3 mobile broadband usb modem - vote

john_buoy

Hi,

Im thinking of purchasing a 3 mobile broadband usb modem as i need internet access where i live (which is a very rural area).

I want to do a vote:

Can only the people who HAVE USED a 3 mobile broadband usb modem please reply with one of the following:

YES - I would give it a try
NO - Stay miles away from it & if you could give a number from 1 to 10 (10 being best,1 being worst) for the Quality of Service.

Cheers

J

MCOS

1
I've had issues with
-Service provision - appalling, intermittent, often non existant. Never the correct speed, signal drop at the most inconvenient times
-Change of name on account - I wasn't allowed, even in writing?!
-Authorised Contacts - had to give them same number several times
-Change of Address - attempted 4 times
-Direct Debit - they lost my details
-Collections calls all day long when it was their error
-Sales Calls - after I said I didn't want them
-Survey Calls - Didn't want these either
-Customer Services (being careful not to tarnish all with the same brush) more often rude and aggressive than helpful and listening

I'd rather go without BB than take out another contract with them. Shocking service.

watty

02 or Vodafone are better. Meteor's coverage on 3G is limited. Meteor's EDGE coverage is possibly poorer than O2 (it is here in Co. Limerick). EDGE can be about 200Kbps.

But none of them are broadband.

Comparing 3G Mobile with Fixed Wireless Broadband.
http://www.radioway.info/comparewireless/CompareHSPAandFixed-v4.html

DSL or Cable Broadband is usually better than Fixed Wireless, though Metro FWA is very good:

Mobile latency is typically 3 higher. Speeds can easily drop to 50kbps. (Dialup speed) or not even connect.

If there is NO fixed Wireless (Digiweb, Imagine, Permanet, Westnet, Airwire etc) consider two way satellite (From €30 a month).

If you HAVE to go for Mobile, then check online on Comreg's mast viewer and coverage on Meteor, O2, Vodafone and 3 Website. Remember indoors, "good" signal range can be 1/4 the distance from mast as outdoor range and 3's maps are much more optimistic than vodafone's.

Consider also your area only needs 5 to 10 additional "heavy users" to make your initial speed during trial period later drop to 1/10th speed or even not connect. The Operator generally will not cancel the product as it is a Mobile Phone based system and there is no guarantee of connection or speed.

Speeds:
GSM only 14.4 or 28.8 for double price call
GPRS on GSM is 12kbps to 70kbps approx.
EDGE on GSM is upto 245kbps. (Though upgrades are possible for 2.4Mbps on EDGE2)
GSM/GPRS/EDGE is 900MHz and 1800MHz. No Breathing!

3G is up to 340kbps approx
HSPDA/HSUPA/HSPA+/iHSPA. 50Kbps to 1.8, 3.6, 7.2, 14.4 or even 21Mbps depending on mast. The highest speed is ONLY available if there is ONLY one user, progressively closer to mast at higher speeds. In other words for several users in real life, the throughput shared between ALL users is 1Mbps to 2Mbps. So with 5 Users simultaneously in mast sector you might only get 200kbps each. Compare 3am speed with 8pm speed
3G/HSPA is 2100MHz, so much poor indoors and poorer rural performance (range). Breathes dropping users

Mobile systems by operator
O2: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSDPA
Vodafone: GSM/GPRS/3G/HSDPA (No EDGE)
3: 3G/HSDPA/iHSPA (no GSM/EDGE) Adding more 3G phone masts.
Meteor: Almost Nationwide GSM/GPRS/EDGE. Limited areas 3G/HSPA+. Adding 3G to more of the GSM masts.

So it depends where you live. None will give decent Broadband performance as latency is poor even at 3am. As more customers join performance gets worse. Phone calls have priority on all systems.

Cap is low and excess varies from about €20 per Gigabyte to €490 per Gigabyte depending on operator, which plan you are on etc.

One lad here at home ate 3Gbyte a day for 6 days before we took the WiFi card from his Laptop. I have a 30Gbyte Cap and "only" get throttled (slowed) "over cap". On PAYG "Broadband" as 3 calls it that could have cost €8,820! No kidding!

Check your usage regularly!

jor el

You know there's a midband forum for this, you already have a thread there about Three, and you started two other threads here today about the same thing. Keep everything to the one thread please.