Are 3G modem dongles network specific?

[tsongololo]

I am a social researcher venturing into the world of tech and would really appreciate some help and confirmation. Firstly, are mobile dongle's network specific? One of my research subjects is an unemployed young woman who uses a mobile dongle to connect her laptop to the internet. However, she shares this laptop with other family members who use another service provider - she is on Vodacom and they are on MTN or Cell C. She says the new dongle does not work with other networks. She told me that some years back this was much easier as there was a modem that plugged into your USB port called the Gogga or the Bug, and it allowed you to use any network. THe newer modem dongle she said does not work with other network providers.
Can anyone confirm if this is really the case and if these modem dongles only work with a specific network? Has anyone heard of the gogga and can tell me more? I would really appreciate any insights or comments.

 

[DarkmatterZA]

Some are Network Specific out of the box yes , as the settings for the specific network are hardcoded in with the software provided, However that doesnt mean you cant use them with other networks, its as simple as downloading the Software from the manufacturers website.

Hope this clears up any questions!


edit: With regards to the gogga its just a generic Dongle nothing special

 

[tsongololo]

Thanks so much - this clears things up

 

[DarkmatterZA]

Happy to Help!

 

[sajunky]

As pointed above, it is Vodafone bloatware preventing other branded dashboards from accessing Vodafone modem. Go to the options an select two options:
- do not load at startup
- remove from systray on exit
Press OK and exit. Now you can try other dashboards if they see modem or download MDMA, a small program circa 100KB.

 

[DarkmatterZA]

MDMA is great actually

 

[Terencek]

Um, is it not the case that Cell C dongles are often unique in being able to access their very specific frequencies?

 

[1geoff99]

Um, is it not the case that Cell C dongles are often unique in being able to access their very specific frequencies?

Correct. Cell C uses the 900 MHz 3g band while the others use 2100 MHz. So you need a dongle that supports both 900 MHz and 2100 MHz bands.

 

[cybershark]

So just to clarify, a Vodafone K4305 will work with a Mtn\Afrihost sim?