O2 3g Datamodem HSDPA
by Loskene on Feb.01, 2009, under Communications
Living in an apartment without a phone line can be annoying to those of us who enjoy our internet usage. Fear not, however, for to the rescue comes the mobile phone companies. Produced by Chinese company Huawei and marketed by various mobile providers throughout Europe, the HSDPA data modem provides steady broadband in any location where a phone signal can be established. As dreamy as that option may sound it does have its few drawbacks. First of all is the price in relation to what you’re getting. Depending on which service provider you choose the price can range from €20-30 per month, which is under a contract of between 6 months and a year. Not only this, but the modem itself must be paid for separately, and can cost as much as €120, although it has decreased in recent times.
What exactly are you getting for your money? The HSDPA data modem is advertised as having speeds of “up to” 3.6 megabits per second, which varies depending on your service provider. 3 Mobile, for example, have practically never reached this kind of download speed, whereas O2 and Vodafone are roughly equal averaging anything from 1mb to 3.4mb on a good day. One thing which is not advertised is the upload speed, which is essentially nothing. The “D” in HSDPA stands for download, indicating what that particular modem is for. There is also a HSUPA model with superior upload speeds that must be purchased separately from Huawei itself. 3 mobile managed an average 60kbps upload, with O2 and Vodafone managing a more reasonable 3-400kbps.
As for the inner workings of the system, the modem is controlled by a SIM card, the likes of which you’d find in any mobile phone. It also works like any other SIM and can be used in phones with its own phone number and PIN code. With the software included you can send text messages from it like a normal phone, seemingly for free. (I have yet to receive a bill for my new O2 modem but I never had any extra charge on the 3 contract)
The Modem is packaged with 2 USB2.0 cables, a short, standard one and a longer cable with 2 connections to provide extra power (I find this to be the only way of getting a strong signal sometimes), a small Velcro patch for sticking it to your laptop on the move, and the obligatory informational booklets.
Installation of the device is very simple and requires no installation CD. All files are stored on the modem and are run when first connected.
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Overall, it’s not the best broadband option around, but if you need it on the go for business on the bus or (like me) you don’t have a phoneline and can’t get the “antenna broadband” it is definitely a suitable alternative. Although pricey it’s far from ridiculously expensive and if you’re any good at e-commerce it will pay for itself 
41 comments for this entry:
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I love my VoIP service company. But now that I have very cheap rates I find that I’m making less international calls… go figure!
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