I recently bought (and blogged about) an O2 mobile broadband USB stick.
As I was on a camping holiday in a remote part of Pembrokeshire last week, I decided to take my Eee and the USB modem, just to see how it would work. I was aware that there would be no HSDPA coverage, since I had checked the coverage map before I left.
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2G |
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3G |
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HSDPA |
Three give the following summary of the different connection types:
- 2G network: gives you voice, text and picture messaging services
- 3G network: gives you all of the above, plus video calling and the internet on your mobile
- HSDPA network (Mobile Broadband): gives you all 2G and 3G services, plus high-speed internet access on your mobile and with your dongle (USB modem)
When I connected to the network in rural Pembrokeshire, I was not surprised to find that I only got a 2G connection. The dongle’s LED was green, and according to Huawei:
- Green – a GPRS data service is established
- Dark Blue – a UMTS data service is established
- Light Blue – a HSDPA data service is established
But what surprised me most was the latency in the connection. Pinging www.google.com gave responses between 4 seconds and 35 seconds! This of course makes web browsing totally unusable.
So my advice to anyone who is thinking of getting a USB 3G modem is to make sure your target areas are covered, and don’t expect it to work outside cities.
Jonathan Gazeley 