The DATA Card and USB Modem discussion thread (Reliance/Airtel/Tata)

given2fly · 2nd October 2008, 16:26

Well Sirjee,

Just if you missed it completely, it works on EDGE, GPRS, etyadi as well. I wouldn't have been so over-enthusiastic otherwise. I have a feeling that most of the people complaining about poor Airtel GRPS service, may have something to do with their Qualcomm based data cards. Don't know if third party works any better.

In Pune, Airtel GPRS will simply not work well anywhere in a 50 KM circle around it. Rest of India, Simply WOW!

Networks
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/ 1900 MHz
HSDPA/UMTS 850/1900/2100 MHz

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman

sarkar,

its 3G aka HSDPA etyadi. Meaning a few years away. Cross that bridge when you come to it

Disclaimer - I don't work for Airtel. Just a happy GPRS customer for past couple of years!

DCEite · 6th October 2008, 12:15

I am looking for a reliable internet plan for my laptop. My requirement is always on connectivity. Downloads do not matter, as i would be using this for official work.

Which one to go for: Reliance netconnect USB modem or TATA plug2surf ?

Inputs appreciated.

SLK · 6th October 2008, 15:20

DCEite - there's no definite answer to your query... but from whatever I have used and seen others use...

If you won't be roaming (outside NCR, All through the country)... tata should serve you better. Otherwise Reliance is expected to have better coverage.

I have Reliance data card and Airtel (through my phone)... so far airtel is doing better!... but its just been a couple of months with airtel.

FaeLLe · 13th October 2008, 22:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCEite

I am looking for a reliable internet plan for my laptop. My requirement is always on connectivity. Downloads do not matter, as i would be using this for official work.

Which one to go for: Reliance netconnect USB modem or TATA plug2surf ?

Inputs appreciated.

My work profile usually involves a lot of travelling, both to metros and ocassionally non metros, rural areas too sometimes.

I would re-emphasize that Tata Indicom has no issues with connectivity both across North and South india.

Plus if you go for the Tata Indicom vData card it is a slick PCMCIA card whose antenna can be stowed away and hidden.
The dirty reliance version has a bulky rubber antenna sticking out and can be inconvinient.

Good luck! If you dont like the Tata service you can always unlock the datacard and insert a reliance sim card after applying for a new connection

GTO · 25th January 2009, 16:21

Based on recommendations in this thread, I just picked up a Tata USB Plug2surf earlier this week. Observations:

- Cost about Rs. 3,000. They are running a new year scheme at the moment which gives you 3 months of usage free.

- Logging on is instantenous. No delay, only about 5 seconds to get on to the network.

- Range : Very few service providers catch range where I live (right on the beach). Till date, reliance was the only one with a strong signal. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Tata dialer showing 4 / 5 bars across my place.

- Speed : Faster than dialup for sure. Of course, if your work connection is cable / higher, the wait period for a page load can go to a couple of seconds and needs some getting used to. But overall, it is something that you can definitely live with when out of town on work or holiday.

If initial impressions are anything to go by, I'd recommend a Tata Plug2surf. Cheap, decent speed and zero hassles. It works just the way it is supposed to. Must-have for the traveller who can't afford to stay away from emails / work.

rkbharat · 25th January 2009, 18:38

I have Tata PCMCIA card with a corporate plan, and it is overall good in performance. I have managed to get good speed while roaming in Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh, Himachal and Rajasthan, and also in NCR

Also install an application SPEED, available on Tataindicom site, which do some compression of data to increase the speed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Based on recommendations in this thread, I just picked up a Tata USB Plug2surf earlier this week. Observations:

- Cost about Rs. 3,000. They are running a new year scheme at the moment which gives you 3 months of usage free.

- Logging on is instantenous. No delay, only about 5 seconds to get on to the network.

- Range : Very few service providers catch range where I live (right on the beach). Till date, reliance was the only one with a strong signal. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Tata dialer showing 4 / 5 bars across my place.

- Speed : Faster than dialup for sure. Of course, if your work connection is cable / higher, the wait period for a page load can go to a couple of seconds and needs some getting used to. But overall, it is something that you can definitely live with when out of town on work or holiday.

If initial impressions are anything to go by, I'd recommend a Tata Plug2surf. Cheap, decent speed and zero hassles. It works just the way it is supposed to. Must-have for the traveller who can't afford to stay away from emails / work.

GTO · 26th January 2009, 17:05

Quote:

Also install an application SPEED, available on Tataindicom site, which do some compression of data to increase the speed.

Speed+ seemed to work okay, however it never downloaded complete images. Thus, I have uninstalled this application.

Proxima · 29th January 2009, 16:54

Guys, what is the best internet plan for laptops? I heard there was a BSNL EVDOX one, is it active in Chennai?

If not, Tata or Relaince? I stay in Kottivakkam near thiruvanmiyur and travel almost to Chengelpet daily to office thru ECR - Medavakkam - Tabmaram. Which will give best coverage and speeds?

Urgent inputs required from Chennai BHPians.

Sahil · 29th January 2009, 18:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Speed+ seemed to work okay, however it never downloaded complete images. Thus, I have uninstalled this application.

