Clearification: Why I Hate XOHM
On December 1st, I wrote an article titled, “Let’s Be Clear: I Love XOHM” discussing my troubles with Comcast Internet service and how Sprint’s XOHM – soon to be Clearwire’s Clear – saved the day. I’m sad to say that I have to amend that article after having an equally agitating experience (compared to Comcast). If you have no clue what we’re talking about, check our early XOHM Review.
My girlfriend had an ALL day event at the Baltimore Convention Center and to show my support I decided I would tag along for the entire day. Basically 8am to 8pm. I didn’t think I would last the ENTIRE day so I brought my laptop and my XOHM USB card, figuring I would pop upstairs for an hour or two during the event and get some work done.
A few hours went by and my butt was sore from the hard metal folding chairs, “Time for some XOHM,” I thought to myself. I popped open my laptop, slid in the USB card… no service.
I took a look around me and DUH – I was in the basement. Unless XOHM was able to penetrate the Bat Cave, it was pretty obvious why I didn’t get a signal. So I happily marched to the nearest exit and escalated up the escalators. I found a nice comfy chair next to power outlet and plugged myself in, ready to roll!
Connection problems. WHAT THE WHAT? Just to be sure I restarted my computer and AT FIRST it seemed to do the trick – although painfully slow, I was able to pay for my $5/day XOHM connection and begin surfing the web. Except for the surfing the web part.
Despite the fact that I was in the MIDDLE OF BALTIMORE within a couple blocks of THE INNER HARBOR:
Not only that, I was in a building whose walls were almost exclusively made of GLASS:
I paid my $5 but couldn’t get a signal capable of loading anything more than Google in under 60-seconds. It was pretty infuriating. Imagine if you signed up for a month figuring, “I’m smack dab in the middle of the coverage area?” – don’t be too sure of yourself, test it first.
I WILL say that this is XOHM/Clear’s first city and they chose Baltimore because of the difficulties (Proximity to water, brick buildings) but not being able to get reception smack dab in the middle of Baltimore city, sitting not only in a building with walls of glass but also in a building that generates more business-person traffic than any other location in the city is just unacceptable.
The new Clearwire needs to address this signal strength/coverage issue immediately. A problem like this is a PR and Marketing disaster waiting to happen. Its ONE thing to expect people to get this in their homes but marketing it as a hotspot as big as a city when you are standing on the cities freaking DOT and can’t do anything but pay them is pretty pitiful.
Furthermore, we’ve speculated that Mobile Phones will be built with XOHM/Clear capabilities to essentially be used like WiFi – only you never have to worry about being connected. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as if it’ll be that easy. WiFi has its limits, but at least you know what they are. Running around town with a XOHM connection when you never know where it will/won’t work is just begging for disaster.
And for me, disaster struck. That was a long 12 hours and I blame it all on XOHM. But, it DID force me to watch my girlfriend’s event in its entirety and looking back, I’m grateful for that. But XOHM was supposed to be my wingman and he bailed on me… and that’s something I won’t soon forget.