I guess it's too late now but for future reference I'll post this anyway!
If I had got here in time I would have strongly recommended not using 3 for
your mobile broadband. In my experience their network coverage is wildly
variable and, in general, performance is terrible. Me and my Dad use the
service (me through my phone, Dad has a MF622 modem from 3) and both find
that evening performance is noticeably worse than daytime. Also you tend to
find devices flick between Orange and 3 networks because of their roaming
agreement. This doesn't necessarily mean problems for you but it often does
result in dropped network and calls for, especially if I'm on the move. I
get this with my Nokia 6120 and my Dad says something similar happens with
the USB modem although it may not be flicking between networks. It just
drops from HSDPA to UMTS to GPRS and then bounces back and most of the time
this results on a broken connection.
Also, 3's customer service is utter shite. I had to take them to arbitration
before they even listened to my complaints about the total lack of coverage
in my area (even though their coverage maps showed full 3G coverage). This
said, after almost 9 months of back-and-forth they did sort the problem
quite effectively (new mast went up I think so) although I have yet to hear
about a refund for the 9 months of service I didn't get!
On the whole, I think it's a case of getting what you pay for. They're good
value and the service is mostly passable depending on where you live but if
you want something reliable, especially if you plan to use the device while
you're moving (train, car) then I'd opt for Vodafone or T-Mobile (or
possibly another network but I can only vouch for these two as I have used
them).
Jon
2009/6/7 dave <dave(a)staffslug.org.uk>
dave wrote:
> dave wrote:
>
>> Kris Douglas wrote:
>>
>>
>>> 2009/6/7 Tom Hill <tom(a)ninjabadger.net>:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> It might be better looking at the devices of this sort that are
>>>> supported by Network Manager.
>>>>
>>>> It's a lot more than it used to be, that's for sure. :)
>>>>
>>>> Tom
>>>>
>>>> stuart bell wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 2009/6/7 dave <dave(a)staffslug.org.uk>:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hello all,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> After the last meeting where people were talking about USB
mobile
>>>>>> internet and how they have been getting them to work etc, it got
me
>>>>>> thinking.. Hmmm.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, I'm after peoples opinion on what I should be looking
out for
(I'm
>>>>>> going to go down the pay as you go route as there is no way I
can
>>>>>> justify a monthly contract)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Not much to choose between the deals. Just make sure you get a
Huawei
>>>>> E220 modem as ten minutes googling will furnish the info to unlock
it.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> Guys, there's a deal on right now, mine arrived on friday:
>>>
http://www.3dongle4free.co.uk. £5 quid for postage.
>>>
>>> The device is unlockable, it also doubles up as a memory card and
>>> works perfectly on Ubuntu.
>>>
>>> The firmware update [for unlock] is here and needs to be run under
Windows XP,
>>> instructions included:
http://rapidshare.com/files/235523732/ZTE2.rar
>>>
>>> The dongle itself is a ZTE MF627 and there are drivers for Mac OSX,
>>> Linux and even some OS called "Windows" which I believe some
people
>>> are still using?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Well, tis done, just wait for it to arrive! :o)
>
>
_______________________________________________
Staffslug mailing list
Staffslug(a)staffslug.org.uk
http://lists.staffslug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/staffslug