You know TwoGroove is not a tech blog, but you may also know that I like to bitch and moan from time to time. This is one of those times. While uploading a DJ mix, I was looking around for better upload speeds. This got me thinking about the latest wireless internet contender in town, CLEAR, and their recent invasion of Austin. Yep, “invasion”. You know it’s going to be one of those kind of posts.

Disclaimer: I’m a relatively average Austin tech consumer. I work from a laptop most of the time, I have an iPhone, I think the iPad is interesting but not ultimately something I want, I use local wireless hotspots, I upload pictures and music. I require internet access and am willing to pay for it. I do not currently use CLEAR wireless and will not switch any time soon. I have used the service on a couple computers in a few locations in Austin but don’t have enough firsthand info to make this a proper review. My opinion comes from a conglomeration of first-hand experience, comments from friends, online reviews, and hearsay. Just gotta get that out of the way.

Background: If you’re in Austin, you have seen or heard CLEAR’s’ advertising. Since SXSW, they have been advertising like mad trying to make sure you know they are hip and cool and you can be too. From taking over Do512.com to driving their branded cars around during SXSW, CLEAR wants to make sure that you know about their “4G” wireless network in Austin.

For those that don’t know, they advertise “next-generation WiMAX technology to turn your entire city into a wireless hotspot. With CLEAR, you can stream videos, play online games and video chat at home or on the go. CLEAR gives you the wireless freedom to stay connected and get more done.” It’s home and mobile wireless so you can effectively get online from anywhere. Speeds are supposed to be the same as standard broadband (6mbps down and 1mbps up). Prices are 40 to 75 bucks a month, depending if you just get home internet or if you pick up their mobile internet service as well. If you need more info go to their website, where you can see a bunch of happy white people use their products.

To me, this sounds pretty good. I find myself out and about with my laptop and would love to be able to stop relying on local wireless hotspots. I’m not going to touch on the home internet much. Word is that is isn’t a good replacement for your current internet; read online reviews from reputable sources (read: not TwoGroove) before taking the plunge.

The Good: I’ll be honest; it’s pretty great to be able to browse the web and be online regardless of location. The speeds while out and about aren’t too bad; faster than the AT&T 3G network for sure. The price for mobile internet only is $40 a month, or about the price of your iPhone’s data plan. Competitive, but nothing special. Personally, I’m holding out for Google to come to Austin.

The Bad: Reliability. Austin is a tech-crazy city;  we consume tons of online content but we also share and upload. It’s damn important that our internet access is reliable, even if it isn’t super-fast (although fast is good). Reports from around town are that the service provides speeds well under what’s advertised and that service can be spotty, especially in central Austin. This makes sense, as you’re sharing a wireless tower with everyone else in range, but it’s not acceptable. Plus, you can pay an extra $15 a month to have the service auto-switches to 3G mode when outside the 4G range complete with lower speeds and a per-MB charge if you go over the cap. That’s right, you can pay more to have a roaming feature and a per-MB fee.

The rant: I’ve done my best to ignore the blatant advertising blanket CLEAR has thrown over Austin since SXSW but I’m tired of seeing, hearing, and “experiencing” their ads. Seriously, stop it already. As a friend of mine said, “our generation hates being advertised to”. Ain’t that the truth. CLEAR’s solution seems to be to just advertise more.

What really pisses me off is when companies come in claiming to be hot shit and they deliver an inferior product (i.e. hype). It’s the same with music: hype can cause disappointment. Self-hype just makes you look like a fool. Having Austin be one big wireless hotspot it a fantastic idea and I’m all for it. Too bad CLEAR doesn’t deliver on it.

CLEAR rolls out a saturation campaign that feels like it was designed by old white guys and declares that we, the consumers, are to be condescended to because we get “internet from a cell phone company”. Ok, fine, its a call to action. Then, once you try it, you find out that WiMAX signals are subject to interference from other networks, that walls and cloud cover are the bane of its existence, and that the speeds you thought you were paying for are only available at 3am…maybe. If speeds vary, then I care less about the upper speed limit and care more about the average speed. What’s the average speed at peak usage in the greater Austin area?

So, for about $40 bucks a month I get spotty wireless coverage and unreliable speeds? I already get that from my iPhone. For even more money, I can have home internet where I get to watch the number of bars on the modem to see how good my internet connection is going to be? No thanks. I will stick to my current home internet where I get reliable, fast access. Maybe in a few generations, the technology will progress and we can have it all. But for now, CLEAR is fast or reliable. Choose one.

Why get internet from a cell phone company? Because it fucking works.

Edit: Ouch. A dedicated Clearwire sucks site. Apparently they sue people that talk bad about them. Uh-oh.

Also just heard about the class-action lawsuit against Clearwire (which markets CLEAR) from Wikipedia.  “In April, 2009, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Clearwire. The complaint alleges that the company’s advertisements are deceptive in their promises of fast, reliable internet access, and of internet-based telephone service that’s superior to conventional land-line service. More specifically, it alleges that consumers of the firm’s internet access service frequently experience speeds that are as slow as those available with a dial-up modem, and that both internet access and internet telephone service are often entirely unavailable. The lawsuit also claims that when consumers try to cancel their contracts for these or any other reasons, the company charges a pro-rata early termination fee of up to $220, and that this fee cannot be lawfully imposed or collected. Clearwire has declined to comment on these allegations, citing corporate policy.”