3G/HSPA/LTE Modems

MTN E270 on CellC

Hi Guys,

My MTN contract will be expiring next month and I'm looking for a cheaper alternative.

Question is can i use my current MTN E270 modem with a CellC sim.

I'm thinking of getting the R999 datasimcard - a Cell C SIM card
-2GB of data each month for 12 months

Thanks,
mjmapi
 
Hi guys, I have a 3g modem that says hsdpa/wcdma 900/2100MHz. Will this work with the cell c network? What is the difference between umts and wcdma.
 
Need to make a modem choice between ZTE and Huawei 21mb

The time has come to give Vodacom the shove at last.

The choice I'm facing is whether to choose the ZTE or Huawei modem. I've got an installed Poynting high gain aerial that gives good results on my current setup. I intend to connect it to a Billion 7402NX router (according to Billion's compatibility guide all these modems are okay).

I understand that the Poynting coupler gives some improvement, and there is also a pigtail available for the K4505Z. I have read a number of posts regarding overheating and disconnects on the K4505Z, which is cause for some concern. I understand many of these issues were experienced on Windows 7 PCs, but I guess a router may have similar problems.

My question is - given that a pigtail is almost certainly going to give a better signal that a coupler, is it worth considering the K4505Z in the light of those concerns?

PS. Is it only me, or does R250 seem like a hell of a lot of money for a very short piece of wire and a couple of connectors? I bought a couple of pigtails at Poynting in the past and they cost nothing like that. I honestly think that the Direct operation is tearing the ring out of it.
 
Cell C Black Speedstick

Can someone assist me?

I have the 21Mbs black speedstick from CellC, but it gets very hot during normal operation. Which other modem can i use instead of the CellC? I am using it with a 300n TP-Link Router.

Thanks,
 
hugos said:
Can someone assist me?

I have the 21Mbs black speedstick from CellC, but it gets very hot during normal operation. Which other modem can i use instead of the CellC? I am using it with a 300n TP-Link Router.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

I use the Sierra AirCard 307 with a TP-Link router. I also use the Uniterm high gain antenna with a pigtail I bought from eBay for less than R50.

Modem available here. Software and firmware updates from here. Antenna available here. Pigtail from here. Router from here. Connection between the router and modem is via a short high quality USB cable (included with the Sierra 307 modem package).
 
Last edited:
lotus123 said:
The time has come to give Vodacom the shove at last.

The choice I'm facing is whether to choose the ZTE or Huawei modem. I've got an installed Poynting high gain aerial that gives good results on my current setup. I intend to connect it to a Billion 7402NX router (according to Billion's compatibility guide all these modems are okay).

I understand that the Poynting coupler gives some improvement, and there is also a pigtail available for the K4505Z. I have read a number of posts regarding overheating and disconnects on the K4505Z, which is cause for some concern. I understand many of these issues were experienced on Windows 7 PCs, but I guess a router may have similar problems.

My question is - given that a pigtail is almost certainly going to give a better signal that a coupler, is it worth considering the K4505Z in the light of those concerns?

PS. Is it only me, or does R250 seem like a hell of a lot of money for a very short piece of wire and a couple of connectors? I bought a couple of pigtails at Poynting in the past and they cost nothing like that. I honestly think that the Direct operation is tearing the ring out of it.
Click to expand...

See this post. I don't know if the Sierra 307 works with the Billion router, though.

Edit: I see the Billion router supports the Sierra 306 modem. The Sierra 306 and 307 are identical except for 900 MHz support, so it will probably work.
 
Last edited:
hi
im using the white modem with the tplink router.....whenever i connect i get a hspa signal(blue light) but it changes to edge(green) after about 5 minutes.......if i reconnect the same happens.....
what should i do to ensure a constant hspa signal?will one of those external high gain antennas from uniterm help?
thanks in advance...
 
gopes said:
hi
im using the white modem with the tplink router.....whenever i connect i get a hspa signal(blue light) but it changes to edge(green) after about 5 minutes.......if i reconnect the same happens.....
what should i do to ensure a constant hspa signal?will one of those external high gain antennas from uniterm help?
thanks in advance...
Click to expand...

What is your signal strength?
 
gopes said:
32%
Click to expand...

That's about -93 dBm. You definitely need to try and improve your signal. You should aim for at least 50% signal strength. I would first try to move the router or use a good quality USB extension to relocate the modem to see if you can improve your reception that way. Otherwise an external antenna should do the trick.
 
1geoff99 said:
I don't know if the Sierra 307 works with the Billion router, though.

Edit: I see the Billion router supports the Sierra 306 modem. The Sierra 306 and 307 are identical except for 900 MHz support, so it will probably work.
Click to expand...

I decided to go for a used K4505-Z and it works perfectly. The router recognises it properly, and an old Poynting pigtail actually fits it (after my rant about their pricing it was a relief to discover that I don't need a new pigtail after all!) so I'm getting a very strong signal.

The only thing I'm not satisfied with is that the Billion router does not keep a running total of bandwidth used. When you switch off it resets to zero. Billion support staff suggest not switching it off as a fix (thanks Billion, that's really helpful).
 
I have tried a Vodafone K4605 (Huawei E372), I am unable to connect on 3G even though signal strength is good and modem is registered on the network.
Connecting on '2G Only' works fine, if I try and switch to '3G Only' while connected the connection is dropped.
Morkhans tells me the modem connected on 3G in Port Elizabeth, but only after the 42Mbps launch.
 
ginggs said:
I have tried a Vodafone K4605 (Huawei E372), I am unable to connect on 3G even though signal strength is good and modem is registered on the network.
Connecting on '2G Only' works fine, if I try and switch to '3G Only' while connected the connection is dropped.
Morkhans tells me the modem connected on 3G in Port Elizabeth, but only after the 42Mbps launch.
Click to expand...
My negotiated QoS downlink value changed from 16000 to 21000 sometime this weekend and now I am able to establish a 3G/HSPA+ connection.
 
Speed stick special device models

Can anyone confirm which devices are sold with the speed stick promotions. The 5GB I have is sold with an E1820 but I believe that this is no longer the case. I could also not find anything on their web site.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X