New Hsdpa

3 Mobile Broadband - New HSDPA USB Modem

I received a very exciting new gadget through the post on Saturday - a brand new 3 HSDPA Mobile Broadband dongle.

I have been toying with the idea of getting a Mobile Broadband Dongle from 3 for some months now (as I am already a mobile subscriber). One of my main concerns was tying myself into something that I really didn’t know much about. It’s easy with mobiles, you know what you get and how it works.. Mobile Broadband, is it really as simple as it sounds? Would I be more connected if I got one? Are the speeds good enough? What download limit should I get?

Thanks to the lovely guys at 3 - who really must have been reading my mind, they kindly offered me one of their spangly new USB Stick Modems to trial for 3 months (thanks guys!).

Over the course of the next few months I will be putting the 3 USB Dongle & laptop to the test to check out first hand the wonderful-world of Mobile Broadband.

So lets start and see what you get in the kit:

3 Mobile Broadband - Huawei E169G USB Modem Pack

The USB Modem comes in a slightly thicker than usual DVD-style case titled Mobile Broadband with the 3 logo and Huawei E169G USB Modem in the bottom left. As you can see from the picture on the case, the USB modem has been slimmed down a little from previous versions of the dongle.

obile Broadband - Huawei E169G USB Modem Pack - Contents Inside

On opening the pack you are greeted with the shiny white USB Modem at the top, USB extending cable below and on the left hand-side you’ll find all the usual leaflets and instructions. One thing to note that there isn’t an install CD anywhere to be found!

3 Mobile Broadband - The Huawei E169G USB Modem in my hand

Here you have it - the brand new and very shiny 3 USB Stick Modem in my hand…

SD Card Reader, 3 USB Stick Mobile Broadband and USB Memory Stick side by side

You can see how small the 3 Dongle is compared to an SD Card Reader (on the left) and a 1GB Memory Stick (on the right).

Inserting the SIM into the USB dongle was easy!

Also in the pack, and most importantly is the 3 SIM Card that enables you to access the 3 Mobile Broadband Network. Installation was a breeze, just remove the lid of the dongle and at the top there is a ridge to put your finger nail, to pull out the SIM card holder. Insert said SIM card and slip it back into the USB Stick. Easy!

Next onto the part of getting the thing up and running.. Again this was a breeze as well.. As I mentioned earlier there is no CD in the pack, Well how do I get the necessary drivers installed on my computer for this to work I hear you ask? Well they are already on the USB Stick - just plug in the device and your computer will find the necessary drivers and install the 3 Mobile Broadband Manager to your task tray (PC). This is just as well really, as my laptop is an EEE PC and it doesn’t come with a CD drive!

3 Mobile Broadband on my EEE PC

Once all the drivers were installed I was connected to the 3 Mobile Broadband Network in moments.. all-in-all I have to say that the whole process took me less than 5 minutes.

So far so good… The device looks great, the install was painless and I was connected in no time.. Will my experiences actually using the thing still be as good? Come back to iGadgetLife over the next few months to see what I really have to say about 3’s Mobile Broadband.