Metricom Ricochet

Pros: Wireless, simple. No ISP or phone line needed.
Cons: Somewhat expensive

If you want to surf the Net without any wires, at ISDN speed, this service is for you. The Ricochet is a modem with an antenna that you attach to your laptop (with velcro). Unlike the Apple wireless product, the Ricochet requires no telephone line at...

Pros: Seamless switching between wired and wireless
Cons: Still in limited area

I am using the wireless Ricochet service on my notebook computer running a Sierra Wireless Aircard 400 PC Card. I am not highly technical, having got the thing to demonstrate our Web development services in sales situations. I have found it to be very...

Pros: Easy, reliable operation; flat fee structure; never breaks down
Cons: Works only in three cities of the U.S.

Deciding whether to sign up with Ricochet is simpler than many other decisions. You mainly have one question to answer: WHERE DO YOU LIVE? If you live in Chicago, New York, Boston, Miami, Dallas, most other big cities, and all rural areas, the answer is:...

Pros: fast, convenient, really works
Cons: a bit expensive

After Time Warner kept promising to connect us to Road Runner (which I had used in the past and was quite happy with) but refused to give a definite time frame and after Qwest told me the same about DSL, I was ready to give up on high speed internet...

Pros: unlimited use for $30/month...mobile...wireless..rock solid connection, NO BUMP OFFS LIKE AOL!!!
Cons: wife can now call me at home since the phone line is free!

Ok...I never thought I'd be writing this, but the concept, the product and the network are so good that I just had to write about it.

First---the modem. It is completely WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS! It's not clipped web sites that cater to cell...

Pros: Keeps Phone Free
Cons: Slow and not trustable company

I chose Ricochet by Metricom because the idea of a wireless modem was great in comparison to using a ISP that tied up my phone.
The service although at times very slow , was not that bad. I had a lot of interrupts which was aggravating and there...

Pros: Compact
Cons: Slow, limited geographical coverage

Fast? I think not! Supposedly 28.8K max speed, the Ricochet SX almost always was real slow when I used it. The connection is also easy enough to lose if you are so unwise as to wander into a basement or other area with bad reception.

I won...

Pros: Save on additional phone line, always available
Cons: Slower service than a fast analog modem

Note: Metricom went bankrupt so service was discontinued. As such, I can no longer recommend the Ricochet service. But I would be tempted to resubscribe if someone buys the network and offers the service again

Many people think Ricochet and...

Pros: High speed data transfer
Cons: Not available everywhere - YET!

Here is a sloppy reporting job by Forbes and a rebuttal:

Metricom's Hot Air
By Kathleen Cholewka, Forbes Online

It's like watching an old dog do new tricks. Metricom (nasdaq: MCOM), founded in 1985, has recently rolled out its...

Pros: Fast, reliable, accessable anywhere
Cons: none

A wireless internet service has to be one of the best technologies developed for a long time. I have tried a variety of services but this has to be one of the best. Many people are on the go and don't always have time to do things while they are at...

Pros: Unbeatable pricing, good service quality.
Cons: Slow transfer rates.

Let's get this out of the way right up front: Ricochet is not in the same league as any wire-based Internet access. Even a 56Kbps modem has a lot more zip than Ricochet, and when you start looking at DSL and cable modems Ricochet gets blown right off the...

Pros: very fast wireless
Cons: variable speeds depending on location

11/21/00--make sure to read 12/1/00 update further below

Got my Ricochet 128K yesterday (11/21/00), and it worked on the first try. In Houston, it's speed is faster than ISDN, and slower than Roadrunner cable. Though slower than cable, the...

Pros: speed, ease of setup and use, stability of connection
Cons: coverage area of service

I've been a Ricochet user in the Washington DC area for about 3 years now. For the most part my experience has been excellent, not that I haven't experienced the "server down" or "pop-server can't be found" on occasion, but they have...

Pros: Surf ANYWHERE (in their area) at HIGH speed
Cons: Service a bit pricey, service area limited to big cities

Literally faster than a speeding bullet! This system took less than 5 seconds to hook up (as far as the hardware is concerned). The actual Internet connection took a bit longer, but once it happened, I now have the wireless equivalent of DSL.
...

Pros: Unlimted use for 1 flat rate, take the internet everywhere.
Cons: Coverage may be spotty the first month they come to your town, they are quickly installing more antennas though so don't be discouraged. This thing is marvelous.

I've been using the Ricochet 1 service in the DC area for quite sometime now. I can tell you that I am completely enamored by it and absolutely cannot wait until they arrive with 128kbps service in my area. This thing lets me do anything I would do on...