Can you provide me the link for this application please.

Ram · 29th January 2009, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahil

Can you provide me the link for this application please.

Get it from here:
Tata Indicom - Personal - Internet Speed+

abdriver2000 · 30th January 2009, 10:40

My experience with Tata indicom plug2surf is really bad. I bought my connection along with my laptop from Croma on 3 Aug 08. I was promised a connection in 48hrs but did not get it until 19 Aug 08.

Never got more then 2bars of strength and I live in the heart of Mumbai. The engineer they sent did not look like even a paanchvi pass. All he did was call his manager and walk through the installation again. It just did not help.

I was told that it is a tower issue and there is no expected time to correct it. In the meantime, they bill me for the entire month, including the days the connection was not active! On complaining, they waive off a measly 50 odd bucks. I decide to hang on for some more time.

I was under the 30hr for a month plan, but could not even use half of that. Their billing system is like a Mumbai taxi. Meter chalu even if not a single byte downloaded.

Finally I ask them to disconnect. They simply close my complaint without any comments. Raise another compllaint next day; same fate. Call them the third time and they agree to disconnect. But do it after another billing cycle.

Now they are harassing me on phone and sending recovery agents to my house to collect bills which I never incurred.

If anyone wants to purchase an almost brand new modem let me know. I would be interested in swapping for a USB stick from Vodafone anyday.

Ram · 30th January 2009, 12:47

abdriver2000:
I have had the experience of poor connectivity with the
Tata Indicom plug2surf at two specific locations.
1) At the Vodafone Building on old Pune-Bombay Hwy in Pune.
2) At the Axis Bank office at Corporate Park, Sion-Trombay Road, Chembur.

In both cases, it is due to the cellular tower being too far away.
In Pune, the closest one to the Vodafone building is opp. Sancheti Hospital, 1.35 km away.

However I have had excellent connectivity, all along the length of the Bombay-Pune expressway (except a patch between Khopoli and Khandala.
Also excellent connectivity in 99% of Bombay, Nagpur, Bhopal, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Sholapur and Nashik.

So, all in all, I am happy and satisfied with my Tata Indicom/Sungil Korea plug2Surf SXC-1080 CDMA 1x modem.

The DATA Card and USB Modem discussion thread (Reliance/Airtel/Tata)-sxc1080.jpg

It uses Qualcomm's cellular 800 Single Band CDMA Class 0, MSM6025 Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipset.
Transmits in the band: 824 ~ 849 MHz; Receives in the band: 869 ~ 894 MHz

abdriver2000 · 30th January 2009, 14:49

Ram,

What bothers me is not the connectivity. But the quality of support provided. They bill me for days I have not used my modem. They also bill after the connection is discontinued. And then they outsource the recovery to other agencies which have no idea why they are doing this!

Just google for billing complaints and you will find thousands of them for plug2surf.

abdriver2000 · 30th January 2009, 14:54

This might be slightly OT. I have a PCMCIA card in one of my laptop which has a Vodafone sim. Now I want to convert it to the USB stick modem since my other laptop does not have PCMCIA slot.

Vodafone USB stick costs 2999 and Idea USB costs 2499. Do you think Idea will take the vodafone SIM? Or is it locked to the IDEA network?

The objective is to simply save 500 bucks

manolin · 30th January 2009, 15:03

i have used over last two years three data cards-- Airtel pcmia card, Tata indicom plug to surf and now a reliance CDMAx1 netconnect.

I must say that the airtel experience was the worst (because of both bad billing policies and speeds), though apparently now they have increased speeds (maybe because there are lesser users). They never change plans,no matter where you request.

Tata Indicom was the fastest, till they started advertising with Kajol. After that the world started using it and speeds dropped.

Now Reliance is the decent speeds and one gets connection everywhere. I have had no issues with VPN also with it. It is not as fast Tata Indicom used to be earlier, however it is faster than Tata Indicom is now.

That said, speeds are depended upon tower location, and hence will differ greatly from house to house.

6th October 2008, 12:15	#152
DCEite Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NCR Posts: 3,418 Thanked: 2,571 Times	Internet for laptop: Reliance netconnect or TATA plug2surf? I am looking for a reliable internet plan for my laptop. My requirement is always on connectivity. Downloads do not matter, as i would be using this for official work. Which one to go for: Reliance netconnect USB modem or TATA plug2surf ? Inputs appreciated.
	() Thanks

6th October 2008, 15:20	#153
SLK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DL XX XX XXXX Posts: 1,635 Thanked: 1,012 Times	DCEite - there's no definite answer to your query... but from whatever I have used and seen others use... If you won't be roaming (outside NCR, All through the country)... tata should serve you better. Otherwise Reliance is expected to have better coverage. I have Reliance data card and Airtel (through my phone)... so far airtel is doing better!... but its just been a couple of months with airtel.
	() Thanks

