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Sure I have. It's still not meant to be used as a primary home internet connection. There's a reason wireless is also called "mobile". It's designed to be used while you're on the go.

You should tell that to all those manufacturers who have been putting radios in their routers for the last decade. Or the entire companies built around the idea of fixed point cellular service. Or the entire concept of fixed LTE that's been expanding everywhere.

Get a CradlePoint router. I manage 20+ of them remotely, and they'll load balance/failover to any number of connections based on how many ethernet ports the device has. We're using the MBR1400, which has 5 USB ports for multiple cellular/wimax adapters, but also has 5 ethernet ports, which can be configured in any number of lan/wan interfaces. It also does ping tests across the devices you're using so you really know when the connection is down (instead of relying on local link status). Failover, load balancing of WAN links, all for $320.

http://www.cradlepoint.com/products/mbr1400-mission-critical-broadband-router

Disclaimer: Just a very satisfied customer, no other relation.

As an avid iPod touch user (and iPhone if Apple ever gets one onto Verizon . . .)

PHS-300 + Verizon UM-175 + iPod touch does nearly what you want. If only Apple would release an iPod touch with a camera and GPS chip.

This is really cool and it's only $180.00, nice find PHS300

Someone forgot about the battery powered Cradelpoint systems. They're at http://www.cradlepoint.com/ and aren't tied to one system or another: You provide a USB dongle for it. It provides everything else. The PRS300 or the CTR350 has been around for years now.

I work for an agency under DoD and have teleworkers who are out in the boonies. The sticking point for me is it's agin' the law to allow privately-owned hardware to connect to a gummint PC so what we do is recommend a Cradlepoint MBR-1000 aircard router.

It's a great solution - and since we're inflicting bandwidth limits on our VPN solution an aircard talks as fast as a cable modem.

Check the router out - we really like them.

http://www.cradlepoint.com/products/mbr1000-failsafe-broadband-n-router

I did splurge and get they Lynksis router with the PCMCIA slot in it ($300 when I bought it).

i have used and recommend cradlepoint routers, which are in the $140-$150 range. they have 2 models, so choose accordingly for pcmcia or usb cards. before purchasing one, call them and verify their router will work with the brand/model of aircard you're purchasing, there are a few that don't work now (but i've been told they're working on drivers).

who is going to pay for those DSL upgrades?

from the FCC's website:

Because telephones provide a vital link to emergency services, to government services and to surrounding communities, it has been our nation's policy to promote telephone service to all households since this service began in the 1930s. The USF helps to make phone service affordable and available to all Americans, including consumers with low incomes, those living in areas where the costs of providing telephone service is high, schools and libraries and rural health care providers. Congress has mandated that all telephone companies providing interstate service must contribute to the USF. Although not required to do so by the government, many carriers choose to pass their contribution costs on to their customers in the form of a line item, often called the "Federal Universal Service Fee" or "Universal Connectivity Fee."

could high-speed internet access someday be interpreted to be a "vital link...to government services?" maybe.

there are options for us rural dwellers. there's satellite, which is somewhat expensive and not very fast. there's also the cellular network. an aircard in combination with a wireless router works well, if you can get a signal at your house. some companies offer wireless broadband over the 5.8 spectrum, but you more-or-less need line-of-site to the tower for that. another possibility is broadband-over-powerlines, but i think they suffer from the same fate as dsl, requiring the user be within a certain distance of their "box."

any way you slice it, rural customers will be out of luck for some time to come.

And it doesn't work with my pre-existing router, which is a big negative for me.

Wireless bridge to the rescue: http://www.cradlepoint.com/products/cba250-cellular-broadband-adapter

I recently moved into a rural area where I had no options for cable or DSL from my telco, ended up getting EVDO (mobile broadband) from Sprint. Not as fast as cable, but certainly fast enough to be usable. I got the service directly without tying it to a voice plan, so all I pay for is the EVDO service. I then got myself a Cradlepoint router that let me plug the EVDO modem right into it, becoming as easy to use as a cable modem.

Works really well, speeds similar to DSL. There is a 5GB "cap" but whenever I ask Sprint about it they don't give me the same answer—sometimes I'm told I'll be asked to pay more, other times they say it slides, and I've also been told they have higher-tiered plans but I can't get into one until I exceed the cap regularly. Not sure they know themselves what they're doing. But the service is excellent, and I haven't had any issues with my data usage.

I would suggest either the Kyocera KR2 or the Cradlepoint Cellular routers.