Ricochet Services....Any advice?

[itsaly]

Has anyone here tried the ricochet service? Do you think it's worth the money? Is it a risk considering the news about Ricochets financial problems?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks!!

Itsaly

[jonlien]

I been using it for over 6 months. It is just fantastic.

I think it is worth the money because I don't need to get a second phone line ($50/month) nor an ISP ($20/month). So, you see, paying $75 a month for Ricochet is the same as getting hook up with regular dial-up modem.

Naturally, buying Ricochet at this point poses a risk since they can go out of business soon.

I am crossing my fingers hoping they will survive, but you never know...

Good luck!

[itsaly]

Hi John and everyone else,

I just wanted to ask you for your opinion re: ricochet service and the chance of this company going bankrupt!

What do you think? I would probably pay 1 year upfront and need to buy a modem as well. Can the service be used in all of the major cities that it is offered in or do we have to pay extra to use it in an area that we didnt register from?

Does it work well in buildings?

Bankrupt thoughts?

By the way, I'm based in Philly.

Thanks!!

[Unregistered]

itsaly,

I've had Ricochet using the Sierra Wireless AirCard 400 for a couple of months on my notebook computer and it is great. It's fast (181k to 220k) and reliable. I can't wait to try it on my new iPAQ when it arrives this week.

I chose the monthly option. Yes, it does work in buildings (YMMV) and there is no extra charge for service in other coverage areas. Here is a link to the coverage areas.

http://www.wwc.com/coverage/CoveredCities.htm

My fingers are also crossed that they survive.


Ian

[Mobility!]

I also use the Ricochet service primarily in the Los Angeles, and Bay areas and it's been both reliable and adequate for my needs (Network Consulting). I cannot see them going under in anytime soon as they have gotten a few strong wireless resellers to back them (OmniSky, Go America, Juno, and MCI). With new mobile wireless technologies around the corner, I cannot see an unlicensed wireless carrier stay in business too long.

But, I still feel confident that our multiplie annual subscriptions will last without incident. I augment our wireless needs with CDPD in areas outside of the Ricochet coverage area. I really do miss Ricochet 128Kbps service when I have to use 19.2k CDPD (actually 9.6-14.4k throughput).

G2/G3 Wireless offerings will hopefully become prevalent in the next few years. I don't expect to see it in large numbers this year. G2/G3 will also be much more expensive from what I hear.

Go month-to-month if the risk of Ricochet going under worries you too much. But, the service is fantastic and is the best mobile wireless solution that I know of at this time. Also, the Ricochet GS/GT modems are very nice because there is no additional battery drain on your laptop. If you need to use your laptop and iPAQ, the Sierra Wireless AirCard 400 seems to be the best right now for PC users. Mac users should then opt for the Novatel Merlin.


Mobility!
http://mobility.wox.org

** I use WWC as our Ricochet provider. Everything is going very smoothly, but both their Customer and Technical support is lacking... very lacking. **

[jonlien]

Itsaly,

There are 3 modems that will work with Ricochet. One is the standard USB/serial modem. It's a bit big and clunky for my taste, but it is cheap ($99). If you are going to use Ricochet at home exclusively and have a desktop computer, this is probably your best bet.

The next one is the Novatel Ricochet PC Card. The nice thing about this card is that you can stick it in your laptop and/or Ipaq. But you can't use it on your desktop computer. This card sucks big time because it has too many disconnects and the antenna positions are limited.

The third one and the one I have is the Aircard 400. This is also a PC Card. The antenna is more flexible. The best part about it is that this card acts like a LAN card instead of a modem card. That means you are automatically connected to the Net when you turn on your laptop. When you use it with your Ipaq, it takes about 1 minute to get connected.

Ricochet works really well in my apartment. I get speeds in excess of 128K. I think it averages about 200K. At the office, it is just horrible. The main reason is that I am not close to a window at work. Being close to a window is very important. Living in NYC can also be a factor because there are so many tall buildings that can intefere with the reception.

Don't sign up for a one year contract because you don't want to commit to one provider for that long. I do it month to month.

I use WWC as my provider. They are good most of the time.

Lastly, I just want to say that Ricochet is the best wireless service I have ever used. It is fast and reliable. It works in the major cities and airports. I travel frequently to LA. It works very well there too.

[itsaly]

Thanks to everyone for their advice!!

Do you know if they offer a money back guarantee? Lets say I wanted to try it in my area for a few days but the reception wasnt that good, could I cancel the service and get my money back for that month?

Itsaly

[jonlien]

30-day money back guarantee from WWC. You can return your the modem and they will pay you back.

You don't get back the activation fee.

[Ordin]

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...60.html?tag=lh


they need 500 BIG ones.

[JJJWicks]

Newpapers also predicted that Merticom would be closed by June, and that did not come to pass. Metricom is the only wireless company with wireless speeds close to what is considered bearable for doing wireless internet work, so even if they closed their doors tomorrow, some other communication company would reopen them the next day under a new name. There too many companies rely on high speed wireless to keep those towers quiet for long.

I'm just glad that I live in NY and can benefit from Ricochet service. I also have CDMA service from AT&T, but have not used it since getting Ricochet. Why? Besides the obvious speed advantage, you get to connect to the coolest sites out there. The subway broke down on the Brooklyn Bridge last week, so I (and some of my fellow passengers) watched The Chinese Connection at http://www.cinemapop.com/wireless/ for 40 minutes until the train started moving. Who says that Ricochet is for business only?!