E172 vs E272 vs Novatel Express Bundle

[Nips]

Hi All,

I'm looking to take out a new Vodacom 3G contract. All of these devices are offered free. The brochure I am looking at doesn't give any signifcant info, except that they all are ready for 7.2MB HSDPA. It looks like the Novatel is PCMCIA, the 172 is USB and I am guessing the 272 is also USB. Any suggestions were I can get more info on the devices? Anybody got any experience with them and can make a suggestion? or at elast list the differences?

Thanks.

 

[vodacom3g]

Hi All,

I'm looking to take out a new Vodacom 3G contract. All of these devices are offered free. The brochure I am looking at doesn't give any signifcant info, except that they all are ready for 7.2MB HSDPA. It looks like the Novatel is PCMCIA, the 172 is USB and I am guessing the 272 is also USB. Any suggestions were I can get more info on the devices? Anybody got any experience with them and can make a suggestion? or at elast list the differences?

Thanks.

Probably the manufacturer websites?

 

[Nips]

Erm, thanks for that, but have tried. Cannot find the 172 or 272 on the huawei site or Vodafone or Vodacom.

 

[Yotch]

Some Asian websites claim that the E172 will be capable of HSDPA speeds of 14.4mbps and HSUPA speeds of 5.76mbps with a future firmware upgrade. Other websites claim that it uses the same chipset as the E272, the Qualcomm MSM7200. Let us know if you are able to verify this information.

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/674135
http://www.mobilebroadbandrocks.com/hardware/huawei-e170-e172-usb-stick

 

[vodacom3g]

Erm, thanks for that, but have tried. Cannot find the 172 or 272 on the huawei site or Vodafone or Vodacom.

Oops , I did not check myself, but Huawei is normally very good with info on their site.

I personally will go for a USB device and them will pick between the 172 / 272 based on mobility and signal level.

The E272 has an external antenna connector which can be VERY handy if you end up in a area with low levels of coverage. The E172 is smaller and looks like a memory stick.

Personally, I'd go for the E272 with a cradle and external antenna at home.

 

[killer1973]

Oops , I did not check myself, but Huawei is normally very good with info on their site.

I personally will go for a USB device and them will pick between the 172 / 272 based on mobility and signal level.

The E272 has an external antenna connector which can be VERY handy if you end up in a area with low levels of coverage. The E172 is smaller and looks like a memory stick.

Personally, I'd go for the E272 with a cradle and external antenna at home.

I currently have this setup at home and it's working like a bomb.

 

[ginggs]

Oops , I did not check myself, but Huawei is normally very good with info on their site.

I think the E172 and E272 aren't on Huawei's site because they are unique to Vodafone.

 

[Nips]

Looks like it's a bit academic - can only seem to find the E172 in stock anywhere anyway. The ad I saw for the E272 (Vodacom4U) was incorrect - it's actually an E220. Still I use ADSL at home - just need a mobile solution so probably wouldn't use an external antenna anyway.

 

[SoTrue]

Looks like it's a bit academic - can only seem to find the E172 in stock anywhere anyway. The ad I saw for the E272 (Vodacom4U) was incorrect - it's actually an E220. Still I use ADSL at home - just need a mobile solution so probably wouldn't use an external antenna anyway.

Have you considered the Novatel MC950D USB modem? Got one recently from a Vodashop, and it seems to work quite well. Supposed to be 7.2 Mbs ready and can be connected to an external (fixed) antenna.

 

[Hosehead]

I currently have this setup at home and it's working like a bomb.

+1 The amazing thing is that in my area without the antenna I'm getting GPRS without fail and the minute I connect the antenna it's HSDPA. A very poor signal need not wreck your life if you have antenna capability.