RTN66U and 4G USB card in the US? And pay-as-you-go?

[canuck in the wilderness]

I am planning to be travelling to the US for a few weeks from Canada and need to ensure decent connectivity, when Wifi may not be available. I have an RTN66U running Merlin right now that I can easily take from home with me. I'll be in various locations and wish to always be behind a router.

I see that the N66U has both AT&T and Verizon compatible USB modems - and I know that it's a bit of a tossup as to which has the best coverage.

My query is twofold:
Does anyone have experience using the N66U with any of the supported cards, and does it work decently as a primary connection source (assumes, of course, no Wifi is available)?

Does anyone have suggestions as to a p-a-y-g plan? Both companies seem to have them at varying prices and data loads - and I use loads of data! I really don't want to purchase "a device", but it seems that the Netgear 1516 I have won't take a compatible SIM from anyone.

Of primary interest to me is decent speeds, lotsa data, and high coverage particularly in rural areas. It's pretty tough for a non-American to make sense of the offerings. (Might be tough for an American, too!)

 

[azazel1024]

It is tough for an American too.

As for suggestions, I'd look at Verizon. They still seem to have the best network and speeds, so if rural coverage is of importance to you...

I've been places where there was good AT&T coverage and poor verizon coverage, but that is NOT the rule at all, just a rare exception (generally they are close to on par, or Verizon is better).

For Pay as you go plans/pre-paid, honestly TMobile is probably the best, but they have poor rural coverage.

For a lot of reasons, I think you'd be better off buying an inexpensive travel router that'll take a USB modem and probably looking at Verizon...depending on what kind of pre-paid plans they have. At least if you require yourself to be behind a router. If all you are connecting is a laptop or something with a USB port...I'd honestly suggest just getting the USB modem and leaving the router at home (especially if your visiting isn't static, but moving around a lot).

 

[canuck in the wilderness]

Thanks @azazel1024, I can do the USB modem-on-laptop for sure, but then I would have "wife issues".

It's WAAAY easier to have her connect to one network, and for me to manage that, particularly as she randomly uses various devices, none of which she actually quite understands.

Rural coverage is mostly what I'm interested in for sure, so perhaps the thing is to get one of Verizon's USB modems and a payg plan that works with it and put up with the cost of doing so. Dunno why they'd say that the Netgear 1516 won't work, but I guess they want to sell devices, too. Blech.

Thanks for the advice on the coverage!

 

[azazel1024]

Actually, all things considered, you might just want to look at one of their 4G Mifi's. It likely isn't going to be much more than what the USB modem would be. You can always look at selling it on eBay or else where once you are done with your visit (might be able to get a used one right now too, and then get the SIM card later).