Wow, I’m sitting here in the room, with internet on my laptop!  Yeah, I know, that sounds so mundane and even expected, doesn’t it?  Well, it’s not after a month of only having access to the world wide web via my phone.  The open signal at my apartment went away and after a couple of weeks trying to get around it, spending time at Whole Foods, staying late at work, and even waiting in line at the business center for their computers, I’ve decided that this is a luxury that I can and should get.  After all, I’ve saved 8 months worth of internet service fees already!

Awhile back, some of my coworkers introduced me to Clear, so I began to research that in depth, since I really liked the idea of having portable internet (I thought about tethering my phone, but it cost too much for too little bandwidth).  After thinking about it and teetering between yes and no, I finally decided to see if I could get a modem for cheap on eBay.  Much to my surprise, as I was following a modem & router combo to see what kind of price I could get it at, I came across a banner ad for a FREE one!  This definitely peaked my interest, so I clicked on through and found an amazing deal: free modem-router ($120 value), free activation fee ($35 value), and free first month’s service ($45 value)!

Granted, I did have to sign a 2-year contract, but that’s pretty fair and I don’t mind it since I can bring the internet with me when I move.  The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was that I was not given an option for the $35 plan, which is slower, but cheaper.  However, I called up their sales guys and was told that I can downgrade from the $45/month to the $35/month plan without a fee.  I sure hope he didn’t give me misinformation, but if that’s the case I’ll just change my plan later on!  I really doubt I’d need the super fast internet speed, so why pay $10 more a month?  That adds up fast to $240 throughout the course of my contract!

Oh wait, but I’m getting ahead of myself… right now I’m enjoying some free internet at Panda’s hotel room and it feels so strange after so many nights of not being to get online with my laptop!  I did receive my Clear device today and I’m really excited, but since I have internet for now, I don’t want to turn it on and activate it until I need it this weekend.  I can’t wait to try it out though!  I’ve heard great things, especially from our IT guy at work and he should know, right?  I just hope I can get a decent signal at my place.