UK Mobile Broadband offers news reviews – compare deals from mobile broadband providers
If you have Huawei E220 modem then you can update the firmware to be 7.2Mbps capable instead of the standard 3.6Mbps you can read more about it and download the updated firmware for vodafone and t mobile below
http://www.mobileconnected.co.uk/huawei-e220-72mbps-firmware-update/
http://lastmile.t-mobile.co.uk/datacardhelp/user/page.phtml?page_id=98
With the advent of mobile broadband and recent price cuts , 3G broadband is becoming more and more attractive to the home user particularly customers without a phone line or who are experience speed / connection issues with their adsl broadband.
Many home users now use mobile broadband to access the internet but one problem seems to be that allot of these users have more than one PC laptop xbox etc that all require internet access. At the moment the networks USB Dongle modem is aimed squarely at single laptop users and haven’t catered from these pc network users.
There are a couple of solutions however to share you 3G mobile broadband connection over your network
You can set up a traditional Internet Sharing setup http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306126 the main disadvantage of this is that one pc needs to remain powered on to act as a host
The second solution is to get a router from Dreytek that you can plug the USB dongle and even some mobile phones into, this with then act as a normal wireless router to allow you to share the internet with the rest of your network the devices supported by the routers are
for more information visit http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/vigor2800.html
A lot of people have contacted me who are having trouble installing and getting the 3 USB dongle installed on Intel based Mac’s it turns out that some additonal software needs to be installed for the bundled data card applications to work correctly. I have included links below to the files needed (the first is the USB dongle driver) – just remember they are only for Intel based Mac’s and Macbooks
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/10/10/276991/HuaweiDataCardDriver.zip
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/10/10/276991/HuaweiDataCardApp.zip
When it comes to the best looking usb dongle modems i think you have to hand it to 3 aswell as being able to choose between their standard black or shiny white modem for free you can also buy custom skins for the gadgets to transform them into something a bit more special
loads of designs are available from flags to floral patterns! the skins cost around £4.95 each
for more information please visit 3 mobile broadband
If you hadn’t noticed Vodafone are pushing their mobile broadband offerings very heavily at the moment, I seem to see billboard adverts for it everywhere i go! . Well today i got a leaflet in the mail today promoting their latest offer which i was unaware of.
if you sign up to vodafone mobile broadband business price plan (£25 per month for a 5GB bandwidth limit and up to 7.2Mbps ) you get the USB modem clip included free as well as 6 months free line rental
this offer is only available until the 31st of March and for users signing up to a 24 month contract
for more information please visit vodafone website.
PC world is offering a £250 discount for customers who also sign up for an 18 month 3 Mobile broadband contract! stock is expected in the next few days for more information on 3 mobile broadband visit
From the 14th of February vodafone have slashed the price of its consumer mobile broadband products from £30 per month to just £15 for the life of the contract. This brings thier mobile broadband packages in line with the other major providers T Mobile and 3 mobile.
The new mobile broadband plans come with the option of buying the new vodafone super slim USB modem stick which should allow you to achieve maximum download speed of 7.2Mps which is currently the fastest speeds offered by any of the providers
the hardware is free on 18 and 24 moth contracts and £49 on the 12 month option
for more information visit vodafone for further information
Mobile broadband or broadband on the move is made possible by 3G (third generation) mobile phone services. 3G services have been around for a few years now and have allowed mobile phone users with 3G handsets to access internet pages and send emails etc. on the move.
Whats different about “Mobile broadband” is that although it uses the same 3G mobile phone technology it is especially designed for use in laptops / pc’s etc where a mobile internet connection is required. A data card or a USB dongle is used to allow the laptop / computer access to the mobile phones 3G network allowing full broadband access just like you would have at home on the move without the need for a fixed wired connection. At present mobile broadband which uses mobile phone networks HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) enables mobile users to download data at speeds of up to 3.4 Mbit/s.
At present the top download speeds for mobile broadband are from vodafone at 7.2Mbps and 3 Mobile with 2.8Mbps broadband services , in reality though the actual speeds achievable just like home broadband rarely reach such heights , you should check the coverage area for you chosen provider to ensure you can get a good signal.
With more and more mobile broadband services becoming available things can be a little confusing when you are trying to decide which package to go for, here is a few things to look out for when choosing you mobile broadband service
Set Up – Cost
the setup cost for a mobile broadband service is usually just the price of the USB dongle Modem or data card this varies from provider to provider and usually costs less the higher the monthly tariff you select and on some higher packages it can be free
Contract Length
Mobile Broadband is available as a Pay as You Go or minimum contract term options usually either fixed for 12 or 24 months. You will usually find that there is additional incentives for signing up to a contract such as cheaper / free modem or higher monthly download limits , but remember the mobile broadband market is rapidly evolving and it might not be wise to tie yourself in to a lengthly contract
Download Limits
Just like normal home adsl broadband , mobile broadband package have monthly download limits and there is normally an excess bandwidth charge for every MB or GB over your agreed bundle , The download limits on mobile broadband are considerably lower compared to top end home adsl packages so be careful when choosing. Also it is worth noting that some providers count both upload and download bandwidth in their monthly bandwidth cap – if you are looking for a rough guide of how much bandwidth you can try our bandwidth calculator
Speed
Mobile broadband speeds at the time of writing vary from 1.8Mbps to 7.2Mbps from provider to provider , it is worth noting however that similarly to “up to 8Mbps” home broadband these speed are very rarely reached and are an absolute maximum achievable in ideal conditions. 1.8Mbps should be adequate for most users and should be similar in performance to standard adsl connections
Coverage
As mobile broadband is powered by the 3G mobile phone networks it is important that you check each providers network coverage map to ensure that in main areas you are going to be using the mobile connection you will be able to get a good quality signal.
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