25th January 2009, 16:21	#155
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,547 Thanked: 300,880 Times View My Garage	Based on recommendations in this thread, I just picked up a Tata USB Plug2surf earlier this week. Observations: - Cost about Rs. 3,000. They are running a new year scheme at the moment which gives you 3 months of usage free. - Logging on is instantenous. No delay, only about 5 seconds to get on to the network. - Range : Very few service providers catch range where I live (right on the beach). Till date, reliance was the only one with a strong signal. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Tata dialer showing 4 / 5 bars across my place. - Speed : Faster than dialup for sure. Of course, if your work connection is cable / higher, the wait period for a page load can go to a couple of seconds and needs some getting used to. But overall, it is something that you can definitely live with when out of town on work or holiday. If initial impressions are anything to go by, I'd recommend a Tata Plug2surf. Cheap, decent speed and zero hassles. It works just the way it is supposed to. Must-have for the traveller who can't afford to stay away from emails / work.
	() Thanks

29th January 2009, 16:54	#158
Proxima BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 910 Thanked: 302 Times	Guys, what is the best internet plan for laptops? I heard there was a BSNL EVDOX one, is it active in Chennai? If not, Tata or Relaince? I stay in Kottivakkam near thiruvanmiyur and travel almost to Chengelpet daily to office thru ECR - Medavakkam - Tabmaram. Which will give best coverage and speeds? Urgent inputs required from Chennai BHPians.
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 10:40	#161
abdriver2000 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 331 Thanked: 30 Times View My Garage	My experience with Tata indicom plug2surf is really bad. I bought my connection along with my laptop from Croma on 3 Aug 08. I was promised a connection in 48hrs but did not get it until 19 Aug 08. Never got more then 2bars of strength and I live in the heart of Mumbai. The engineer they sent did not look like even a paanchvi pass. All he did was call his manager and walk through the installation again. It just did not help. I was told that it is a tower issue and there is no expected time to correct it. In the meantime, they bill me for the entire month, including the days the connection was not active! On complaining, they waive off a measly 50 odd bucks. I decide to hang on for some more time. I was under the 30hr for a month plan, but could not even use half of that. Their billing system is like a Mumbai taxi. Meter chalu even if not a single byte downloaded. Finally I ask them to disconnect. They simply close my complaint without any comments. Raise another compllaint next day; same fate. Call them the third time and they agree to disconnect. But do it after another billing cycle. Now they are harassing me on phone and sending recovery agents to my house to collect bills which I never incurred. If anyone wants to purchase an almost brand new modem let me know. I would be interested in swapping for a USB stick from Vodafone anyday.
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 12:47	#162
Ram Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Singapore, Mumbai, Nagpur Posts: 2,166 Thanked: 219 Times View My Garage	Tata Indicom/(Sungil Telecom Korea) plug2Surf SXC-1080 CDMA 1x modem abdriver2000: I have had the experience of poor connectivity with the Tata Indicom plug2surf at two specific locations. 1) At the Vodafone Building on old Pune-Bombay Hwy in Pune. 2) At the Axis Bank office at Corporate Park, Sion-Trombay Road, Chembur. In both cases, it is due to the cellular tower being too far away. In Pune, the closest one to the Vodafone building is opp. Sancheti Hospital, 1.35 km away. However I have had excellent connectivity, all along the length of the Bombay-Pune expressway (except a patch between Khopoli and Khandala. Also excellent connectivity in 99% of Bombay, Nagpur, Bhopal, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Sholapur and Nashik. So, all in all, I am happy and satisfied with my Tata Indicom/Sungil Korea plug2Surf SXC-1080 CDMA 1x modem. It uses Qualcomm's cellular 800 Single Band CDMA Class 0, MSM6025 Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipset. Transmits in the band: 824 ~ 849 MHz; Receives in the band: 869 ~ 894 MHz
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 14:49	#163
abdriver2000 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 331 Thanked: 30 Times View My Garage	Ram, What bothers me is not the connectivity. But the quality of support provided. They bill me for days I have not used my modem. They also bill after the connection is discontinued. And then they outsource the recovery to other agencies which have no idea why they are doing this! Just google for billing complaints and you will find thousands of them for plug2surf.
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 14:54	#164
abdriver2000 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 331 Thanked: 30 Times View My Garage	This might be slightly OT. I have a PCMCIA card in one of my laptop which has a Vodafone sim. Now I want to convert it to the USB stick modem since my other laptop does not have PCMCIA slot. Vodafone USB stick costs 2999 and Idea USB costs 2499. Do you think Idea will take the vodafone SIM? Or is it locked to the IDEA network? The objective is to simply save 500 bucks
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 15:03	#165
manolin BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Delhi/Cuttack Posts: 390 Thanked: 202 Times	i have used over last two years three data cards-- Airtel pcmia card, Tata indicom plug to surf and now a reliance CDMAx1 netconnect. I must say that the airtel experience was the worst (because of both bad billing policies and speeds), though apparently now they have increased speeds (maybe because there are lesser users). They never change plans,no matter where you request. Tata Indicom was the fastest, till they started advertising with Kajol. After that the world started using it and speeds dropped. Now Reliance is the decent speeds and one gets connection everywhere. I have had no issues with VPN also with it. It is not as fast Tata Indicom used to be earlier, however it is faster than Tata Indicom is now. That said, speeds are depended upon tower location, and hence will differ greatly from house to house.
	() Thanks