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

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004 (Post 2578375)

Guys, Planning to buy a USB modem. I am a noob in this. I have heard of USB modems from Reliance Net Connect, Vodaone 3G, Airtel, Idea & Tata Photon.

My usage would be very very minimal, its a substitute to the broadband connection in my office (maybe I would go for a zero rental postpaid plan if available). Requirements are good & strong connectivity, fast browsing & of course, the price. It should be value for money. free roaming would be icing on the cake!

Which one would be apt for me?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgiitk (Post 2580904)

@raj_5004; All can be equally good or bad. A lot depends on the signal level and load in your area. I have a Photon+ for two years. No real problems, and I normally get 500+kbps peaking at 1.9kbps. However, in Bangalore recently while the signal level was full, I barely got 25kbps. Must be congestion.

In our area (fringe on all) Reliance was supposed to be bad, but last night on my phone (EVDO) I saw 1.8+Mbps. I will not commit until I see similar performance a few more times.

My suggestion is to borrow a few units, and actually test them out in your location.

Damn! Late reply sir. I just bought Vodafone's USB stick. I actually wanted to buy TATA Photon+, but then thought to give Vodafone a try especially since their store was very near to my place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi (Post 2580753)

So I'm looking to replace my (stupid) Tata Photon+ data card with a more reliable and faster 3G data card.

Since I do a lot of road trips, which takes me to many non-metro and Tier 3/4/5 locations, I feel a service provider like MTNL would suit me best, since they have have BSNL's infrastructure to latch on to. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I used to use a Tata Photon data card, the kind that goes into the PCMCIA slot and had umpteen problems with the same. Changing to the Photon+ USB stick resolved them. My travel profile too used to be similar to your own and most of the times I enjoyed data connectivity even while travelling in trains etc.

However for almost an year now, there are issues with the connect speeds. They average less than 100 odd Kbps on most days and the stick refuses to work when signal input is set to "Photon+" mode only. I have to keep signal input on hybrid mode (photon & photon+) to make it work. The problem remains unresolved even after several complaints to the service provider.

I will look forward to reading about your experience with MTNL/BSNL combo.

Appreciate if anyone can give me some inputs here.

Is there any player in the market who can offer a prepaid kind of datacard where you re-charge and have a validity of at least 6 months ?

Reason is my usage would be very minimum, used only when traveling. That too might be max 3 days a month. And for this short duration I don't want go for a monthly rental plan.

For my regular use I have an Airtel landline plan which suits me well.

Thanks
Fillmore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi (Post 2580753)

@nishantgandhi

If you are not going to use this in Mumbai extensively, I would suggest get data card from BSNL from nearby places like, pune, satara etc. whatever suits you.
With free roaming on BSNL 3G you will have good coverage and no interconnection issues.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanagg1 (Post 2588535)

I bought the Huawei E1732 (Idea branded, but unlocked by seller) off Ebay for Rs 1250. Got an MTNL 3G (Jadoo) SIM yesterday.

I was told by the MTNL official that it will be activated within 24 hours. However, I still went ahead last night and plonked it in the data card.

While it was connecting to internet, the speeds were fluctuating wildly (from 0 kbps to 45 kbps) and never did the connection stabilize. Infact, the signal showed EDGE Dolphin.

Is it not supposed to show Dolphin 3G? Or does this mean that 3G has not yet been activated at all?

Can 3G users on data card confirm what they see in the Huawei connection
window?

If the signal strength is OK, you should be able to see HSUPA or something like that. If it is showing EDGE, quite likely the BSNL signal is not so great where you are sitting. Try moving to another part of your place to check what shows up.

The 'fluctuation' you are noticing is the actual speed of transfer - which means you are connected alright. If there is no traffic to or fro your machine, it will show 0. For short transfers, the reading doesn't really convey anything. The average speed during, for example, a large file transfer is what matters. Test your average speed on speedtester.bsnl.co.in. It shows the download speed only, unfortunately, but is a reliable test otherwise. The upload speed will be ~400Kbps. You could also check your speed at speedtest.net.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte (Post 2588884)

I think because I quoted the post above me, there was some confusion. I have bought an MTNL 3G SIM, not BSNL.

Also, I just tried out the data card. It works well and the Connection Manager software is indeed showing HSDPA DOLPHIN. The LED on the data card has been on BLUE (color for 3G), instead of GREEN (color for EDGE) as was showing yesterday. I guess last night the 3G service was not yet activated.

Also, a better source to check data speed is Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test. Across 3 different tests, I got a download speed raning between 1.4 mbps to 2.7 mbps. Upload is capped at 0.35 mbps.

The best part - I started my Netbook in Ubuntu and plugged in the data card. It automatically sets up the connection along with the correct APN (FYI - under windows, I had to manually change the APN for prepaid!).

I am based in Pune, but looking to get a usb modem for ALL INDIA use. Do the networks allow FREE roaming (or part of your package) even in circles where they do not have a licence?
I know the alternative is BSNL who do hold a pan India licence, anyone else?

I will also need a USB Modem, which one to get, buy from the network or from an independent and just buy the sim separately? I have not set a budget for the modem. Two good models I have read about are the Huawei K4505 and Huawei UMG1831. Any other to consider?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fillmore (Post 2609059)

Anyone using any 3G wifi router ? and what is your experience ?
I am looking for one which is compatible with Airtel 3G USB stick.

Looks like the standard ones are >3.5k

Thanks
Fillmore

We use Bigpond 3g router. Unlike other routers wherein you will need to plugin 3g usb stick, here you just need to insert a 3G SIM and you are good to go. The router too has some better features like DDNS support, better reception due to 2 antennaes for 3G and WiFi support.

!!! Airtel 3G - Pathetic !!!!

Just thought of sharing my feedback, and also would like to get any inputs from anyone facing the same issue.

I went for an Airtel 3G USB based datacard, this was primarily for limited use when I am out of bangalore.
In Bangalore it was fine, However was totally disappointed by the horrible performance of the card when I went out of Karnataka.
I was in TN and 3G would not work, the 2G network speed was between 0KBPS to 20KBPS. It was almost impossible to browse at this pathetic speed, even Gmail page would take ages to load.

Calling up Airtel support was practically useless, they claim that due to some Govt regulation 3G is not supported in roaming mode and with 2g on this card, this is all they can do.

Since I purchased this card primarily for use when out of Bangalore, its practically useless to me. Any inputs on how to get Airtel to refund the card amount/ any workarounds to increase the speed would be appreciated.

Thanks
Fillmore

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte (Post 2629001)

Doesn't Airtel cover TN? The Govt. ruling was about operators not extending 3G coverage for roaming to another operator who has not taken license in that circle.

Airtel does cover TN and I could find the Airtel Network in TN with good signal strength. However Airtel support claimed that if I want 3G in another state then I need to use a SIM card purchased from that state.
Their workaround was change the settings to GSM 2G mode, which gave pathetic network bandwidth of 0 to 20 KBPS speed.