PLDT WeRoam
In as much as I love Wi-Fi, there are occasions where visiting a hotspot is either too inconvenient or the service is just nonexistent.
Enter Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.’s (PLDT) WeRoam wireless data service.
Briefly, PLDT WeRoam allows mobile computers to connect to the Internet or to a private data network using a Sierra Wireless AirCard 775 wireless data card that runs off on the GPRS/EDGE network operated by sister company Smart Communications. In order to use it, all a user has to do is install the driver software and what Sierra Wireless calls a watcher program into his computing device, insert the PCMCIA wireless data card in the right slot, and wait for the device to detect a signal from the nearest cellsite. Click on connect, and the card selects the fastest available data transmission method.
The technical literature says that GPRS can acheive speeds of up to 160 kbit/s, while EDGE [For Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution - Ed.] can reach 236 kbit/s. Reality is another matter though. Indoors, throughput was rather slow ranging from 40 kbps to 77 kbps – just a tad above dialup – with occasional bursts of 115 kbps. I was able to access both GPRS and EDGE modes in Davao City [This entry is being posted in Cagayan de Oro City via WeRoam - Ed.], where I first extensively used my wireless data card but saw no noticeable difference in speed between the two modes.
So WeRoam isn’t as fast as Wi-Fi or DSL, but it’s something I can live with when I am away from home and office.
The great thing about PLDT WeRoam is that connectivity is available any place where a Smart Communications mobile phone signal can reach. The same ubiquity, however, is unavailable to Philippine Wi-Fi because of a National Telecommunications Commission regulation that prohibits the installation of Wi-Fi transceivers out of doors in areas where the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum it uses is likewise used by the utility firm Meralco for its command and control infrastructure.
Some more negative points about using a wireless data card: it uses a lot of power and can quickly discharge a laptop’s battery. Keep your AC adapter handy.
Last but not least is its cost: the PHP 1,700 monthly price tag may be too much for some, not to mention the cost of the wireless data card itself. PLDT, however, is conducting a promotion where the WeRoam card can be purchased on the 12-month 0% interest installment plan for as little as PHP 1,050 a month, with three months’ free WeRoam service and free Wi-Fi access at Airborne Access W-Fi hotspots thrown in. What’s more, this is a prepaid service and can be reloaded (or topped up) like a pay-as-you-go cellphone subscription.
[...] While scouting first-hand user feedback for PLDT’s WeRoam service to “convince” myself to subscribe, I found Paul’s story about his experience in Davao. [...]
[...] As ubiquitous as PLDT WeRoam may be, Net warriors spoiled rotten by high speed Internet access may find it to be very slow; as I discovered myself, as slow as a dialup connection. Fortunately, a faster alternative is available now – and, so far, free of charge – in the guise of Smart Communication’s 3G service. [...]
I would like to know why there is no WeRoam service in the town of Dumangas, Iloilo while the neighboring towns have. There’s a smart cell site in Dumangas. Thanks
Let me ask why.
Doesn’t work on a desktop PC?
It should if your desktop PC is equipped with a PCMCIA slot.
why wont my weroam transfer data????
How much would it cost if I would sell it to my friend.. I dont need this stuff coz’ I already have PLDT MyDSL.. And follow up question, Where we can reLoad accounts if it is prepaid?..