 (compatible with ExpressCard/54 too)
• ExpressCard Adapter Option (converts ExpressCard to PCMCIA to be used in older laptops or EVDO Routers).

EVDOinfo.com also reports that you can purchase this unit direct from Verizon Direct for $179.99 with a 2 year service agreement. You could also head over to 3GStore.com and get a price of $109.99 with a 2 year service contract.

Thanks to Engadget for giving the heads up on this!

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I was excited the other day, because a well known blog over at jkontherun.com noticed me over here at TechForAgents.com and decided to write about me using the V5740 wireless card from Verizon Wireless.

They gave me some great insight about my experiences using the V5740. The informed me that they have had better experiences using the V620, which is another card (albiet more expensive) available to purchase from Verizon. Yesterday, I took a drop be the same brick and mortar store and spoke to my sales rep, Carolina, about the cards. I actually went in to replace the card with the newer version but she actually corrected me.

She informed me that the V5740 was actually the newer card, and that the V620 is the card that they started using when they first started advertising the wireless internet service. They disagreed that I would get better reception with the V620, but I thought I’d give it a shot anyway. Unfortunately, she informed me that she would have to order the card and that it would take about 2 business days to get it in. I had an important meeting to go to that afternoon, so I couldn’t trade in my card just yet. Caroline told me that I had to trade my card in right then in order to order the new one, which I was suprised they couldn’t bend the rules just a bit. None the less, I will try to revisit the store soon before my trial is up and see how things work out with the V620.

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I had a chance to get setup yesterday with Verizon Wireless Wireless Broadband access. It’s quite a neat feature to have a Tablet PC and be able to access the internet from each of my client’s homes. At the brick and mortar store, I met with a sales representative and we quickly identified the PC card for my Toshiba Portege M400 Tablet PC, the PC 5740, and was able to get a $50 discount with free activation. One major issue that concerned me was, “What if I don’t like the network, it’s speeds, or the accessibility?”. Verizon had an answer for me.

Verizon wireless offered me a 15 day trial (which I am still in) to try out their wireless network with no obligations. I did have to pay for the hardware up front, but this will be reimbursed should I return all purchased products due to dissatisfaction. So far, I’ve experienced some frustrations with the Verizon Wireless network which I will go into detail below.

Pros

I am able to pull up contracts from the internet at any location. I am also able to quickly investigate properties that are seen during a tour that my clients find an interest in. Overall, having the accessibility to the internet provides that I can be efficient with both my client’s and my time. Why make a trip back to the office to look up that house around the corner? I simply just need to open up the laptop, and it’s specific details are a click away. I am able to be truly mobile, which I feel will be the way technology will eventually leave it’s mark on the real estate business.

Cons

Connectivity. Speeds. I find that when entering buildings or attempting to access the internet while riding passenger in a vehicle beings a seemingly difficult task. Please bare in mind that all my conclusions are based on the Houston coverage area. Your speeds and connectivity may be better, or worse, than mine. When entering homes I notice that my reception go down to one or no bars, which results in a very sluggish internet speed. I also find that some email sites, such as Gmail, are very hard to get working without any hitches. I must constantly reload the site to maintain a connection; the moment I leave it alone for more than 10 minutes the site will lock up. I have no connectivity issues with a land based internet access such as my office T1, so I must diagnose this to be due to Verizon Wireless’s network.

I find that the issues are causing unwanted frustration, and I may look to see if I get better connectivity issues with a different PC card. There are other types of cards that I could of chose from (also more expensive), but I will follow up on my endeavors to find a truly wireless, reliable internet broadband network.

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