Which Air Card

Selecting the Air Card or Modem best suited to you. 

Carrier 

First consideration is which carrier has the best signal in your intended usage area.   Determine which carriers provide service where you need it, pretty much all carriers have some sort of trial, most 30 days.   As a general rule we find that Sprint provides the best overall product, if you are in a area well covered by them.   Verizon covers more area, especially off the beaten path, and AT&T has exceptional service in some cities.  Do a little research before you buy and you will be able to make a much better informed decision.

Form Factor

Next question is whether a USB, Express, or PCMCIA modem is best for you.   For the most part we recommend the USB fomat, they are by far the most versatile.  Both the other formats are near obsolete, it is near impossible to even buy a laptop with the appropriate slots.  

The exceptions would be if you are using a computer with the aircard connected constantly, moving around with the USB modems sticking can be difficult and hazardous to the aircard and computer.  

Another exception to the USB rule would be in a situation where one of the small routers is being utilized, and a compact combination is desired.  A classic example of this would be a PHS300 with an Express card, the combination fits nicely on a sun vison in a car, the USB format cards tend to stick out like a sore thumb.

Antenna Port

Most Aircard/Modems have a provision for an external antenna, but a few of the newer ones do not, most notably AT&T's Quicksilver.   If the ability to add an externa antenna may be important to you, be certain that the one you get has the capability. 

Be aware that the tiny coax connectors on the aircards themselves are very fragile, and need to be handled with care.  The are most useful in a location where a router is used, to minimize the movement of the antenna.