I subscribe to data only, "unlimited" GPRS plan from Fido @ $60/month.
I just got a mail from Fido that the unlimited plan has a limit of 1 gigabyte per month. Their lettre allowed me up to the end of the month to "correct" my usage or "you will be contacted to help you limit your usage".
Now, $60 a month for 1 Gig total may sound like an overkill, and it is considering that in Canada you pay only CDN$ 44/month for unlimited high speed cable connection downloading ISO's in less than an hour, but other wireless providers, like Bell, Tellus and AT&T Rogers, charge $10 per megabyte. Most don't offer a limited "unlimited" plans, and some offer an unlimited period for the first couple of months as a promotion.
If you monitor a remote server, and leave "top" running 24 hrs a day, you'll break the one gig limit within a couple of days.
Now I started to switch cards on my Zaurus, GPRS card when no Wifi siganl is available, and switch to Wifi when I find it. It's a PITA to try to stay within the unlimited limit. It's a hassle, since it will break your SSH connection, and need to reconnect.
As for hardware, the few wireless providers here in Canada who know what a CF card format is, charge $400-$500 dollars for them, and they all have firmware to not be compatible with any other provider. The only exception I found is Fido, where I was able to purchase a card from the US on eBay, and plug into the Fido GPRS network. It only took me 3 phone calls to convince the tech support I don't need to purchase any phones from them, and that my CF card works just like their own PCMCIA cards.
Of course, you can subscribe to US providers from Canada, however you'll be paying roaming fees, so it's not that practical.
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I subscribe to data only, "unlimited" GPRS plan from Fido @ $60 /month.
I just got a mail from Fido that the unlimited plan has a limit of 1 gigabyte per month. Their lettre allowed me up to the end of the month to "correct" my usage or "you will be contacted to help you limit your usage".
Now, $60 a month for 1 Gig total may sound like an overkill, and it is considering that in Canada you pay only CDN$ 44/month for unlimited high speed cable connection downloading ISO's in less than an hour, but other wireless providers, like Bell, Tellus and AT&T Rogers, charge $10 per megabyte. Most don't offer a limited "unlimited" plans, and some offer an unlimited period for the first couple of months as a promotion.
If you monitor a remote server, and leave "top" running 24 hrs a day, you'll break the one gig limit within a couple of days.
Now I started to switch cards on my Zaurus, GPRS card when no Wifi siganl is available, and switch to Wifi when I find it. It's a PITA to try to stay within the unlimited limit. It's a hassle, since it will break your SSH connection, and need to reconnect.
As for hardware, the few wireless providers here in Canada who know what a CF card format is, charge $400-$500 dollars for them, and they all have firmware to not be compatible with any other provider. The only exception I found is Fido, where I was able to purchase a card from the US on eBay, and plug into the Fido GPRS network. It only took me 3 phone calls to convince the tech support I don't need to purchase any phones from them, and that my CF card works just like their own PCMCIA cards.
Of course, you can subscribe to US providers from Canada, however you'll be paying roaming fees, so it's not that practical.